Hartford health insurer Aetna is launching a new national program in Connecticut and New Jersey that will incentivize doctors who more actively coordinate and manage their patients’ care across the health care system.
As part of the program, primary care providers who participate in Aetna’s networks and are recognized as a patient-centered medical home practice will receive a quarterly payment for each commercial Aetna member in their care.
The extra pay will not go toward Medicare patients.
The patient -centered medical home is a model of care that is considered a key aspect of health care reform. The idea behind it is to use primary care physicians as central figures in coordinating patient care among specialists, hospitals and other health care providers. It requires doctors to improve access to care, increase preventive care services, and employ care coordinators, among other things.
The National Committee for Quality Assurance sets medical home standards and also designates physicians who meet those standards.
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