Aetna’s Personal Health Record Can Improve Quality of Health Care for Advantage Members |
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Written by U.S. Insurance News
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Friday, 18 January 2008 |
If consumers have a more convenient, thorough way to keep track of their medical records, Aetna believes that can greatly increase the likelihood of receiving better health care.
If consumers have a more convenient, thorough way to keep track of their medical records, Aetna believes that can greatly increase the likelihood of receiving better health care.
That’s why the insurer is making its Personal Health Record available to all Aetna Individual Advantage members in the 24 states and Washington, D.C., where Aetna Advantage Plans are currently sold.
And, as these plans become available to consumers in additional states, the Personal Health Record will also be a standard part of the benefits plans.
Through Aetna Navigator®, Aetna’s password-protected Web site, members can access their Personal Health Record. They can update the record and print some or all of it to share with health care professionals. The site also lets members print a wallet-sized Emergency Information Card, which contains their name, date of birth, blood type, emergency contacts, current allergies and medications, and physician and insurance information.
Laurie Brubaker, chief operating officer for Aetna’s Consumer Segment, said the Personal Health Record is not only convenient, but the information it holds can serve as a conversation starter between members and their physicians.
“We’re giving our members access to their personal health information in a variety of ways to make it most convenient for them, whether that is online, something they can share during a regularly scheduled medical appointment, or during a medical emergency,” she said. “Members who take advantage of the Personal Health Record are likely to share this information with their physicians, creating a unique dialogue that can help our members make the best decisions concerning their health care.”
The Personal Health Record encourages members to become more involved in their own health care. Before a member first uses his record, it already contains information that Aetna has previously processed for the individual, such as insurance claims, doctors’ visits, and prescribed medications that a member is taking. Members can add personal information about their health history, such as medications they take or a family history of disease.
“By encouraging members to add their personal information, we are actively engaging our members in thinking about all elements of their health care,” Brubaker said.
But they won’t have to think alone. The CareEngine System that powers Aetna’s Personal Health Record works on behalf of members too.
The CareEngine System, which is a proprietary technology platform developed by Aetna’s ActiveHealth Management, continuously scans an individual’s health record and claims information against respected sources of medical literature and alerts members and doctors about possible urgent situations and opportunities to improve care.
“Adding personal information that is not available through insurance claims not only gives physicians a broader view of their patient’s health history, but it also enhances the ability of the CareEngine System,” Brubaker said. “In both respects, the more information a member enters in to his or her Personal Health Record, the greater the likelihood of improved care.”
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