"We’re very pleased to announce this new agreement," said Ramzy ElGomayel, Aetna’s head of network operations in Georgia. "This is very good news for Aetna members and prospective future customers in the Macon area. We’ve greatly expanded access to hospitals, facilities and physicians in Central Georgia."

"This agreement extends access to the Medical Center of Central Georgia and our physicians for a significant number of Aetna members in and around the Macon area," said Don Faulk, president and CEO of Central Georgia Health System. "We welcome them to the Central Georgia Health Network and look forward to serving them with world-class care."

Under the agreement, members of Aetna network-based plans will be able to receive covered in-patient and out-patient services, at in-network rates, from the Medical Center of Central Georgia, the children’s hospital in Macon, home health, home infusion, three urgent care centers, radiology centers, a rehab hospital, an ambulatory surgery center, and approximately 180 physicians who previously had not participated with Aetna. These physicians include hospital-based doctors and community physicians. Aetna members will continue to have access to about 220 of CGHN’s affiliated physicians who had previously established contractual arrangements with Aetna.

Aetna provides and administers health benefits to more than 500,000 members in Georgia. Those members currently have access to a contracted network of 153 hospitals, 4,360 primary care physicians and 8,790 specialists.

About Central Georgia Health System
Central Georgia Health System is a private, not-for-profit corporation that includes The Medical Center of Central Georgia and Central Georgia Health Network and other health related companies. CGHN is a physician-hospital organization, which includes more than 400 primary-care and specialty physicians.

About Aetna
Aetna is one of the nation’s leading diversified health care benefits companies, serving approximately 36.4 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 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, government-sponsored plans and expatriates www.aetna.com