Hartford, Conn.-based Aetna and a physicians group at the University of Maryland in College Park agreed to coordinate patient care to enhance patient outcomes while reducing healthcare expenses, reports The Baltimore Sun.
University of Maryland Quality Care Network will provide care for 24,000 of Aetna's commercial and small business plan policyholders under the three-year agreement. The network has 320 participating physicians to treat patients spanning 14 Maryland counties.
Aetna intends the partnership to help the payer mange patients' chronic illnesses and reduce unnecessary readmissions and emergency department visits, according to the report.