Aetna Q3 Provider Survey: Trust Score Holds at 6.0 as 94% of Providers Call Fraud a Problem the System Must Address
Aetna, a CVS Health company (NYSE: CVS), announced findings from its third-quarter Aetna Provider Survey in Hartford, Connecticut, on October 26: the average payer-provider trust score was 6.0 on a scale of 1 to 10, in line with the 6.1 reported in the second quarter and up from 5.4 in the first quarter. The quarterly study was conducted by Morning Consult and polled a representative sample of 727 U.S. providers, with an overall margin of error of plus or minus four percentage points.
Providers said payers sustained improvements in several areas during the third quarter. Fifty percent of providers said payers make decisions that prioritize patient well-being, an increase of two percentage points from the second quarter and six points from the first. Fifty-two percent said payers consistently deliver on their promises, and 56% said payers provide clear, understandable information, both unchanged from the second quarter.
"Building trust remains our priority, and I am pleased to see the payer-provider trust scores remain strong. Deepening our provider relationships helps us partner closely to improve access to affordable care and makes it easier for members to navigate the health care system," said Steve Nelson, Executive Vice President of CVS Health and President of Aetna. He added that more work remains, but that he is encouraged providers are recognizing Aetna's investments to reduce friction and improve transparency.
Administrative burden remains a significant but improving challenge. Sixty-seven percent of providers identified it as their top challenge, down seven percentage points from the second quarter. Among providers who cited administrative burden as a top challenge, 27% named prior authorization as the leading contributor, down from 31% in the second quarter, while 58% named updating patient medical records as the single biggest contributor, up five points. Asked for the most important action payers could take, nearly one in three providers chose providing real-time patient information, the top answer.
Nearly all providers, 94%, agreed that fraud, waste and abuse is a problem the health care system needs to address. Close to 60% said the top benefit of addressing it is lowering overall costs in the health care system, and 57% estimated that fraud, waste and abuse cost the system about $100 billion to $499 billion annually. About 30% of providers said they want payers to use super intelligence to flag suspicious claims or patterns, their top recommended action. Nearly nine in 10 believe payers can realistically reduce up to half of fraud, waste and abuse each year, and about 90% believe SI is already helping to solve the issue.
The Aetna Provider Survey is a quarterly study of the U.S. provider market, whose respondents include hospital system executives, physicians, nurses, pharmacists and health IT leaders. Aetna serves an estimated 37 million people with health insurance products and related services. As of June 30, 2026, CVS Health had approximately 9,000 retail pharmacy locations, more than 1,000 walk-in and primary care medical clinics, and a pharmacy benefits manager with approximately 87 million plan members.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：CVS 药房门店外观。照片：deathpallie325，CC BY-SA 4.0，经维基共享资源。 / A CVS Pharmacy storefront. Photo: deathpallie325, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
