Aetna Inc. (NYSE: AET), a leading global diversified health care
benefits company, and its philanthropic arm, the Aetna Foundation,
jointly have awarded a $235,000 grant to London-based The King’s
Fund to analyse the most effective models in the United Kingdom of
closely coordinated health care for people with chronic illnesses.
The results of the two-year study have the potential to influence
health care improvements in the United States as well as in the
UK.
“Chronic health conditions account for the largest share of
health care spending internationally, and we anticipate the impact
to grow as populations age and become more susceptible to multiple
chronic illnesses,” said Sandip Patel, president of Aetna
International, which includes Aetna Health Services UK, and a
member of the Aetna Foundation’s board of directors.
“Although the United Kingdom and the US have different systems
for paying for health care, the two nations face similar challenges
in delivering high-quality health care while moderating the
escalating costs of providing care. Effective care coordination,
particularly for patients with medically complex and disabling
conditions, holds great promise on both sides of the Atlantic. We
are pleased to support The King’s Fund, arguably one of England’s
most respected health policy organisations, in its efforts to
unlock the way to higher-quality health care,” he said.
Care coordination is often defined as a patient-centred,
interdisciplinary approach where all of a patient's needs are
managed across providers and settings in an integrated,
cost-effective manner. Strong primary care, communication systems
linking providers, professionals and patients, targeted case
management, patient engagement, and quality improvement measures
based on outcome metrics are frequently cited characteristics.
In the United States, care coordination is a central component
of current health care improvement initiatives, such as the
patient-centred medical home and accountable care organisations,
also known as ACOs. In the UK, health care systems are adopting
care coordination as a primary strategy to integrate care for
people with multiple, long-term chronic conditions.
“Studies suggest that care coordination can deliver
higher-quality services by improving collaboration among providers
and encouraging patients to be proactive in their treatment,” said
Chris Ham, chief executive of The King’s Fund. “But we don’t yet
have a good understanding of which care coordination strategies –
or combinations of strategies – are the most effective in producing
the best outcomes for patients, particularly those with complex or
multiple health issues. The goal of our study is to determine the
factors that comprise best-practices models of coordinated care and
develop practical approaches that health care systems can adopt to
improve patient health for this expanding population.”
The King’s Fund will conduct in-depth case studies of five
geographically and socioeconomically diverse health care systems in
the UK that have demonstrated their effectiveness in delivering
innovative care coordination to older patients with complex chronic
conditions. The case studies will feature detailed analyses of how
each organisation developed its care coordination model, and the
changes to services, systems or professional roles that were
required. The profiles will also detail the barriers that had to be
overcome and the conditions that facilitated adoption of the care
coordination models. Included will be the care coordination
system’s impact on patient experiences, health outcomes and
costs.
Through close analysis of the similarities and differences among
the five care coordination models it will study, The King’s Fund
seeks to identify the core components of successful care
coordination and produce practical plans that other health care
systems can incorporate into their health care practices.
The results of The King’s Fund study are expected in 2013.
Improving health care through better integrated and coordinated
care is one of the Aetna Foundation’s three programme areas, in
addition to fighting the obesity epidemic and promoting racial and
health care equity. Over the past 18 months, the Aetna Foundation
has awarded grants totaling more than $1.5 million for projects in
the United States to promote integrated health care and measure the
effectiveness of integrated care models.
The Aetna and Aetna Foundation award to The King’s Fund marks
their first grant making in the UK.
About the Aetna Foundation
The Aetna Foundation, Inc. is the independent charitable and
philanthropic arm of Aetna Inc. Since 1980, Aetna and the Aetna
Foundation have contributed $394 million in grants and
sponsorships, including $15.6 million in 2010. As a
national health foundation, we promote wellness, health, and
access to high-quality health care for everyone. This work
is enhanced by the time and commitment of Aetna
employees, who have volunteered more than 2.3 million
hours since 2003. Our current giving is focused
on addressing the rising rate of adult and childhood obesity
in the US; promoting racial and ethnic equity in health and
health care; and advancing integrated health care. For more
information, visit www.AetnaFoundation.org.
About Aetna
Aetna is one of the US’s leading diversified health care
benefits companies, serving approximately 36.3 million people with
information and resources to help them make better informed
decisions about their health care. Aetna offers a broad range of
traditional, voluntary and consumer-directed health insurance
products and related services, including medical, pharmacy, dental,
behavioural health, group life and disability plans, and medical
management capabilities and health care management services for
Medicaid plans. Our customers include employer groups, individuals,
college students, part-time and hourly workers, health plans,
governmental units, government-sponsored plans, labour groups and
expatriates. For more information, see www.aetna.com.
About Aetna International
Aetna International is committed to helping create a stronger,
healthier global community by delivering comprehensive health
benefits and health management solutions worldwide. Aetna
International's expatriate business is one of the industry's
largest and most prominent US-based international health benefits
providers, supporting more than 400,000 members worldwide. The
organisation’s expatriate offerings include medical, dental,
vision, life, disability and emergency assistance. Aetna
International’s health management business collaborates with health
care systems, government entities and plan sponsors around the
world to design and build locally-applied health management
solutions to improve health, quality and cost outcomes. For more
information, see www.aetnainternational.com.
About the King’s Fund
The King’s Fund is a charity that seeks to understand how the
health system in England can be improved. Using that insight, we
help to shape policy, transform services and bring about behaviour
change. Our work includes research, analysis, leadership
development and service improvement. We also offer a wide range of
resources to help everyone working in health to share knowledge,
learning and ideas. We have a long history of looking at how the
health system can support those with complex chronic conditions.
For more information, see www.kingsfund.org.uk.
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