Aetna and Geisinger Health System Reach New Agreement

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Aetna and Geisinger Health System Reach New Agreement

Walt Cherniak, 410-401-9490orKim Aboud, 814-949-0512

Aetna (NYSE: ) and Geisinger Health System today announced that they have signed a five-year contract that provides Aetna members with in-network access to all Geisinger facilities in Pennsylvania. The contract is the first direct, systemwide agreement between Aetna and Geisinger.

Under the agreement, Geisinger also renewed its existing contract with Coventry, which was acquired by Aetna in 2013. Members of all Aetna and Coventry commercial plans will be able to receive care, at in-network benefits, from Geisinger Medical Center and its Geisinger-Shamokin Area Community Hospital campus, Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center, Geisinger-Community Medical Center, Geisinger-Bloomsburg Hospital, and Geisinger- Lewistown Hospital.

“Aetna is very excited to have reached this agreement with Geisinger, which is renowned for its innovative approaches to health care,” said Laurie Brubaker, president of Aetna’s Pennsylvania, Delaware and West Virginia operations. “We’ve worked hard to build strong relationships with leading health systems like Geisinger, and this agreement is an important validation of those efforts.”

In addition to Geisinger’s six acute care hospitals, all Geisinger physician clinics, ambulatory surgery centers, skilled nursing facilities and ancillary home health and hospice services in Pennsylvania will be part of Aetna’s commercial network. The agreement adds approximately 1,100 physicians to that network, and gives Aetna direct contracts with providers in all 67 Pennsylvania counties.

“We are pleased to finalize this agreement so people with Aetna and Coventry insurance coverage can receive in-network healthcare services throughout Geisinger Health System,” said David Friel, vice president, third party contracting for Geisinger.

Aetna provides health benefits to more than 1 million people in Pennsylvania. Those members have access to a network of 201 hospitals and more than 35,000 primary care and specialist physicians. Aetna also employs more than 7,000 people in Pennsylvania.

Geisinger Health System is an integrated health services organization widely recognized for its innovative use of the electronic health record, and the development of innovative care models such as ProvenHealth Navigator® and ProvenCare®. As one of the nation’s largest rural health services organizations, Geisinger serves more than 2.6 million residents throughout 44 counties in central and northeast Pennsylvania. The physician-led system is comprised of more than 21,000 employees,including a 1,100-member multi-specialty group practice, eight hospital campuses, two research centers and a 467,000-member health plan, all of which leverage an estimated $7.4 billion positive impact on the Pennsylvania economy. The health system and the health plan have repeatedly garnered national accolades for integration, quality and service. In addition to fulfilling its patient care mission, Geisinger has a long-standing commitment to medical education, research and community service. For more information, visit , or follow the latest Geisinger news and more on  and .

Aetna is one of the nation’s leading diversified health care benefits companies, serving an estimated 44 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 and the .