Bridges Health Partners LLC, a Clinically Integrated Network, and Aetna have entered into an Accountable Care Organization Agreement for Aetna's Medicare Advantage members in Western Pennsylvania. The agreement is designed to improve the coordination, clinical performance, efficiency, and cost of care provided to Aetna's Medicare Advantage members.

"Bridges recognizes Aetna's growth in Western Pennsylvania and is excited to enter into this agreement to provide high quality, cost effective care to the more than 17,000 Aetna Medicare members assigned to Bridges providers," said John Grese, Executive Director of Payor Relations for Bridges.

Formed in 2017 by affiliates of Butler Health System, Excela Health, St. Clair Hospital, and Washington Health System, Bridges Health Partners LLC integrates the systems' independent and employed medical staff. The organization focuses on quality and outcomes improvement by implementing an integrated, regional network of care.

"One of the driving reasons behind forming Bridges was to enable like-minded organizations to partner in a progressive way that promotes better value and patient experience. We are confident that our collaboration with Aetna will successfully transform the delivery of care for seniors in Western Pennsylvania," said Tom Boggs, president of Bridges Health Partners.

"Our collaboration with Bridges Health Partners is a prime example of Aetna's commitment to value-based care, ensuring that patients receive the right care in the right place at the right time," said Andy Richard, Vice President of Aetna's Provider Networks. "Our goal is to collaborate effectively with providers and, by doing so, improve the health of our members."

Working together, Bridges and Aetna will create a care management team designed to:

• Use data insights to proactively manage the health care needs of the Aetna Medicare Advantage members through early care intervention, and educate customers on the value of preventive care
• Provide patient-centered care that increases the quality of access to medical services, reduce costs, and offer a better patient experience
• Ensure a seamless integration within inpatient and outpatient care teams

"Through collaborative efforts with Aetna, we are excited to continue to transform the medical care we provide to our patients. We share the vision of delivering care that's of high quality, patient-centric and delivered in our communities," said Bridges Health Partners LLC chief medical officer, Dr. Robert Zimmerman. "The Bridges care model will be augmented by this relationship with Aetna as we strive to provide evidence-based, cost-effective care to not only help treat chronic medical problems, but to also encourage healthy lifestyles to prevent them."

About Bridges Health Partners LLC

Four independent, non-profit health systems in the Pittsburgh metropolitan market and surrounding communities are the founding members of Bridges Health Partners LLC, including Butler Health System, Excela Health, St. Clair Hospital and Washington Health System. Each partner system, along with their independent and employed medical staff are committed to transforming how healthcare services are delivered by implementing an integrated, regional network of care that supports all patient populations, no matter the payer. Together, Bridges Health Partners LLC serves patients through a broad geography of outpatient, community-based sites and inpatient facilities in Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Clarion, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Lawrence, Mercer, Venango, Washington and Westmoreland counties.

Our commitment to quality has been recognized by numerous national and independent authorities including HealthGrades, The Leapfrog Group, Quantros CareChex, IBM Watson 100 Top Hospitals, and U.S. News and World Report's High Performing Hospitals and Best Regional Hospitals, to name just a few.

Bridges Health Partners LLC network comprises seven hospital campuses with over 1,450 licensed beds, over 1,000 employed and affiliated physicians with a network of primary care and specialty group practices, ambulatory surgery centers, urgent care clinics, imaging and diagnostic centers, skilled nursing, home health and hospice care. Bridges Health Partners LLC are strong healthcare provider organizations individually; collectively dedicated to delivering the best quality of care at a lower cost to patients where they live and work. To learn more about Bridges Health Partners LLC, visit www.bridgeshealthpartners.org.

About Aetna

Aetna, a CVS Health business, serves an estimated 39 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 and behavioral health 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, visit www.aetna.com and explore how Aetna is helping to build a healthier world. @AetnaNews