Aetna and Ascension Join Five Other Leading Health Care Companies in Blockchain-Driven Effort to Address Health Care Provider Data Issues

Business Wire

Pilot Launched in April under Leadership of Humana, MultiPlan, Optum, Quest Diagnostics and UnitedHealthcare

HARTFORD, Conn. & ST. LOUIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Aetna, a CVS Health business, and Ascension have joined the pilot project applying blockchain technology to improve data quality and reduce administrative costs associated with changes to health care provider demographic data.

Humana (NYSE: HUM), MultiPlan, Quest Diagnostics (NYSE: DGX) and UnitedHealth Group’s (NYSE: UNH) Optum and UnitedHealthcare announced the launch of the Synaptic Health Alliance pilot project in April. The Alliance is exploring how blockchain technology could help ensure the most current health care provider information is available in health plan provider directories, providing consumers looking for care with the most accurate information when they need it.

Aetna, which serves more than 22 million medical benefits members, is uniquely positioned to share and contribute to innovative solutions in collaboration with the Synaptic Health Alliance.

Ascension, the largest nonprofit health system in the United States and the world’s largest Catholic health system, brings a care provider-centric viewpoint to the Synaptic Health Alliance on the complexities of contributing to accurate care provider directories.

Maintaining up-to-date health plan provider directories is a critical, complex and challenging issue facing organizations across the health care system. Federal and state laws require that health plans maintain directories containing basic information about physicians and other health care providers. Industry estimates indicate that $2.1 billion is spent annually across the health care system acquiring and maintaining provider data.^*

The pilot is exploring how blockchain technology can be used to actively share data with the aim of showing potential administrative cost savings for health plans and care providers while demonstrably improving care provider demographic data quality and consumers’ health care experience.

A new Synaptic Health Alliance white paper, “Improving Provider Data Accuracy: A Collaborative Approach Using a Permissioned Blockchain,” provides background information on the Synaptic Health Alliance and an overview of the pilot project, including the rationale for the blockchain technology being used.

For additional information, please reach out to the contacts listed below or visit www.synaptichealthalliance.com.

^*Health Plan Week; Volume 27, Number 4; Jan. 30, 2017

About Aetna
Aetna, a CVS Health business, serves an estimated 39 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 and behavioral health plans, and medical management capabilities, Medicaid health care management services, workers' compensation administrative services and health information technology products and services. Aetna's 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, visit www.aetna.com and explore how Aetna is helping to build a healthier world. @AetnaNews

About Ascension
Ascension (www.ascension.org) is a faith-based healthcare organization dedicated to transformation through innovation across the continuum of care. As the largest non-profit health system in the U.S. and the world’s largest Catholic health system, Ascension is committed to delivering compassionate, personalized care to all, with special attention to persons living in poverty and those most vulnerable. In FY2018, Ascension provided nearly $2 billion in care of persons living in poverty and other community benefit programs. Ascension includes approximately 156,000 associates and 34,000 aligned providers. Ascension’s Healthcare Division operates more than 2,600 sites of care – including 151 hospitals and more than 50 senior living facilities – in 21 states and the District of Columbia, while its Solutions Division provides a variety of services and solutions including physician practice management, venture capital investing, investment management, biomedical engineering, facilities management, clinical care management, information services, risk management, and contracting through Ascension’s own group purchasing organization.

About Humana
Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) is committed to helping our millions of medical and specialty members achieve their best health. Our successful history in care delivery and health plan administration is helping us create a new kind of integrated care with the power to improve health and well-being and lower costs. Our efforts are leading to a better quality of life for people with Medicare, families, individuals, military service personnel, and communities at large.

More information regarding Humana is available to investors via the Investor Relations page of the company’s web site at www.humana.com.

About MultiPlan
MultiPlan is committed to helping healthcare payers manage the cost of care, improve their competitiveness and inspire positive change. Leveraging sophisticated technology, data analytics, and a team rich with industry experience, the company interprets clients’ needs and customizes innovative solutions that combine its payment integrity, network-based and analytics-based services. MultiPlan is a trusted partner to over 700 healthcare payers in the commercial health, dental, government and property and casualty markets, and saves these companies more than $15 billion annually. MultiPlan is owned by Hellman & Friedman and other investors. For more information, visit www.multiplan.com.

About Optum
Optum is a leading information and technology-enabled health services business dedicated to helping make the health system work better for everyone. With more than 145,000 people worldwide, Optum delivers intelligent, integrated solutions that help to modernize the health system and improve overall population health. Optum is part of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH). For more information, visit www.Optum.com.

About Quest Diagnostics
Quest Diagnostics empowers people to take action to improve health outcomes. Derived from the world's largest database of clinical lab results, our diagnostic insights reveal new avenues to identify and treat disease, inspire healthy behaviors and improve health care management. Quest annually serves one in three adult Americans and half the physicians and hospitals in the United States, and our 45,000 employees understand that, in the right hands and with the right context, our diagnostic insights can inspire actions that transform lives.www.QuestDiagnostics.com.

About UnitedHealthcare
UnitedHealthcare is dedicated to helping people live healthier lives and making the health system work better for everyone by simplifying the health care experience, meeting consumer health and wellness needs, and sustaining trusted relationships with care providers. In the United States, UnitedHealthcare offers the full spectrum of health benefit programs for individuals, employers, and Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, and contracts directly with more than 1.2 million physicians and care professionals, and 6,500 hospitals and other care facilities nationwide. The company also provides health benefits and delivers care to people through owned and operated health care facilities in South America. UnitedHealthcare is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), a diversified health care company. For more information, visit UnitedHealthcare at www.uhc.com or follow @UHC on Twitter.

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