Business
Aetna merges clinical programs
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted May 1, 2006
Aetna says it has merged its case management and disease management programs to achieve greater continuity of care and help members better manage and improve health.
Under the Aetna Health Connections program, the plan will focus on providing health support and information services covering 30 chronic conditions to members. The plan will use technology to analyze lab results to identify potential gaps in care that may have occurred when case and disease management of the same patient were handled by different nurses, said Charles Cutler, MD, Aetna's national medical director for quality and clinical integration.
"Previously you might have had a case manager who would be calling about your heart disease and a disease management nurse calling you about your diabetes," he said. "Now we've got one nurse who's got the training and [evidence-based] content to be able to manage both simultaneously."
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2006/05/01/bibf0501.htm.
