Aetna Is First National Health Plan To Contract With The Department Of Veterans Affairs
Aetna (NYSE: ΑET) announced today that it is the first national health plan to sign a participating provider agreement with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for Aetna members who are also enrolled and receiving health care services from the VA. Health care providers participating with the VA now are recognized as in-network participating providers for all health plans administered by Aetna.
VA has 153 hospitals, 881 outpatient clinics, and 135 Nursing Home Care units and is the largest integrated health care system in the United States. The agreement also includes employed and contracted physicians, including dental and behavioral health providers, in the United States and Puerto Rico.
"Aetna is committed to helping our members achieve optimal health and access cost-effective, quality care" said Allen Karp, Aetna’s vice president of Health Care Delivery. "We are pleased that through this agreement with VA, we can offer members greater choice of health care options and in particular, services that are relevant to veterans"
The agreement, effective January 2007, has helped streamline billing and health care delivery between the two organizations. Eligible Aetna members who are enrolled veterans can access Aetna’s in-network benefits when receiving healthcare services at VA facilities.
Aetna also has listed VA facilities on DocFind, the company’s online directory of participating providers.
VA is a comprehensive, integrated health care system that serves the needs of America’s veterans by providing an extensive medical benefits package that includes primary care, specialized care, and related medical and social support services. These include hospital, outpatient medical, dental, pharmacy and prosthetic services, in addition to numerous Centers of Excellence for a broad range of services such as the National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.
VA manages the largest medical training program in the United States and is affiliated with 107 medical schools. More than half of the physicians practicing in the United States have had a portion of their professional training through VA. This agreement will provide an opportunity for VA to collect for services provided to Aetna members and use these reimbursements to further provide direct veteran care.
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