Aetna's Compassionate Care Program is a case management initiative that specifically targets health plan members with advanced illness, focusing on improving the quality of care they receive. As a result, explains Dr. Joseph Agostini, senior medical director of Aetna Medicare, these patients get more of the type of care that they want and spend less time in the hospital. Patient satisfaction with the program is high, he says, which reflects the strong bond between Aetna members and nurse case managers. In this interview, Dr. Agostini explains the key elements of the Compassionate Care program as well as some of the challenges the case managers may face in the management of advanced illness. Dr. Joseph Agostini presented during "Advanced Illness Care Coordination: A Case Study on Aetna's Compassionate Care Program," a 45-minute webinar on June 13, 2012, now available for replay, during which he shared the key features of the Compassionate Care Program at Aetna, along with the impact the program has had on healthcare utilization and quality outcomes.