Aetna to Expand to Washington Secure, Reimbursed Online Consultations Between Members and Doctors
Posted on: Thursday, 22 February 2007, 12:01 CST
Aetna (NYSE: AET) announced today that it has expanded coverage for online physician-patient consultations to members in the state of Washington through the RelayHealth network, McKesson's secure online health care communication services. Aetna began covering physician-patient consultations through the RelayHealth network for its members in California and Florida last year.
The RelayHealth network enables secure, Web-based communication between doctors and their patients, including clinically based physician-patient consultations, appointment requests, referrals, lab and test results, and prescriptions and medication refills.
"We are pleased to be able to offer members and physicians in Washington access to the added convenience of covered online consultations," said Andrew Oliveira, M.D., Aetna's medical director in Washington. "Aetna has pioneered several innovations in Washington, most notably our high-performance network of Aexcel-designated specialists, and this agreement to offer RelayHealth services is another way we are working to improve the delivery of health care in this important market and facilitate optimal health for our members."
Aetna will cover online webVisit® consultations between members and their primary care physicians, if their doctors participate in both Aetna's and RelayHealth's networks. This service will be available to all fully-insured members. Self-funded customers can choose to offer this service to their employees who are Aetna members in Washington.
According to a September 2006 online survey conducted by Wall Street Journal Online/Harris Interactive Health-Care Poll of more than 2,600 adults, 74 percent would like to use e-mail to communicate directly with their doctor; 75 percent would like to have the ability to schedule a doctor's visit via the Internet; and 77 percent would like reminders via e-mail from their doctor when they are due for a visit or some type of medical care.
WebVisits are covered at the same level as an in-person office visit according to the member's specific plan of benefits. Members can access the service through two entry points: www.relayhealth.com or through their physician's website if their doctor participates with RelayHealth. Members can go to DocFind, Aetna's online provider directory available on www.aetna.com, to see which Aetna participating physicians offer RelayHealth services in California, Florida and Washington.
"With clinical structure, and reimbursement from health plans like Aetna, webVisit consultations can enhance doctor-patient communication and improve continuity of care, especially for those with chronic illnesses," said Giovanni Colella MD, president of RelayHealth's Consumer Solutions. "By streamlining non-urgent interactions online, practices find RelayHealth services save time, while increasing patient satisfaction and access to care."
Aetna has been involved in online consultations since 2001, when the company participated in the Silicon Valley Employers Forum pilot in California with RelayHealth and several Silicon Valley independent practice associations. The pilot enabled employees to use webVisit consultations to communicate online with their primary care physicians for non-urgent medical consultations and other administrative health care needs.
About Aetna
Aetna is one of the nation's leading diversified health care benefits companies, serving approximately 35.9 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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