Aetna to Offer Secure, Reimbursed Online Communication Between Members and Doctors; California and Florida Program Supports Patient Access to Care Through RelayHealth(R) Services.HARTFORD, Conn. -- Aetna (NYSE NYSE See: New York Stock Exchange :AET AET Aetna, Inc. AET After Extra Time AET Actual Evapotranspiration AET Alliance for Environmental Technology AET Alpha-Ethyltryptamine AET Applied Extrusion Technologies, Inc. ) announced today that beginning May 3 it will cover online physician-patient communications for members in California California (kăl'ĭfôr`nyə), most populous state in the United States, located in the Far West; bordered by Oregon (N), Nevada and, across the Colorado River, Arizona (E), Mexico (S), and the Pacific Ocean (W). and Florida through RelayHealth, a provider of secure online health care communication services. RelayHealth enables online communication between doctors and patients, including clinically based doctor-patient consultations, appointment requests, the ability to get referrals, lab and test results, and electronic prescriptions and medication refills. As part of the program, Aetna will cover online consultations, called webVisits(R), between fully insured members in California and Florida and their primary care physicians, if they participate in both Aetna's and RelayHealth's networks. Self-insured self-insured Self fund Health insurance adjective Referring to the practice of carrying an individual health insurance policy for oneself; self insurance is usually more expensive than group insurance employers can opt to have their employees who are Aetna members in these states participate. "Aetna is enhancing its industry-leading medical management programs for our members. This service complements our strategy of working with physicians to help each member achieve optimal health. It is one more way Aetna is using technology to support physicians' relationships with their patients and make it easier for members to access quality, cost-effective care," said Charles Cutler Sir Charles Benjamin Cutler, KBE, ED (20 April 1918 - 23 September 2006) was an Australian politician, holding office for 28 years as an elected member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, who served as NSW Deputy Premier for 10 years and Country Party leader for 16 years. , M.D., Aetna's national medical director, Quality Management. "RelayHealth's secure, Web-based physician-patient communication service gives members a new way to access non-urgent health care needs with security and convenience, and physicians tools to efficiently communicate with their patients and manage their care. The structured online questionnaire provides a framework that helps ensure physicians can collect adequate condition-specific information." RelayHealth is more secure than e-mail. Unlike e-mail, which relies on multiple servers across the Internet, RelayHealth uses a single, centrally managed database for doctor-patient communications. In addition to online consultations, Aetna members can make online appointment requests with their doctors and get referrals, lab and test results through the RelayHealth service. Members also will be able to receive new prescriptions and orders for prescription refills electronically from their physician. Members will be responsible for their office visit copay co·pay n. A copayment. , based on their plan design, for the online doctor visit. There is no charge to members for the other communications services. Members can access the service through two entry points: www.relayhealth.com or through their physician's website if their doctor participates with RelayHealth. On May 3, members can go to DocFind, Aetna's online provider directory available on www.aetna.com, to see which Aetna participating physicians offer RelayHealth services. "We congratulate Aetna for taking this bold step, and believe it speaks to the connection between our service and health plans that are investing in consumer-focused health plan initiatives," said Giovanni Colella, M.D., president and chief executive officer of RelayHealth. "This agreement with Aetna brings secure, affordable online physician access to more Americans in California and Florida." 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 communicate online with their primary care physicians for non-urgent medical consultations. About Aetna Aetna is one of the nation's leading diversified diversified (di·verˑ·s health care benefits companies, serving approximately 27.9 million unique members 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 pharmacy, art of compounding and dispensing drugs and medication. The term is also applied to an establishment used for such purposes. Until modern times medication was prepared and dispensed by the physician himself. In the 18th cent. , dental, behavioral health Behavioral health was first used in the 1980's to name the combination of the fields mental health and substance abuse. As an example, an organization serving both mental health and substance abuse clients might refer to its practice as behavioral health or , group life, long-term care long-term care (LTC), n the provision of medical, social, and personal care services on a recurring or continuing basis to persons with chronic physical or mental disorders. and disability plans, and medical management capabilities. Our customers include employer groups employer group Association of employers Managed care An entity with a current group benefits agreement in effect with a health plan to provide covered health care services to its employee-subscribers and eligible dependents. , individuals, college students, part-time and hourly workers, health plans and government-sponsored plans. www.aetna.com |
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