JACKSONVILLE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aetna (NYSE: AET) today announced a new value-based collaboration with Baptist Health & St. Vincent’s HealthCare to deliver care more efficiently. Together, they will offer employers and employees in Clay, Duval and St. Johns counties a new health insurance option designed to improve quality and the patient experience, as well as control costs.

The collaboration includes Baptist Health & St. Vincent’s HealthCare physicians, hospitals and outpatient facilities in a robust network that offers members access to every level of health care service they need. Flagler Hospital will be part of the network in St. Johns County.

The new commercial health benefit plan, known as Aetna Whole HealthSM – Baptist Health & St. Vincent’s HealthCare, is available to fully insured and self-insured employer groups with 51 or more employees. It will focus on wellness and disease prevention, while providing comprehensive access to the most sophisticated medical and surgical treatments available in the region.

“Aetna is aligning with physicians and hospitals in the Jacksonville region to advance the delivery of health care,” said Christopher Ciano, president of Aetna’s operations in Florida. “Our patient-centered collaboration emphasizes accountability for health outcomes and focuses on the quality of care provided. We’re looking forward to taking our strong relationship with Baptist Health & St. Vincent’s HealthCare to a new level and improving the health of the community, one member at a time.”

“Those who choose this innovative offering will have the benefit of comprehensive, convenient, and most importantly, coordinated care,” said Timothy Groover, M.D., vice president and chief medical officer, Baptist Physician Partners. “We’re working together to transform the way health care is delivered in our community, and our aim is to deliver the highest levels of quality of care, choice, efficiency, value and patient satisfaction.”

“Our goal is to meet people where they are and to be there when they need us most,” said Kyle Sanders, president of population health and care continuum at St. Vincent’s HealthCare, which is part of Ascension, the nation’s largest Catholic and nonprofit health system. “Collaborations like this can improve the overall quality of care in our community, while also fostering better working relationships between doctors, hospitals and health care providers. We’re thrilled to be able to provide the high-quality, compassionate care we are known for to more people in our community.”

Aetna Whole HealthSM – Baptist Health & St. Vincent’s HealthCare plans are designed to give employers better health care options for their employees with a patient-centric model of health care focused on keeping people healthy rather than just treating them when they become sick.

The plans feature a new model of health care delivery designed to offer:

• Enhanced coordination of care between doctors and other care providers;
• Improved patient experience through best-in-class care management programs;
• Use of advanced technology that delivers actionable data and quality information to providers;
• Lower overall out-of-pocket costs for members who see providers that are part of the Aetna Whole HealthSM – Baptist Health & St. Vincent’s HealthCare network; and
• Better health care outcomes for patients.

Aetna is working with health care organizations nationwide to develop products and services that support value-driven, patient-centered care for health care consumers. Nationally today, about 6.2 million Aetna members receive care from doctors committed to the value-based approach, with approximately 40 percent of Aetna claims payments going to doctors and providers who practice value-based care. Aetna has committed to increasing that number to 75 percent by 2020.

Aetna provides health benefits to more 1.5 million people in Florida.

About Aetna
Aetna is one of the nation's leading diversified health care benefits companies, serving an estimated 46.3 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, Medicaid health care management services, workers' compensation administrative services and health information technology products and services. Aetna's customers include employer groups, individuals, college students, part-time and hourly workers, health plans, health care providers, governmental units, government-sponsored plans, labor groups and expatriates. For more information, see www.aetna.com and learn about how Aetna is helping to build a healthier world. @AetnaNews

About Baptist Health
Baptist Health is a faith-based, mission-driven system in Northeast Florida comprised of Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville; Baptist Medical Center Beaches; Baptist Medical Center Nassau; Baptist Medical Center South; Baptist Clay Medical Campus and Wolfson Children’s Hospital – the region’s only children’s hospital. All Baptist Health hospitals, along with Baptist Home Health Care, have achieved Magnet™ status for excellence in patient care. Baptist Health is part of Coastal Community Health, a regional affiliation between Baptist Health, Flagler Hospital and Southeast Georgia Health System forming a highly integrated hospital network focused on significant initiatives designed to enhance the quality and value of care provided to our contiguous communities. Baptist Health has the area’s only dedicated heart hospital; orthopedic institute; women’s services; neurological institute, including comprehensive neurosurgical services, a comprehensive stroke center and two primary stroke centers; a Bariatric Center of Excellence; a full range of psychology and psychiatry services; urgent care services; and primary and specialty care physicians’ offices throughout Northeast Florida. The Baptist MD Anderson Cancer Center is a regional destination for multidisciplinary cancer care which is clinically integrated with the MD Anderson Cancer Center, the internationally renowned cancer treatment and research institution in Houston. For more details, visit baptistjax.com.

About Baptist Physician Partners
Baptist Physician Partners is a physician-led, clinically integrated network committed to improving the quality of patient care in Northeast Florida. Comprised of employed and independent physicians, our network is a partnership of providers and Baptist Health hospitals working collaboratively toward common goals for improving quality, safety, efficiency and outcomes for our patients. Learn more at baptistphysicianpartners.com.

About St. Vincent’s HealthCare

St. Vincent’s HealthCare includes: St. Vincent’s Riverside, St. Vincent’s Southside, St. Vincent’s Clay County, St. Catherine Labouré Manor, St. Vincent’s Primary Care, Consolidated Laboratories, St. Vincent’s Ambulance Service and Seton Pharmacies. St. Vincent’s Medical Center was founded by the Daughters of Charity in 1916 to provide health services to the sick and the poor of North Florida. St. Luke’s Hospital, now St. Vincent’s Southside, was founded in 1873 by three women who saw the need for medical care in the community. It stands as Florida’s oldest private hospital. St. Vincent’s HealthCare is a member of Ascension, the nation’s largest Catholic and non-profit health system, with approximately 160,000 associates serving in 2,500 sites of care, including 142 hospitals.