Hartford health insurer Aetna says its collaborative partnership with ProHealth Physicians is leading to fewer hospital stays for patients and higher utilization of preventive and follow-up care.
Aetna and Farmington-based ProHealth Physicians have been working together since 2007 through the Aetna Medicare Provider Collaboration program, which attempts to implement several parts of an accountable organization in order to improve quality of care and lower health care costs.
One of the major components of the partnership includes Aetna nurse care managers helping to coordinate care for ProHealth patients in conjunction with a clinical coordinator.
ProHealth provides care to about 900 Aetna Medicare Advantage members through the program.
So far, more than 97 percent of those members visited their health care provider in 2011 to receive preventive and follow-up care. In addition, compared with Medicare beneficiaries residing in Connecticut who are enrolled in Original Medicare, the Aetna Medicare Advantage member population has experienced 37 percent fewer inpatient hospital days on a risk-adjusted basis and 35 percent fewer hospital readmissions.
