UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — On Jan. 1, 2018, Aetna will become the third-party administrator (TPA) for the University’s medical benefits, replacing Highmark, which has been the TPA for the past 10 years.

Aetna was selected for its ability to provide Penn State employees and the University broad access to high-quality providers of health care services, competitive and favorable in-network discounts, and useful tools and services.

Aetna concierge, for example, is a service that provides plan participants with a personal assistant from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Eastern Time, Monday through Friday, to answer health care questions and discuss a wide-variety of topics such as:

• Finding network providers based on individual medical needs
• Helping find coverage solutions that fit participant's needs
• Using online tools to make the decisions that are right for you and your family
• Assisting in scheduling appointments

While an Aetna concierge can answer questions about your medical coverage, the service is designed to go beyond the basics to help plan participants simplify complex topics and information, including discussing or answering a question about a diagnosis, selecting a specialty doctor, and  planning details for upcoming treatment.

Prior to Jan. 1, 2018, contact an Aetna concierge at 855-878-4197. After Jan. 1, you will be able to chat live online with an Aetna concierge in addition to calling the toll-free number.

Another useful tool is Aetna DocFind, an online provider directory that provides current information about participating health care providers. Penn State employees will be able to easily locate participating network doctors, hospitals, and outpatient facilities through searches by:

• Provider name
• City, state, zip
• Specialty, procedure or condition
• Hospital affiliation

Each provider located by the search feature includes the name and specialty of the provider, as well as contact information and a location map to the facility.

For more information about the medical coverage TPA selection process, visit the medical benefits plan design section of the 2018 Benefits Open Enrollment website.

The 2018 Benefits Open Enrollment period is Nov. 1-17, and employees can visit the open enrollment website to access the tools and resources needed to help make benefit elections for 2018.