Aetna Partners With Brighter For Dental Members

HARTFORD, Conn. & SANTA MONICA, CA – August 7, 2017 - Aetna (NYSE: AET) today announced significant enhancements to the online experience for Aetna’s Dental members with the addition of Brighter’s complete suite of consumer engagement services to its Aetna Navigator member tool. Beginning in January 2018, Aetna will expand its online offering by leveraging Brighter’s capabilities to help members reduce out-of-pocket costs, better manage their family’s oral health, and more easily research and connect with in-network providers. These services will be available to Aetna Dental members, including those with a Dental Maintenance Organization (DMO) plan.

“As part of Aetna’s ongoing commitment to joining members where they are, we are infusing our online tools with the same modern consumer conveniences that we expect in every other aspect of our lives. With the addition of these capabilities, it will be easier for our Dental members to make more informed decisions, better maintain their oral health, and potentially save hundreds of dollars a year,” said Sheryl Burke, senior vice president of Specialty Businesses at Aetna.

Aetna Dental is the first dental carrier to integrate Brighter’s complete suite of consumer engagement services to promote cost-effective and convenient access to dental care. With these enhancements, members will receive personalized benefit status updates and recommendations throughout the year on how they can enhance the value of their plan.

Members will also be able to use Brighter’s, industry-first, interactive marketplace directory to:

•    Compare network providers by their Brighter Score®;
•    Read reviews from other patients;
•    See referrals from the member’s co-workers; and
•    Understand how much their out-of-pocket costs should be for the services they receive.

Brighter Schedule® also enables members to conveniently schedule their appointments online and receive reminders when they are due for their next check-up.

Aetna test groups have shown that Brighter’s consumer engagement services drive exceptional member satisfaction and more in-network provider selection which can lead to reduced claims costs for employers that purchase an Aetna Dental Plan and an employee base that is more engaged in their oral health.

“Brighter is excited to support Aetna’s desire to use innovative technologies and consumer data to offer best-in-class products,” said Jake Winebaum, chief executive officer of Brighter.  “As our platform continues to expand, we look forward to working with consumer-focused organizations like Aetna to improve how members engage with their benefit plans.”