Aetna, a CVS Health company, insures about 39 million people.
Here are five updates from the company in the last 30 days:
1. Sayre, Pa.-based Guthrie Robert Packer Hospital’s bariatric ASC was recognized by the Aetna Institutes of Quality. The center earned Aetna IOQ status by having high volumes while meeting clinical quality standards, contract requirements, cost efficiency bariatric surgery access, the report said. It also met requirements that the facility and its providers be credentialed by Aetna and participate in Aetna's network for all plans and products available in the area.
2. Highmark Blue Shield will replace Aetna and CVS Caremark as the health and prescription drug benefits provider for the 39,000 people employed by Penn State starting in 2023.
3. Aetna's contract with Lubbock, Texas-based Covenant Health expired Aug. 31, leaving almost 9,000 individuals without in-network coverage. Covenant, which is owned by Renton, Wash.-based Providence, operates seven hospitals in Texas and New Mexico.
4. Aetna is expanding its co-branded CVS Health insurance plans on the individual ACA marketplaces to a total of 12 states for 2023: Arizona, California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Missouri, North Carolina, New Jersey, Nevada, Texas and Virginia.
5. MaineHealth will switch from Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Maine to Aetna for its employee health plan carrier starting in 2023. The Portland-based health system has about 22,000 employees.
6. Integrated Home Care Services, a Miramar, Fla.-based home health and medical equipment administrator, has named Christopher Bradbury as its new CEO. Mr. Bradbury served as a senior vice president at CVS Health, where he led Aetna's commercial solutions and specialty business portfolio. He also previously served as president of Aetna's North Atlantic territory (New England, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C. markets), including commercial and Medicare.
7. Aetna patients in Austin with Aetna insurance plans are in network with Houston-based Texas Children's Hospital, effective Aug. 1.