Frequently Asked Questions

Banner|Aetna is a new insurance company – a true partnership known as a joint venture that combines Banner’s fully integrated care teams and care-management capabilities with Aetna’s health plan experience and analytical insights. Its aim is to promote better health, enhance care coordination and clinical effectiveness and increase patient access to their own health information. Making health care simpler and health records more accessible is a common goal of both partners.

Both Aetna and Banner have always been committed to continuously seeking – and finding – new ways to deliver more efficient and effective care for every person, every family, and every community. We realized we could do more to improve the health care experience in Arizona, while also significantly reducing the cost consumers and employers pay for it, by working together.

Our customers are at the heart of Banner|Aetna and because of that, we’re working on several key differentiators. Such as:

• An online portal - we’ve created one place to access both insurance and health care information by linking Aetna’s secure member site to Banner’s provider portal. This saves time while also removing the hassle of figuring out which portal to go to. Some of the things this portal allows a member to do with certain providers are:
  • message their providers directly
  • request prescription refills
  • schedule an appointment
  • view lab and test results
  • track deductibles
• Integrated customer service - A new toll-free number specifically for Banner|Aetna members to help resolve any administrative and clinical issues in one call. Representatives can also provide a direct transfer to Banner Health Network Nurse On-Call line should additional clinical support be needed. This service is available at no cost, 24/7. The new toll-free number is on the back of the member’s ID card.
• Easier and increased access to care –In addition to the Banner Health Network Nurse On-Call services, Banner|Aetna members will experience a truly unique approach to care. Our neighborhood care model and multi-disciplinary care teams allow a provider to lead and direct a member’s care without barriers and administrative hassles. And, it puts care teams directly in your community for easy access and extended knowledge of local resources to aide every aspect of the member’s life.

Our clinical teams include primary care physicians, specialists, nurses, and pharmacists. These highly engaged and integrated teams have access to a member’s medical history and past test results in real-time. In-network, Banner Health Network ERs have real-time technology and if an inpatient stay is needed, case managers are assigned to ensure next level care. Assistance with post-acute setting care is available as well.

Banner|Aetna features Banner Health’s network of doctors, health centers, clinics, and hospitals, which will work together to provide high-quality health care. Physicians within the network will work with each other and clinical teams to ensure patients are healthier and satisfied with their care. Banner Health Network includes:

• 3,250+ primary care doctors
• 23,780+ specialists
• 44 hospitals
• 178 urgent care centers
• 15 Banner Health Network health centers offering PCP & specialty care under one roof
• 36 walk-in clinics

Joining Banner|Aetna means embracing the goal of higher quality care, in more places, for more people. We will maintain our strong network of providers as well to give employers and patients’ choices.

You choose a primary care doctor to lead your care team. Your doctor and other health care providers in the network will most often refer you to specialists and hospitals that are affiliated with the Banner|Aetna network. Then, electronic health records help keep you and your care team on the same page. That’s because they can keep track of your prescriptions, test results, health history and more. Having this big-picture view of your health also helps them spot any gaps in your care. If they find that you’re at risk for certain conditions, they can build a personalized care plan to treat you.

The doctor you pick will lead your care team. That’s important because you should see your doctor not only when you’re sick, but also for your annual wellness exam, including preventive screenings. Your doctor can also help you find care programs tailored to your needs. He or she can guide you on important health decisions and coordinate your care across other specialties and facilities in your network.

Find doctors in the Banner|Aetna network

You can work with your current doctor and request transition-of-care coverage. If we approve your request, you can stay with your current out-of-network doctor for a limited time at the highest benefit level. And before your grace period ends, we can help transfer you to a new doctor within the Banner|Aetna network.

Transition-of-care coverage is for your current doctor only. It doesn’t cover health care facilities, durable medical equipment (DME) or prescription drugs. So you’ll need to use Banner|Aetna network facilities, DME vendors and pharmacies while you’re in treatment with your current doctor.