Aetna, Inc.         Description

Introduction

Aetna, Inc. is a premier provider of health and financial services with 33,000 employees and 13,000 retirees located nationwide. Aenhance, Aetna's employee wellness program, is part of the employee benefits plan and a partner within a total health management strategy. Aenhance strives to strengthen synergy between preventive health services available at the workplace, through the health plan and within the community. Program initiatives are designed to compliment health plan benefits and fully leverage, rather than duplicate, plan offerings.

Program goals are to:

• Promote positive health behaviors for optimal health and productivity,
• Help minimize Aetna's medical liabilities due to injury and illness.
• Promote appropriate utilization of the healthcare system.
• Support a healthy worksite culture that enables employees to contribute their best.
• Enhance employee commitment and satisfaction with Aetna as an "employer of choice."

The scope of Aenhance programs includes prevention, early intervention, healthcare consumer education, return-to-work, and community health advocacy programs. In addition, Aenhance manages two full-service fitness facilities in Connecticut home office locations.

The nature of health interventions include awareness, assessment and screening, behavior change (via on-site group education, self-directed programs, intranet delivery and telephonic coaching and decision support service) and environmental support programs and policies. Primary program components include medical self-care, smoking cessation, back health, nutrition, fitness, cancer prevention, women's health, maternity management, breastfeeding support and on-site physical therapy.

In 1995 Aetna, Inc. initiated a multi-dimensional healthcare consumer education strategy to help manage Aetna's medical care costs and promote appropriate use of the healthcare system. As part of the strategy, Aetna U.S. Healthcare's Informed Health Line (IHL) program was incorporated as an add-on service to the Aetna benefits package for all employees and retirees.

IHL provides access to a toll-free, 24-hour telephone line staffed by experienced nurses. The nurses offer health information and decision support but do not diagnose, prescribe treatment or give medical advice. The program also includes an introductory kit mailed to the home, which provides an Informed Health Handbook. In addition to the IHL service, a comprehensive communication and education strategy was initiated through Aenhance to increase awareness about the program and help improve medical consumer behaviors. The strategy includes on-site workshops, awareness campaigns, self-directed programs and ongoing communications via interoffice mail, e-mail, internal newsletters, showcase displays and postcard mailings.

Program eligibility: All Aetna employees, spouses, domestic partners, dependants ( 18 and older) and retirees are eligible to participate in Aenhance programs.

Staffing and Budget. 3.6 FTE wellness professionals, 10.9 FTE exercise physiologists, 5.6 support staff. Wellness Budget = $535,000 ($ 1.35 PEPM) fully subsidized by Aetna as part of the employee benefits plan. Fitness center budget = $2.7MM. Aetna subsidizes 65 percent of costs and 35 percent are recovered through membership fees.