Aetna Members Can Continue to Receive Care at Health Quest at In-Network Benefit Levels

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

CONTACT: Theresa Mulkins, Director of Public Relations
OFFICE: (845) 483-6418
tmulkins@health-quest.org   

LaGrangeville, New York and HARTFORD, Conn., Aug. 29, 2012: Health Quest and Aetna [NYSE:AET] today announceda new multi-year agreement.  Health Quest will remain an “in-network” provider of care for Aetna members. 

Aetna will send letters to members telling them that they may continue to receive care from Health Quest hospitals and doctors at in-network benefit levels, as they have in the past.When members receive care in Aetna’s network, they generally pay less money out of pocket for their care.

“We believe that this agreement provides fair compensation for the services that Health Quest provides. This means that patients who have an Aetna benefit plan can continue to use Health Quest hospitals, Health Quest Medical Practice, Hudson Valley Home Care and all of our affiliates at preferred benefit levels,” said Michael T. Weber, President and CEO of Health Quest.

“This agreement is good news for our members,” said David Kobus, Aetna senior vice president-Network for New York. “We are pleased to continue our positive relationship with Health Quest and provide our members access to its qualityservices.”

About Health Quest

Health Quest is the Hudson Valley's largest healthcare system providing the highest quality care across a broad spectrum of services. Offering the full range of hospital services, pre-hospital emergency care, homecare and nursing home care, the Health Quest system provides immediate and caring service to the one million people who reside in the New York counties of Columbia, Dutchess, Ulster, Orange, Putnam and northern Westchester.

Health Quest hospitals include Northern Dutchess Hospital in Rhinebeck, Putnam Hospital Center in Carmel and Vassar Brothers Medical Center in Poughkeepsie, as well as Health Quest Medical Practice. Health Grades, a leading hospital ratings organization, recently acknowledged Health Quest as “the most recognized health system in the Hudson Valley”.

About Aetna

Aetna is one of the nation's leading diversified health care benefits companies, serving approximately 36.7 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 and health information technology services. Our 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.

###