Baptist Health South Florida and Aetna Commercial Partner in Palm Beach

MIAMI, Florida, April 19 -- Baptist Health South Florida issued the following news release:

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- Agreement to include Baptist Health hospitals and ancillary health facilities in Palm Beach County

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Baptist Health South Florida, the largest not-for-profit healthcare organization in the region, and Aetna, a CVS health business, announced they have signed an agreement that allows members enrolled in Aetna commercial health plans in-network access to Baptist Health facilities in Palm Beach County, Florida.

"We're so pleased to expand our South Florida network to include Baptist Health South Florida facilities in Palm Beach," said Richard Weiss, President of Aetna's Florida Market. "This means our members in Palm Beach County and our prospective health plan members will have access to the Baptist Health brand of quality medical services."

The agreement encompasses Baptist Health's Palm Beach hospitals and ancillary health facilities including Bethesda Hospital East, Bethesda Hospital West, Bethesda Health Outpatient Imaging facilities, Bethesda Health Urgent Care, Baptist Health Surgery Center at Northpoint, Baptist Health Surgery Center at South Palm, and Baptist Health Endoscopy Center at Flagler. Once any applicable facility credentialing is complete, Aetna commercial health plan members will have access to these facilities for their healthcare needs.

"The expansion of our existing relationship with Aetna into Palm Beach represents both parties commitment to serving our communities. We are pleased to continue expanding our longstanding partnership with Aetna and to offer their members our services in a new county," said Eric Shatanof, chief managed care officer and corporate vice president, Baptist Health.

About Baptist Health South Florida

Baptist Health South Florida is the largest healthcare organization in the region, with 10 hospitals (Baptist Hospital, Baptist Children's Hospital, Bethesda Hospital East, Bethesda Hospital West, Doctors Hospital, Fishermen's Community Hospital, Homestead Hospital, Mariners Hospital, South Miami Hospital and West Kendall Baptist Hospital), more than 40 physician practices, 50 outpatient and urgent care facilities, Baptist Health Medical Group, Baptist Health Quality Network and internationally renowned centers of excellence spanning across Monroe, Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties. A not-for-profit organization supported by philanthropy and committed to our faith-based charitable mission of medical excellence, Baptist Health has more than 19,500 employees and more than 3,000 affiliated physicians. Baptist Health South Florida has been recognized by Fortune as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in America and by Ethisphere as one of the World's Most Ethical Companies. For more information, visit BaptistHealth.net/newsroom and connect with us on Facebook at facebook.com/BaptistHealthSF and on Twitter and Instagram.

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