Aetna Takes Up Healthcare Technology Initiatives in Preparation for National Reforms

By Madhubanti Rudra
TMCnet Contributor

The key players in the health care industry are prepararing for the National healthcare reform, including as it relates to healthcare technology.

The focus is particularly on strengthening the IT infrastructure. National health insurer Aetna Inc.is a good case in point. HealthLeaders-InterStudy, a provider of managed care market intelligence, has reported that national health insurer Aetna Inc. has two major initiatives underway in preparation for national healthcare reform.

“A big criticism of consumer-driven health plans is that they won't work unless consumers have access to information on price and quality of providers. Aetna has taken steps toward providing this information with its online tools that help members find doctors, get the costs of tests and medical visits, order prescription drugs by mail and maintain personal health records, among other tasks. These information technology investments, coupled with its push into the individual and small-business markets, will help Aetna prepare for the state exchanges that will be set up in 2014 to help the uninsured find coverage,” HealthLeaders-InterStudy Vice President, Market Analysis, Sheri Sellmeyer said.

HealthLeaders-InterStudy is a division of Decision Resources, Inc., a cohesive portfolio of companies that offers information and insights on important sectors of the healthcare industry.

According to the new National MCO Analyzer: Aetna Inc., the company is pursuing aggressive marketing strategy to capture Individual and Small-Group Health Insurance Markets. According to MCO Analyzer, in it aim to boost its consumer-driven product membership, Aetna Inc. has made investments in health information technology.  In addition, the company is aggressively pursuing the individual and small-group markets.

It should be mentioned here that National MCO Analyzer is the account manager's tool for in-depth analysis of national MCO corporate strategies, opportunities and challenges. Profiling the country's largest managed care organizations, each report includes:

•Market analysis from HealthLeaders-InterStudy, along with an overview of opportunities and challenges for a plan in the year ahead.

•Competitive analysis outlining a managed care organization's strengths, challenges and opportunities.

•Plan dashboard providing national-level enrollment mix and trends.

Based on superior health information technology, Aetna's product portfolio has consumer-driven products, which are attractive to small employers looking for lower-cost solutions such as high-deductible plans tied to health savings accounts and health reimbursement arrangements. Aetna’s technology also provides transparency on products and pricing and enables members to keep personal health records.