Aetna adds The Washington Hospital to provider network

Aetna (NYSE: AET) announced that it has reached agreement with The Washington Hospital on a contract that adds a new hospital and potentially as many as 200 new physicians to Aetna's provider network in western Pennsylvania.

“We work hard to provide our members with plans that strike the proper balance between access and affordable cost.”

Under the agreement, The Washington Hospital and its satellite locations, including the Urgent Care Center Affiliated with The Washington Hospital, will provide covered benefits, at in-network rates, to Aetna members in the Pittsburgh area. Aetna also has contracted separately with the Washington Physician Hospital Organization (WPHO), which could add nearly 200 participating physicians to its network.

"We're very excited to add The Washington Hospital and its physicians to the Aetna network," said Brian McGarry, Aetna's president of National Accounts for Pennsylvania. "We work hard to provide our members with plans that strike the proper balance between access and affordable cost."

"We have received many requests in recent months from Aetna's commercial and Medicare members in Washington and Greene Counties, asking us to join the Aetna network. We are pleased that The Washington Hospital and WPHO participating primary care and specialist physicians can now serve these residents of our community," said Charles R. Vargo, executive director of WPHO.

Aetna provides and administers health benefits to more than 1 million members in Pennsylvania. In Western Pennsylvania, members have access to a contracted network of 82 hospitals, and 8,847 primary care physicians and specialists.