Health Plans Achieve Bridges to Excellence Physician Incentive and Reward Program E...( Aetna first plan to receive national ...),Health

Aetna first plan to receive national endorsement; CDPHP earns regional designation

WASHINGTON, Dec. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Bridges to Excellence (BTE), the nation's largest effort to recognize physicians for delivering high-quality care, announced the latest health plans to achieve BTE Incentive and Reward Program Endorsement. Aetna is the first national plan to reach this designation for meeting performance and recognition standards and principles for Aetna's Performance Network featuring Aexcel(R)-designated specialists, which is currently available in 35 markets. CDPHP also achieved endorsement by integrating all of BTE's programs into their physician performance program. CDPHP is the first regional plan in Upstate New York to achieve this distinction.

BTE launched the BTE Incentive and Reward Program Endorsement and BTE Recognition programs in 2007 as a way to help employers, physicians and consumers better understand how a health plan is implementing Bridges to Excellence. The BTE Incentive and Reward Program Endorsement is intended for plans developing their own network-wide incentive and reward initiative. The designations are achieved after a rigorous review of the health plan's program and its adherence to a set of core principles that are foundational to BTE's mission. The designations are good for one year.

"By recognizing physicians that have demonstrated they are delivering better outcomes, Aetna is leading the way in implementing the core value-based purchasing principles," said Andrew Webber, president and CEO of the National Business Coalition on Health and BTE board member. "We commend both Aetna and CDPHP for having programs endorsed by BTE."

Aetna is the first plan to receive distinction in both BTE programs. Aetna previously achieved BTE Recognition in 2008 in acknowledgement for their efforts to implement BTE on behalf of employer
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