Aetna now provides evidence-based Care Considerations electronically through Aetna's secure provider website via NaviNet. NaviNet also offers the ability for physicians and clinicians to provide electronic feedback to Aetna regarding Care Considerations. Care Considerations, delivered in real-time via secure web technology, keep patient data safe and secure. Your office will continue to receive Care Considerations via mail, phone or fax.

Care Considerations alert physicians to opportunities for improved care when care appears to have deviated from evidence-based medical best-practice standards. Care Considerations are derived from the MedQuery^® program, developed by ActiveHealth Management, an independent subsidiary of Aetna. MedQuery analyzes Aetna's data, including claims history, current medical, lab and pharmacy claims, and patient demographics. Data mining occurs on a weekly basis and results are compared against thousands of evidence-based care guidelines that have been adopted within the medical community as the standard of care.

Physicians and other clinicians are the drivers behind Care Considerations. Receiving physician and clinician feedback further refines the Care Considerations generated for patients. Encourage staff to work together to determine the best process for using electronic Care Considerations in your office. Since providing electronic feedback via NaviNet is the most vital step in the process to improve care coordination, physicians and clinicians may become NaviNet users to access and respond to Care Considerations directly. Physicians can also work closely with NaviNet users in the office who will share Care Considerations with the appropriate physician or clinician and enter feedback into NaviNet.

According to RAND, reasonable evidence-based guidelines for care are followed less than 50 percent of the time. At the same time, Americans spend an estimated $70 billion per year on incorrectly prescribed drugs, and only 5 percent of Americans with heart failure receive the most appropriate therapy, resulting in an estimated 100,000 more deaths than would otherwise have occurred.^* Care Considerations bring the evidence-based care guidelines to the attention of the physician, so that he or she can review the recommendation and determine the appropriate response.

Aetna now offers the ability to view Personal Health Records (PHR) for Aetna patients electronically via Aetna's secure provider website via NaviNet. Aetna's PHR provides a comprehensive view of a patient's health care treatment and health history. It contains health information derived from Aetna medical and pharmacy claims and laboratory results, as well as patient-reported information. Having this information easily available can help physicians more effectively coordinate a patient's care. The PHR also encourages Aetna patients to be more actively involved in their health.

The Aetna PHR makes it easier for patients to keep track of their important health information and share it with their physicians, allowing for better care coordination. Physicians have said they believed the PHR would improve the accuracy and completeness of patient information, consolidate medical records into one place, and enable multiple physicians to coordinate a patient's care, resulting in fewer medical mistakes and improved patient safety. For more details on Aetna PHR, go to the Aetna PHR Resource Center.

Encourage your Aetna patients to share their PHRs today! Point them to Aetna Navigator, the Aetna member website so they can grant permission for physicians to view their PHR via NaviNet.

Only physicians whom the patient designates, and their authorized staff, will be able to access that patient's PHR via NaviNet. Once a patient grants permission, the PHR can be accessed in one of the following ways:

Your practice's NaviNet Security Officer manages who in your office has access to see online PHR information.

Print this tip sheet on viewing PHRs via NaviNet and share with your office staff.

You can view Aetna PHRs by simply becoming a NaviNet user. Locate your office's NaviNet Security Officer and ask to be added as a user today.