Aetna (NYSE: AET) and HackensackAlliance ACO today announced a new accountable care agreement and Medicare Collaboration that will improve the coordination and delivery of patient care. The HackensackAlliance ACO is designed to deliver a better patient experience for more than 10,000 Aetna commercial and Medicare Advantage members in Bergen and Hudson counties.

This agreement expands the existing relationship between Aetna and the Hackensack University Health Network, which is a foundational provider in the new Aetna Medicare NNJ Prime Plan that was introduced in New Jersey on October 1, 2014.

The HackensackAlliance ACO includes 575 physicians and care providers who use leading health information technology to coordinate care. They are accountable for cost, quality and patient satisfaction for the health care they provide.

Aetna members who receive care from the HackensackAlliance ACO physicians will experience more coordinated care, and will benefit from the improved flow of information to physicians, particularly those patients with chronic or complex conditions. Aetna nurse case managers will work with the ACO to assist in care coordination, outreach and follow-up services. HackensackAlliance ACO physicians are affiliated with: Hackensack University Medical Center; HackensackUMC at Pascack Valley; and HackensackUMC Mountainside.

“This new agreement with the HackensackAlliance ACO – like others that have preceded it over the last seven years – aligns with the federal government’s recent call for more value-based models of care,” said John Lawrence, president, Aetna – New Jersey. “Step by step, Aetna and progressive health care providers like the HackensackAlliance ACO are changing the business model for health care delivery, and delivering strong results for members.

“Aetna will work closely with the ACO physicians to identify specific areas where we can either develop or improve on the sharing of specific, useful health information,” Lawrence continued. “In turn, the physicians will use this information to improve care for patients, close gaps in care and reduce waste. We are creating a continuous loop of improved information to drive better care. Working together, we aim to bring better health, better care and lower costs to thousands of Aetna members.”

“We are proud to partner with Aetna on this accountable care agreement and Medicare Collaboration,” said Robert C. Garrett, president and chief executive officer of Hackensack University Health Network. “We are committed to developing strong partnerships that will improve the level of care coordination provided—ultimately improving the results for our network and patients. This commitment was demonstrated when the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced that HackensackAlliance ACO generated $10.75 million in savings and was one of just three ACOs in the state to receive a savings payment.”

The agreement is in effect now for fully insured customers and will be effective on April 1, 2015, for self-insured customers. Aetna members who have been treated by HackensackAlliance ACO affiliated physicians over the last 24 months will be attributed to this agreement. Their benefits will not change, but they will be part of a select group who will receive highly coordinated, personalized care.

This agreement includes a shared savings model that rewards HackensackAlliance ACO physicians for meeting certain quality and efficiency measures such as:

  • The percentage of Aetna members who receive recommended preventive care and screenings;
  • Better management of patients with chronic conditions such as diabetes;
  • Reductions in avoidable hospital readmission rates; and
  • Reductions in unnecessary emergency room visits.

Aetna is working with health care organizations nationwide to develop products and services that support value-driven, patient-centered care for all health care consumers. Nationally today, about 3.2 million Aetna members receive care from doctors committed to the value-based approach, with 28 percent of Aetna claims payments go to doctors and providers who practice value-based care. Aetna has committed to increasing that number to 50 percent by 2018 and 75 percent by 2020. In New Jersey, Aetna has nearly 230,000 members -- 21 percent of its members -- served through value-based collaborative arrangements, including ACOs, with the intent to reach over 400,000 -- 35 percent of its members -- during 2015.

About Aetna

Aetna is one of the nation's leading diversified health care benefits companies, serving an estimated 46 million people with information and resources to help them make better informed decisions about their health care. Aetna offers a broad range of traditional, voluntary and consumer-directed health insurance products and related services, including medical, pharmacy, dental, behavioral health, group life and disability plans, and medical management capabilities, Medicaid health care management services, workers' compensation administrative services and health information technology products and services. Aetna's customers include employer groups, individuals, college students, part-time and hourly workers, health plans, health care providers, governmental units, government-sponsored plans, labor groups and expatriates. For more information, see www.aetna.com and learn about how Aetna is helping to build a healthier world. @aetna

About Hackensack University Health Network

Hackensack University Health Network (HackensackUHN) is the New Jersey-based parent company of HackensackUMC, the HackensackUMC Foundation, Hackensack University Medical Groups, and corporate joint venture partners with LHP Hospital Group in ownership of two hospitals: HackensackUMC at Pascack Valley and HackensackUMC Mountainside. In 2015, the Network signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Seton Hall University to form the only private school of medicine in New Jersey. In late 2014, HackensackUHN announced its plans to merge with Meridian Health, forming the largest integrated health system in the state. Also in 2014, HackensackUHN announced that Palisades Medical Center will become a full member of the Network. Together with six other health systems, the Network is part of the nation’s largest healthcare consortium of its kind, AllSpire Health Partners. HackensackUHN also enjoys clinical and academic affiliations with some of the nation’s most well-renowned health systems, hospitals and universities, including: CityMD, Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center, MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, MinuteClinic, North Shore-LIJ Health System, NYU Langone Medical Center’s Division of Pediatric Surgery, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, St. George’s University, Statesir Cancer Center at CentraState Medical Center, and Stevens Institute of Technology. With more than 11,300 employees, 3,100 credentialed medical staff members and 1,697 hospital and nursing home beds at hospitals within the Network, Hackensack University Health Network is one of the largest healthcare systems in New Jersey.