Bear Facts
A Coventry Health Care Newsletter
Winter 2015–16
Coming
soon!
Hey!
Stay up-to-dateon this
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change.
Check out our website,
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www.CoventryCaresVA.com.
CoventryCares of Virginia
changes name to Aetna Better
Health® of Virginia
We are pleased to announce
CoventryCares will become Aetna Better
Health. The official change will take place
April 1, 2016.
You will get more information as we
get closer to the change. For now, we
wanted to introduce you to the new
name and let you know what to expect.
What is not changing
You do not have to take any action. The
new name in no way will affect your
care. Nothing about your services or
benefits will change.
●● Same benefits: You will have the same
great health care coverage.
●● Same network: You will be able to
keep your same doctor.
●● Same service: The same great staff will
be here to support you.
What is changing
You will get a new ID card and Member
Handbook mailed to you in early April.
Until you get your new ID
card, please keep using your
current one.
We also will have a new
website. It will have all the same
great information as well as some
—Continued on page 2
Until you receive your new Aetna Better Health handbook, continue to use your CoventryCares handbook. You can view it on
our website at www.CoventryCaresVA.com. To request a printed copy, call Customer Service at 1-800-279-1878.
Annual
member
health care
survey
Coming soon!
—Continued from page 1
exciting new features, such as a
refreshed provider lookup.
Aetna and Coventry have a
lot of similarities. We always put
our members first. We never
compromise on high-quality
health care. We’re industry leaders.
Speak up and be heard!
Every year, we send out a Consumer
Assessment Health Plan Survey (CAHPS®)
to a large number of our members. This
survey is your chance to speak up and
tell us what you like and what you feel
we can do to improve our services. If
you receive this survey, please take a
moment to complete it and return it to
us. Your opinion is important and allows
us to provide the best quality of care and
service. Speak up and allow your voice to
be heard!
Here is how you rated us in 2015 (see
chart below).
What is HEDIS®?
CoventryCares of Virginia will start visiting
your doctor’s office to review your
medical records to make sure you have
received all of the proper services in 2015.
HEDIS (Healthcare Effectiveness Data
and Information Set) is a tool we use
to measure care and services received
by our members. HEDIS is part of our
NCQA® (National Committee on Quality
Who is Aetna?
Assurance) accreditation score. HEDIS
measures include:
●● Diabetes care
●● Childhood immunizations and
lead screenings
●● Well-care visits for children
and adolescents
●● Blood pressure control
●● Prenatal visits received in a
timely manner
●● Breast, cervical and chlamydia
screening
It’s not too late to contact your
doctor and schedule an appointment
to receive any services you may need.
If you need assistance in scheduling
an appointment, please contact us
at 1-800-279-1878 or visit us online
at www.CoventryCaresVA.com for
more information.
CAHPS measure/question
National average
Rating health care overall
84.70%
86.42%
Rating health plan overall
84.49%
82.61%
Rating personal doctor overall
87.63%
88.60%
Rating specialist overall
85.02%
81.58%
Customer service
87.89%
86.49%
Getting care quickly
89.46%
93.91%
Getting needed care
84.97%
88.27%
How well doctors communicate
92.98%
94.41%
n/a
78.13%
Shared decision-making
BOLD=better than national averages for 2014
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CoventryCares
Aetna has more than 28 years’
experience supporting Medicaid
members. We currently serve around 3 million Medicaid
members in 17 states.
You—our members—are at the
center of all we do. We’re here to
get you the service and support
you need. We want to help you
reach your health care goals. We
work closely with our providers to
ensure you get the right care.
Aetna in your community
We care about the people in our
communities. We support local
efforts that make a difference in
the lives of others. We work with
community organizations to
deliver much-needed services and
aid. We also sponsor and take part
in many local events and activities.
Aetna and its employees are
active in our communities. Our
employees regularly volunteer—
giving more than 420,000 hours of
their time in 2014.
Hey!
Learn more
about Aetna. Visit
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www.aetnabetterhealth.com.
Take your best shot
It’s not too late to get the flu vaccine
Even though this year’s flu season is
in full swing, you can still help protect
yourself from the flu if you get the
vaccine now. As always, your best
defense against the flu is to get a
flu shot.
have chronic health conditions, such
as asthma, diabetes or heart disease.
Anyone who lives with or is in close
contact with someone on that list
should also make getting the vaccine
a priority.
Who needs it?
And there’s good news for people
who previously could not get a flu shot
because they’re allergic to eggs, which
are used to manufacture vaccines. A
flu vaccine called Flublok, which is
made without using eggs, has been
approved by the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration for adults 18 through 49.
The Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention recommends that everyone
6 months and older be vaccinated
against the flu.
It’s especially important that people
at high risk for getting complications
from the flu—such as pneumonia—
get the vaccine.
That group includes kids younger
than 5 years old; adults 65 and older;
pregnant women; and people who
It takes several weeks for the flu
vaccine to take effect. And since flu
season can continue until May, the
sooner you get your shot the better.
What else can you do?
Even if you’ve had your flu shot, you
should take these steps to avoid the
flu virus:
●● Wash your hands often with soap
and water, or use an alcohol-based
hand cleaner.
●● Try not to touch your eyes, nose
or mouth.
●● Stay away from sick people.
It’s also important to minimize the
spread of germs to others. Cover your
nose and mouth with a tissue when
you cough or sneeze, and throw the
tissue away. If you get sick with a flu-like
illness, stay home until your fever has
been gone for 24 hours without taking a
fever-reducing medicine.
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Standard
U.S. Postage
PAID
Walla Walla, WA
Permit No. 44
9881 Mayland Dr.
Richmond, VA 23233-1458
1-800-279-1878
TTY 1-800-828-1120 or 711
www.CoventryCaresVA.com
BEAR FACTS is published as a community service for the friends and members of CoventryCares of Virginia. This is general health information and should
not replace the advice or care you get from your provider. Always ask your provider about your own health care needs. Models may be used in photos and
illustrations. 2015 © Coffey Communications, Inc. All rights reserved. CCVA.M.BF.WIN.15-16
Headed to the doctor?
Ask these 3 questions
Health care can be complex. A lot of
people struggle to understand what
they need to know.
But here’s a way to make things easier.
Every time you go to the doctor, be sure
to ask—and understand the answers
to—these three questions:
1. What is my main health problem?
2. What do I need to do?
3. Why is it important for me to do this?
Knowing this information will make
it easier for you to follow the treatment
plan from your doctor. You’ll be more
likely to:
●● Take your medicines the way
you should
●● Get ready for a medical procedure
●● Get well sooner
●● Better manage a long-term
health issue
●● Avoid a hospital visit
●● Keep your health costs down
Source: National Patient Safety Foundation
Find important prescription drug
information on our website
You can find the following pharmacy
information on our website at
www.CoventryCaresVA.com. Select
“For Members.” Choose “Benefits &
Services.” Click “Prescription Formulary.”
●● A list of preferred medications. This
includes medicines with restrictions
and/or preferences.
●● A list of medications that require
prior authorization.
●● A list of medications that require
step-therapy. This includes
medications which must be tried/
failed prior to coverage.
●● A list and explanation of medications
that have limits or quotas.
●● Co-payment and co-insurance
requirements, and the medications or
classes to which they apply.
●● Procedures for step-therapy, prior
authorization, generic substitution,
preferred-brand interchange and
therapeutic interchange.
●● Information on the use of pharmacy
management procedures.
●● How we decide when to add new
medicines to the list.
●● Process to follow when asking for
exceptions.