Aetna Medicare Plans among Top 50 Plans in NCQA’s Medicare Health Insurance Plan Rankings, 2011-2012

Four Aetna (NYSE:AET) Medicare plans are ranked in the top 50 Medicare plans in the country, according to the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) Medicare Health Insurance Plan Rankings, 2011-2012. The rankings, released Wednesday, place Aetna’s Medicare HMO plans in Maine, Pennsylvania, New York, as well as a multi-state Medicare PPO plan offered in several states, in the top 50 Medicare plans in the nation.

Aetna also has five commercial plans in the top 100 of NCQA's Private Health Insurance Plan Rankings, 2011– 2012, which ranks private HMO and PPO plans. These markets include Massachusetts, Connecticut and southern New Jersey. Connecticut and Massachusetts have both an HMO and a PPO in the top 100 rankings.

Rankings are based on clinical performance, member satisfaction and NCQA accreditation. For the first time, the NCQA included PPOs in its rankings this year, in an effort to extend the relevance to more consumers. As a result, HMOs and PPOs were scored in a combined list of rankings, for Medicare plans and private plans.

“We’re pleased to participate in the rankings by NCQA and have a shared commitment to improving health care quality,” said Andrew Baskin, M.D., Aetna’s head of Quality and Provider Performance Management. “This year’s rankings were compiled differently than in the past and do not allow for direct comparisons with prior years. Still, the rankings bring focus to the important issue of quality. Improving the quality and cost-effectiveness of care is critical to building a stronger, more effective health care system.”

Aetna plans scored well on the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS®1). HEDIS is the measurement tool used by the nation’s health plans to evaluate their performance in terms of customer service and clinical quality, including measures that examine how often patient care conforms to evidence-based guidelines. In 2011, Aetna improved its national average on 17 of 27 HEDIS clinical accreditation measures for its commercial (private) HMO plans, and 21 of 26 for its commercial PPO plans. For Aetna’s Medicare HMO plans, the company improved on 14 of 20 accreditation measures; for the Medicare PPO plans, Aetna improved on 15 of 20 accreditation measures.

“We are particularly proud that all of our commercial and Medicare HMO and PPO health plans are accredited by NCQA,” said Baskin. “Our scores are a reflection of market performance as well as investment in those specific markets for HEDIS efforts and data collection. Improving quality through adherence to evidence-based medicine is the fundamental principle that guides Aetna’s clinical work.”

About Aetna

Aetna is one of the nation’s leading diversified health care benefits companies, serving approximately 36.5 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, 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, governmental units, government-sponsored plans, labor groups and expatriates. For more information, see www.aetna.com.

About NCQA

NCQA is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. NCQA accredits and certifies a wide range of health care organization. It also recognizes clinicians and practices in key areas of performance. NCQA’s Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS®) is the most widely used performance measurement tool in health care.

1 HEDIS is a registered trademark of the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).