Baton Rouge General and Aetna have reached an agreement that will allow thousands of patients with Aetna plans to visit BRG’s hospitals and clinics again, effective Nov. 1, the hospital system announced Friday afternoon.
BRG’s three hospitals, in addition to Baton Rouge Rehab Hospital, went out of network with Aetna in November 2023, followed by its physician clinics in April 2024, after months of unsuccessful negotiations, according to a prepared statement. BRG was successful with negotiations last year with Cigna and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana.
BRG President and CEO Edgardo Tenreiro tells Daily Report that no changes to terms were made on BRG’s end to make the deal work and that the specifics had to do with “the mechanics on how the operational side of things work.”
He declined to share financial details of the deal.
“We’re happy we can continue to care for Aetna members again and look forward to building on that relationship,” Tenreiro says. “The feedback we received was clear—patients want the best quality and the doctors they know and trust.”
Baton Rouge General sees roughly 5,000 Aetna-insured patients.
Aetna, one of the nation’s largest insurance companies, insures an estimated 39 million across the nation, according to its website. The company, which became a CVS Health company in 2018, offers a wide variety of plans, including for medical, pharmaceutical, dental, behavioral health, long-term care and disability.
