9 connected strategy in the health insurance industry their members find most convenient. To that end, Aetna aims to use CVS’s vast network of 10,000 pharmacies nation-wide and 1,100 Minute clinics as a way to provide access to care and preventative services for its members.20 The merged Aetna-CVS entity is also planning to take this one step further by creating “Destination: Health” programs in select CVS stores in order to provide their members holistic health care in between doctor visits to address social and environmental factors.21 Second, it aims to have more of a curated offering by facilitating data transmission between CVS and Aetna in order to take advantage of the richer member data that CVS may possess with the ultimate purpose of providing members personalized recommendations for care.22 Third, Aetna has taken steps to coach behavior through its Attain by Aetna program that arose from a partnership with Apple.23 Aetna members are invited to connect their Apple Watch data with their health history to receive a personalized goal and have the opportunity to earn rewards in return. Through this, Aetna hopes to shape behaviors in a way that increases the long-term health of its members and that also reduces future healthcare treatment costs. Connection Architecture Aetna has been historically a market maker with limited connectedness linking reim- bursements from employers to members and healthcare providers. At most, they refer members to healthcare providers with a limited involvement into how services are ren- dered by healthcare providers. Through adopted connected strategies, Aetna is trying to reposition itself as a connected retailer, who may not produce most of the services it offers, but who takes an active position in the delivery of those services and who looks to have more continuous interactions and create feedback loops with its members. Performance While Aetna is ramping up its use of connected strategies via its merger with CVS, there are inherent challenges posed by this process. First, the feedback loop in terms of the data exchange that needs to happen between patients, CVS, Aetna, and healthcare providers is riddled with legal and operational difficulties. Given that health data is one of the most sensitive types of data, it is no surprise that storing and moving these kind of data is a highly regulated process.24 Moreover, as each of CVS and Aetna had its own 20 https://www.toptal.com/finance/mergers-and-acquisitions/cvs-aetna 21 https://cvshealth.com/news-and-insights/press-releases/cvs-health-announces-destination-health-a-new-platform-ad- dressing 22 https://healthitanalytics.com/news/how-the-cvs-aetna-deal-will-overhaul-healthcare-big-data-analytics 23 ttps://www.attainbyaetna.com/ 24 https://www.healthaffairs.org/do/10.1377/hblog20191210.216658/full/