“This is particularly good news for Prudential Healthcare members who are moving into Aetna health plans,” according to C.E. “Chip” Boy, Director of Business Development for Aetna in Tennessee. “With Baptist hospitals now participating in Aetna’s HMO, new Aetna members may continue to use the same hospitals they used in Prudential HMO plans without risk of disruption.”

Over 700 physicians and nine hospitals will participate in the new HMO network. Baptist Health Services Group (“BHSG”) will anchor the Aetna HMO’s hospital network. Aetna and Baptist entered into an agreement last June under which BHSG hospitals will provide medical and surgical services to all Aetna members, including HMO members through 2004. The Baptist facilities include the new Baptist Memorial Hospital for Women and the Baptist Heart Institute.

In addition to the BHSG hospitals, St. Jude, a center that specializes in cancer research for children, will also participate in Aetna’s HMO network.

Along with the HMO, customers will also have the option of enrolling in Aetna’s new Quality Point-of-Serviceâ health plan, Aetna Open Access HMOâ and USAccessâ, a plan which allows consumers to self refer in or out of the HMO network each time they access medical care. Aetna HMO members will have access to state-of-the art disease management and wellness programs, including special programs to help members with diabetes, asthma, congestive heart failure and chronic low back pain. Covered wellness care includes the complete cycle of childhood immunizations, and preventive screenings to detect breast, cervical, prostate, and colon cancer in the early, more treatable stages.

Aetna HMO members will also be able to use the power of the Internet to make using their health care benefits quicker and easier.

• Aetna Navigator, a powerful and comprehensive online resource, enables members to manage their health and track health expenditures on a personalized, secure website, as well as obtain customized information about health issues of particular interest to them.
• EZenroll, an interactive Internet enrollment application, allows members to review their plan’s list of benefits, select a primary care physician and complete their enrollment online.
• InteliHealth is Aetna’s web-based information and news service. Consistently ranked among the nation’s top health sites, it provides scientifically based information on a wide variety of health topics. Members can also engage in interactive quizzes and submit questions to be answered by a licensed medical doctor.