Coventry Health Care and Mercy Medical Center – Des Moines Expand Health Care Plan to Offer Des Moines Residents Greater Value

Coventry Health Care, an Aetna company, and Mercy Medical Center – Des Moines (part of Catholic Health Initiatives), today announced an expansion of their existing collaboration that will offer Des Moines residents under the age of 65 access to the same quality of care and affordability previously only offered to Medicare members.

Coventry and Mercy Medical Center – Des Moines currently provide Medicare-eligible Coventry members with coordinated care. The new plan, called Carelink from Coventry, powered by Mercy Medical Center – Des Moines, also will be available to employer groups.

Beginning January 1, 2015, Carelink from Coventry, powered by Mercy Medical Center – Des Moines will deliver high-quality care at a lower cost to Des Moines area residents. Employers and individual members can expect:

  • Access to Mercy’s primary care and specialty physician clinics;
  • Access to hospital services provided at Mercy Medical Center -- Des Moines and Mercy Medical Center -- West Lakes hospital campuses;
  • More coordinated, team-based care among physicians of all specialties and other care providers;
  • Enhanced patient experience through best-in-class care management programs and technology that delivers the same, up-to-date information to all physicians and care providers;
  • Lower overall out-of-pocket costs for members who see providers who are affiliated with Mercy; and
  • Improved health care outcomes through a greater emphasis on preventive care, efforts to reduce hospital readmissions and post-care follow-up.

“Consumers belong at the center of a health care system that promotes wellness, provides better care for chronic conditions and uses economic incentives to reward positive health outcomes,” said Dale Mackel, president of Coventry’s Iowa operations. “When physicians and health plans work together, care improves for the people we serve. This new collaboration will provide Mercy physicians with useful information that will support more patient outreach, better care coordination and a health care experience that is simpler and more effective.”

Value-based networks are designed to achieve greater care quality at a lower cost by providing members with access to local physicians and hospitals within or affiliated with a single health system.

“To truly serve our patients, we must enter a new era of health care, one where we align payments with what really matters – the long-term health and wellbeing of our communities,” said Bob Ritz, President of Mercy. “As a physician-led organization, we touch thousands of people’s lives every day. Enhancing our partnership with Coventry is one example of our commitment to improving care at every level.”

Coventry and Mercy will measure care quality, efficiency and patient satisfaction by tracking:

  • The percentage of Coventry members who receive recommended preventive care and screenings;
  • Better management of patients with chronic conditions such as diabetes and heart failure;
  • Reductions in avoidable hospital readmissions;
  • Reductions in avoidable emergency room visits; and
  • Expanded primary care access hours.

Medicare beneficiaries can elect to enroll in Coventry’s Total Care product in collaboration with Mercy Medical Center – Des Moines during Medicare open enrollment, which runs October 15 through December 7, 2014.

About Coventry Health Care of Iowa
Coventry Health Care of Iowa, Inc. provides a range of traditional and consumer-directed health insurance products to employer groups, Medicare beneficiaries, individuals and families across the state of Iowa. Coventry Health Care of Iowa, Inc., an Aetna company, has served Iowans for over two decades and has an A.M. Best Financial Strength Rating of “A” (Excellent). The latest A.M. Best rating information is available at www.ambest.com.

About Aetna
Aetna is one of the nation's leading diversified health care benefits companies, serving an estimated 45 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, Medicaid health care management services, workers' compensation administrative services and health information technology products and services. Aetna's customers include employer groups, individuals, college students, part-time and hourly workers, health plans, health care providers, governmental units, government-sponsored plans, labor groups and expatriates. For more information, see www.aetna.com and learn about how Aetna is helping to build a healthier world. @aetna

About Mercy Medical Center – Des Moines
Mercy operates two hospital campuses, along with more than 20 additional facilities that house more than 50 primary care, pediatric, internal medicine and specialty clinics. Mercy Medical Center – Des Moines is an 802-bed acute care, not-for-profit Catholic hospital founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1893. Mercy is the longest continually operating hospital in Des Moines and is also one of the largest employers in the state – with more than 6,900 employees and a medical staff of more than 1,000 physicians and allied health associates. Mercy Medical Center–Des Moines is a member of Mercy Health Network and is a part of Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI), a national nonprofit health organization with headquarters in Englewood, Colo. The faith-based system operates in 18 states and includes 93 hospitals and multiple other facilities and services.

Contacts:

Coventry Health Care Media Contact:
Rohan Hutchings, 773-687-5419
hutchingsr@aetna.com
or
Mercy Medical Center Media Contact:
Gregg Lagan, 515-490-6636
glagan@mercydesmoines.org

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