Aetna Signs Agreement With Baptist Health

Aetna (NYSE: AET) and Baptist Health announced today that they have reached agreement on a new multi-year contract that ensures continuation of the long-term relationship between them.

Under the agreement, members of Aetna’s commercial plans will continue to receive covered in-patient and out-patient services, at in-network rates, from Baptist’s five Jacksonville-area hospitals: Baptist Medical Center Downtown; Baptist Medical Center Beaches; Baptist Medical Center Nassau; Baptist Medical Center South; and Wolfson Children’s Hospital, along with the Baptist Primary Care network.

“Aetna is excited to announce this agreement with Baptist Health,” said Ruth Fricke, Aetna’s head of network operations for Florida. “The Baptist facilities have long been an important part of our North Florida network, and we’re happy to be extending that affiliation.”

Aetna provides health benefits to approximately 220,000 members in North Florida. Those members have access to a contracted network of 10 hospitals and more than 2,700 primary-care and specialist physicians.

“We are pleased that Baptist Health and Aetna have reached a mutually satisfactory agreement that will allow us to continue providing quality health care to Aetna members at all of our hospitals, outpatient facilities, and the Baptist Primary Care network throughout Northeast Florida,” said Philip Boyce, senior vice president of managed care at Baptist Health.

Baptist Health is a faith-based, mission-driven system comprised of Baptist Medical Center Downtown and Baptist Heart Hospital; Baptist Medical Center Beaches; Baptist Medical Center Nassau; Baptist Medical Center South; and Wolfson Children’s Hospital — Jacksonville’s only children’s hospital. Baptist Health also includes cardiology and cardiovascular surgery services, a comprehensive cancer center, orthopedic institute, women’s resource center, a full range of psychology and psychiatry services, outpatient facilities, urgent care services and a network of primary care physicians’ offices throughout Northeast Florida. Baptist Health is the official healthcare provider for the Jacksonville Jaguars. For more information, visit www.e-baptisthealth.com

Aetna is one of the nation’s leading diversified health care benefits companies, serving approximately 29.8 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 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