Aetna, Aetna Foundation Back Study to Help Safety-Net Hospitals Better Integrate and Coordinate Care for Millions of Underser...
January 03 2012 - 2:06PM
Business Wire
Each year, millions of uninsured Americans rely on the nation’s
safety-net hospitals to meet the full range of their health care
needs, such as primary care visits, specialist consultations,
diagnostic tests and medication, in addition to emergency room
visits.
To ensure these patients -- and the millions more poised to
enter the nation’s health system in 2014 -- receive high-quality
care, Aetna Inc. (NYSE: AET), with support from the Aetna
Foundation, has awarded a $250,000 research grant to the National
Public Health and Hospital Institute (NPHHI), the research
affiliate of the National Association of Public Hospitals and
Health Systems (NAPH).
The one-year study will analyze best practices in integrated
health care to help America’s safety-net hospitals and health
systems restructure their services to provide seamless, efficient
patient-centered care that improves health outcomes and moderates
costs.
“Safety-net hospitals have a tremendous responsibility
delivering high volumes of nonemergency health care services to
vulnerable populations,” said Gillian Barclay, D.D.S., Dr.P.H.,
vice president of the Aetna Foundation. “As safety-net institutions
adopt new processes that fully integrate and coordinate care for
their patients, we should see a significant positive impact on
population health in this country, particularly among African
Americans and Latinos who make up more than half of safety-net
institutions’ patient base. We are pleased to support NPHHI in its
research to guide the transformation of public hospitals to more
integrated health care delivery systems.”
According to NAPH, uninsured patients had more than eight
million doctor visits and nearly three million emergency department
visits at its more than 100-member hospitals in 2009, the most
recent year data are available. The average NAPH-member hospital
delivers almost 600,000 outpatient visits a year, five times the
average of other acute care hospitals in the U.S.
To evaluate safety-net hospitals’ readiness to become fully
integrated systems, NPHHI will survey NAPH-member organizations,
exploring such factors as care coordination practices, operational
effectiveness, focus on patients, families and community health,
and effective leadership and culture. In addition to achieving a
baseline assessment, researchers will inventory specific, critical
gaps hindering safety-net hospitals from full integration and
develop strategies for addressing those gaps. The NPHHI study also
will produce case studies of several safety-net hospitals that have
already achieved significant progress in implementing an integrated
health care model.
“As hospitals and health systems move toward health care
reform’s vision of higher-quality, cost-effective patient-centered
care, they must develop services that are seamless for existing
patients while also preparing to care for the millions of newly
insured,” said Bruce Siegel, M.D., M.P.H., president and CEO of
NAPH and NPHHI. “Our research will be crucial to advancing the
capability of public hospitals to coordinate and integrate the full
range of patient care and benefit millions of vulnerable Americans
who rely on their services for all their health care needs.
“Additionally, our study will inform the larger hospital
community, policy makers, and private and government health plans
of best practices in delivering high-quality, cost-efficient care,”
Siegel said.
The results of the NPHHI study are expected in December
2012.
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,
behavioral 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, labor groups and
expatriates. For more information, see www.aetna.com.
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 U.S.;
promoting racial and ethnic equity in health and health care;
and advancing integrated health care. For more information, visit
www.AetnaFoundation.org.
About the National Public Health and Hospital
Institute
The National Public Health and Hospital Institute is a private,
nonprofit organization established in 1988 to address major issues
facing public hospitals, safety-net organizations, underserved
communities and related health policy issues of national priority.
NPHHI is the research affiliate of the National Association of
Public Hospitals and Health Systems. For more information, go to
www.nphhi.org.
Aetna (NYSE:AET)
Historical Stock Chart
From Apr 2024 to May 2024
Aetna (NYSE:AET)
Historical Stock Chart
From May 2023 to May 2024
