Aetna is now offering some 4,000 of its mid-sized business clients a customizable app for their employees.
Developed by iTriage, a Denver-based Aetna subsidiary, the app customizes information for consumers based on their specific health benefits plan, helps employees understand how to use an in-network healthcare provider, and reduces administrative work for healthcare providers.
"The launch of the iTriage employer-customized app solution to Aetna's mid-sized employer clients supports our shared vision of creating a better healthcare experience for our customers and their employees," said Vibha Jha, vice president and head of key accounts for Aetna, in a news release. "For the first time, employees and their families are able to use all of the unique features of iTriage with information based on their specific benefits plan."
Founded in 2008 by Peter Hudson and Wayne Guerra, both emergency room physicians, iTriage's free consumer healthcare app has been downloaded nearly 10 million times, with 50 million uses each year, helping connect consumers with answers to "What could be wrong?" and "Where can I go for care?" The company was acquired by Aetna in 2011.
Company officials have said the iTriage app is consistently rated among the top five healthcare and fitness apps by iPhone and Android users.
"iTriage is using innovation to change the healthcare delivery landscape," said Hudson, the company's CEO, in the release. "We believe consumers and their employers are uniquely positioned to sculpt the next horizon of healthcare, and our products are focused on accelerating that change. Working with such a large group of employers and members is a huge milestone that underscores our mission to help consumers make better healthcare decisions."
With millions of Americans using smartphones to access healthcare information, the iTriage app educates members about health conditions and where they can be treated. Aetna officials say the employer-customized version of the iTriage app encourages employees to consider in-network, clinically appropriate, lower-cost care through information about healthcare costs and care alternatives. Pop-ups alert members if they've chosen an out-of-network healthcare provider.
Through increased use of in-network healthcare providers and reduced cases of avoidable ER visits, employers can see an overall reduction in healthcare costs, officials said. The new app will also help healthcare providers by providing a platform to reach potential patients at a time of need. In certain locations, once a patient identifies a healthcare provider in their network, they can book an appointment conveniently through the iTriage app.
