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Take Care Health Systems Announces National Contract With Aetna

Posted on: Wednesday, 15 August 2007, 09:12 CDT

Take Care Health Systems, a leading operator of convenient care clinics and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Walgreens (NYSE, NASDAQ: WAG), today announced it has signed a national contract with Aetna (NYSE: AET), one of the nation's leading diversified health care benefits companies, to become part of their national network of providers.

The contract with Aetna, which serves more than 15 million medical members, further broadens Take Care Health's deep base of patients covered across the country. Take Care Health accepts the majority of insurance plans in each of their operating markets.

Take Care Health Clinics are professional health care centers, staffed by nurse practitioners who treat patients for common illnesses such as strep throat, ear and sinus infections, pink eye and poison ivy, and are able to prescribe for the ailments they treat. Clinics are open seven days a week, with no appointments necessary.

"Aetna's support for the convenient care model on a national level is a needed step toward further increasing access to quality, affordable and convenient health care for all individuals," said Peter Miller, Take Care Health President and CEO. "Take Care Health is serving a critical need in the U.S. health care system by providing access to quality, affordable health care, while integrating with the medical community to deliver patient-first care. Americans have embraced the concept -- we have seen nearly 200,000 patients with consistently high patient satisfaction rates since opening our first centers in November 2005."

The contract with Aetna applies to all 56 Take Care Health Clinics nationwide. For the uninsured and cash payers, costs average $59 to $74.

"Aetna encourages people to continue to see their primary care physician, recognizing the important role they play in the continuity of patient care. Yet, as people's lives become busier, we understand retail health clinics can provide a convenient alternative for certain common health problems when a patient cannot see his or her primary care physician," said Allen Karp, Aetna's vice president for Health Care Delivery. "Take Care Health, and its growing number of clinics, offers another option for our members and adds to our network of physicians, hospitals and providers."

Take Care Health integrates with the traditional medical community toward a shared goal of providing patient-focused care with each encounter. Take Care Nurse Practitioners encourage all patients to have a primary care provider they see routinely for on-going medical needs and routine exams. If a patient's condition falls outside of the clinic's scope of practice, the patient is referred back to their primary care provider for follow-on care. If a patient does not have such a provider, nurse practitioners will offer a list of providers in the area accepting new patients. Take Care Nurse Practitioners collaborate, as they determine is necessary, with local physicians who are available for consultation at all times the practitioner is treating a patient.

The company uses nationally-recognized, evidence-based clinical guidelines for treatment and electronic medical record technology allowing patients to take visit records to their other providers.

Take Care Health follows quality and safety standards as outlined by the Convenient Care Association, the industry's trade association, and is aligned with guidelines for retail clinics set by the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American Medical Association.

Take Care Health operates 56 health clinics in Chicago, Kansas City, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh and St. Louis and plans to have more than 400 clinics inside Walgreens drugstores by the end of 2008.

About Take Care Health Systems

Take Care Health Systems (www.takecarehealth.com), a leading operator of convenient care clinics, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Walgreens. Take Care Health combines best practices in medicine and the expertise and personal care of Take Care Nurse Practitioners to provide high-quality, accessible and affordable health care to all individuals. Take Care Health operates 56 health care clinics in Chicago, Kansas City, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh and St. Louis. Take Care Health uses nationally recognized clinical guidelines, industry standards set forth by the Convenient Care Association (www.convenientcareassociation.org) and an electronic medical record system to ensure the highest quality care. The company maintains a robust quality assurance program, including collaborating physician record review, peer review and compliance auditing.

About Aetna

Aetna is one of the nation's leading diversified health care benefits companies, serving approximately 34.9 million people with information and resources to help them make better informed decisions about their health care. Aetna offers a broad range of traditional and consumer-directed health insurance products and related services, including medical, pharmacy, dental, behavioral health, group life, long-term care and disability plans, and medical management capabilities. Our customers include employer groups, individuals, college students, part-time and hourly workers, health plans and government-sponsored plans. www.aetna.com.

Source: Business Wire

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