-- Contract Expands Chicagoland Network --

CHICAGO -- (Business Wire)

Aetna (NYSE: AET) and Loyola University Health System announced today that Loyola will soon join Aetna’s network.

As of March 1, Aetna’s members can receive services, at in-network rates, from Loyola University Health System’s facilities and physicians. Approximately 500 primary care and specialist physicians will be added to the Aetna network.

“This is exciting news for Aetna and our customers in Illinois,” said Suzanne Hall, VP of Aetna’s Great Lakes networks. “Adding Loyola to our network is part of our strategy to grow our Chicago-area network and gives Aetna customers access to one of the most recognized health systems in the state.”

Jay Sial, Loyola University Health System’s senior vice president and chief financial officer, said improving access to care is at the core of Loyola's mission. "Joining with Aetna will help us to extend care to the communities we serve through our two hospitals and our suburban network of 28 primary and specialty care facilities in Cook, DuPage, and Will counties," he said.

Aetna provides health benefits to 436,000 members in the Chicago area. Commercial insurance members have access to a network that includes 112 hospitals and more than 19,674 primary care and specialist physicians.

Aetna also employs more than 400 people in the Chicago area.

About Aetna

Aetna is one of the nation's leading diversified health care benefits companies, serving approximately 37.3 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, behavioral health, group life and disability plans, and medical management capabilities, Medicaid health care management services and health information technology services. Our 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, see www.aetna.com.

About Loyola University Health System

Loyola University Health System (LUHS) is a member of Trinity Health. Based in the western suburbs of Chicago, LUHS is a quaternary care system with a 61-acre main medical center campus, the 36-acre Gottlieb Memorial Hospital campus and 28 primary and specialty care facilities in Cook, Will and DuPage counties. The medical center campus is conveniently located in Maywood, 13 miles west of the Chicago Loop and 8 miles east of Oak Brook, Ill. The heart of the medical center campus, Loyola University Hospital, is a 569-licensed-bed facility. It houses a Level 1 Trauma Center, a Burn Center and the Ronald McDonald® Children’s Hospital of Loyola University Medical Center. Also on campus are the Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center, Loyola Outpatient Center, Center for Heart & Vascular Medicine and Loyola Oral Health Center as well as the LUC Stritch School of Medicine, the LUC Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing and the Loyola Center for Fitness. Loyola's Gottlieb campus in Melrose Park includes the 255-licensed-bed community hospital, the Professional Office Building housing 150 private practice clinics, the Adult Day Care, the Gottlieb Center for Fitness, Loyola Center for Metabolic Surgery and Bariatric Care and the Loyola Cancer Care & Research at the Marjorie G. Weinberg Cancer Center at Melrose Park.

Contacts:

Aetna
Scot Roskelley, 312-928-3034
roskelleye@aetna.com

Source: Aetna