Aetna‘s Pharmacy Benefits Management Group Recognized By URAC For Clinical Focus And Vigilance In Helping To Promote Health Care Quality
Recognition means Aetna earns double accreditation from health care quality group
HARTFORD, Conn., October 5, 2007 — Aetna (NYSE: ΑET) today announced that it has received accreditation in Pharmacy Benefits Management (PBM) and Drug Therapy Management (DTM) from URAC, an independent non-profit organization that promotes health care quality through its accreditation and certification programs. The new quality standards, the first for the prescription drug benefits industry, certify that an organization has met URAC’s exacting benchmarks for a broad spectrum of best practices, including organizational quality, customer service, communications, disclosure of pricing policies, pharmaceutical distribution, drug utilization management, and formulary/pharmacy and therapeutics committee.
"By executing a PBM accreditation process, URAC has shown its commitment to protecting consumers’ interests," said Mark Rubino, Chief Pharmacy Officer for Aetna Pharmacy Management. "The standards it has set help to make drug costs transparent, ensure patient safety and meet high standards of customer service. Aetna shares these core values, and we are gratified that a respected organization like URAC has recognized our own high standards with this certification."
Aetna Pharmacy Management helps customers to provide quality, affordable prescription drug benefits to their employees, as well as helps members to understand their condition, choose the right therapy and improve their overall health. Receiving an endorsement from URAC shows that Aetna meets URAC’s high standards for helping customers and members meet their cost and healthcare objectives.
"Accreditation means consumers can be assured that ongoing accountability and quality best practices will continue to be a major focus for these companies," said Alan P. Spielman, URAC’s president and chief executive officer. "We encourage all purchasers of pharmacy benefit management services to leverage the URAC quality standards by including URAC Pharmacy Benefit Management or Drug Therapy Management Accreditation as an essential requirement in evaluating potential and existing vendors."
Aetna’s commitment to offering members the most detailed cost and quality information has also been recognized by the HR Policy Association. The association formed a coalition that sets the most rigorous standards for maintaining drug purchasing transparency in the marketplace and certified Aetna in 2005 as one of only three pharmacy benefit managers to meet those standards. In 2007, HR Policy Association certified Aetna for the third consecutive year.
About URAC
URAC, an independent, nonprofit organization, is well-known as a leader in promoting health care quality through its accreditation and certification programs. URAC offers a wide range of quality benchmarking programs and services that keep pace with the rapid changes in the health care system, and provide a symbol of excellence for organizations to validate their commitment to quality and accountability. Through its broad-based governance structure and an inclusive standards development process, URAC ensures that all stakeholders are represented in establishing meaningful quality measures for the entire health care industry. For more information, visit www.urac.org.
About Aetna
Aetna is one of the nation’s leading diversified health care benefits companies, serving approximately 34.9 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, long-term care 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 and government-sponsored plans in both the U.S. and internationally. www.aetna.com
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