Aetna Statement in Support of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Initiative on Electronic Health Records

Business Wire, Oct 30, 2007

HARTFORD, Conn. -- Aetna (NYSE: AET) announced support for a five-year demonstration project unveiled today by U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Mike Leavitt. The goal of the project is to encourage small to medium-sized physician practices to adopt electronic health records (EHR), by offering bonuses to practices that develop certified EHRs for their patients as a way to improve care quality and reduce medical errors.

"This initiative is in line with Aetna's strategy to provide members and their doctors with the best real-time information to make health care decisions," said Ronald A. Williams, chairman and CEO of Aetna. "Health information technology, coupled with evidence-based medicine, is the future of improved care quality because it will mean fewer errors, improved patient safety and better doctor/patient communications. Surprisingly, a study conducted late last year shows that only about a quarter of primary care doctors in the U.S. and Canada use EHRs. Americans should have access to a secure, interoperable health system that provides administrative and confidential medical information, and the initiative announced today by Secretary Leavitt is a positive step."

During the past year Aetna has strongly supported the HHS Four Cornerstones of Value-driven Health Care program that calls for companies to support the development and use of health information technology, as well as tools that provide quality and pricing information to consumers to promote quality and efficiency of care.

Aetna is working to redefine how members use online tools to manage their health. For example, the company has developed an innovative price and clinical quality transparency program to provide members with doctor and facility specific information. In addition, Aetna's patented CareEngine([R])-powered Personal Health Record (PHR) is breaking new ground in helping members manage and organize their health data so that they can work with their doctors to make informed decisions.

Aetna is one of the nation's leading diversified health care benefits companies, serving approximately 36.4 million people with information and resources to help them make better informed decisions about their health care. Aetna offers a broad range of traditional and consumer-directed health insurance products and related services, including medical, pharmacy, dental, behavioral health, group life and disability plans, and medical management capabilities and health care management services for Medicaid plans. Our customers include employer groups, individuals, college students, part-time and hourly workers, health plans, government-sponsored plans and expatriates. www.aetna.com