New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation Signs Agreement with Aetna
Nov 02, 2009
The New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC) announced today that it has reached an agreement with Aetna (NYSE: ΑET) to offer Aetna members in New York City in-network access to in-patient and out-patient services from HHC’s 11 acute care hospitals, six Diagnostic and Treatment Centers and four nursing homes.
The new three-year agreement expands Aetna’s current relationship with HHC’s Elmhurst Hospital Center and Queens Hospital Center. All Aetna plans are covered under the new contract.
“We are delighted that our contract with Aetna will offer more New Yorkers access to care at all of HHC hospitals. Our entry into this vast network of commercial health insurance underscores our competitive, quality services and our recent significant achievements at the leading edge of patient safety, health information technology and chronic disease management,” said HHC President Alan D. Aviles. “This new partnership also supports our work to further diversify our patient base and attract more referrals from the thousands of community physicians with whom we have forged relationships.”
Aetna provides health benefits to approximately 1.8 million members in the New York Metropolitan area. Those members have access to a network that includes 172 contracted hospitals and more than 56,000 health care providers, including primary-care and specialist physicians, in the New York Metropolitan area.
“Aetna is happy to announce that all of the HHC facilities will now be included in our New York City network,” said Michael Costa, Aetna’s head of network operations for the New York City market. “This agreement will enhance our ability to offer our members access to a wide range of hospitals and physicians in and around New York City.”
New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation’s hospitals – which are affiliated with all of the city’s major medical schools and comprise the largest municipal hospital system in the country – include six level 1 trauma centers, nine designated stroke centers and two regional perinatal centers. In addition, HHC facilities include the only hospital in New York City to receive a “Baby-Friendly” breast-feeding achievement designation by the World Health Organization.
Contact: Ian Michaels (HHC) (212) 788-3339.
About Aetna
Aetna is one of the nation’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 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 HHC
The New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC) is a $6.7 billion integrated healthcare delivery system with its own 420,000 member health plan, MetroPlusHealth, and is the largest municipal healthcare organization in the country. HHC serves 1.4 million New Yorkers every year and more than 475,000 are uninsured. HHC provides medical, mental health and substance abuse services through its 11 acute care hospitals, five skilled nursing facilities, six large diagnostic and treatment centers and more than 70 community based clinics. HHC Health and Home Care also provides in-home services for New Yorkers. HHC was the 2008 recipient of the National Quality Forum and The Joint Commission’s John M. Eisenberg Award for Innovation in Patient Safety and Quality. For more information, visit www.nychhc.org/hhc or find us on facebook.com/NYCHealthSystem or twitter.com/NYCHealthSystem.