N@N

Aetna Continues Efforts to Improve Access to Quality Care in the Middle East

_{//health-fitness.news-articles.net/content/2010/ .. e-access-to-quality-care-in-the-middle-east.html}
^{Published in Health and Fitness on Wednesday, October 6th 2010 at 9:26 GMT by Market Wire}  

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates--([ BUSINESS WIRE ])--Aetna (NYSE: AET), a leading global diversified health care benefits company, today announced the launch of provider education sessions in the Middle East region aimed at promoting the importance of quality, patient safety and accreditation. Aetna Global Benefits (AGB), Aetnaa™s international health benefits segment, is sponsoring the educational programme led by Joint Commission International (JCI). JCI is the international not-for-profit affiliate of The Joint Commission, the oldest and largest health care accrediting body in the world.

"These educational sessions demonstrate our continued commitment to build strong and secure partnerships with health care facilities in order to promote access to quality care"

aThese educational sessions demonstrate our continued commitment to build strong and secure partnerships with health care facilities in order to promote access to quality care," said Stuart Leatherby, AGB managing director in the Middle East and Africa. "We believe accreditation programmes, such as JCIa™s, offer health care professionals a solid framework for implementing essential leadership, management, quality improvement, and clinical structures and processes in their organisations."

A select group of providers, who are part of Aetnaa™s provider network in the Middle East region, are participating in one-day workshops occurring in Kuwait, Bahrain and Dubai. Key discussion topics include:

• Achieving quality and patient safety;
• Impact of JCI accreditation;
• Role of leadership and governance; and
• Risk and utilisation management strategies.

aJoint Commission International is pleased to extend our knowledge and expertise to Aetna Global Benefits and their provider community in order to support their quest to enhance the quality and safety of health care in the Middle East region," said Dr. Ashraf Ismail, Managing Director, Middle East Office for Joint Commission International.

Added Leatherby, aWe remain focused on building our comprehensive global network to achieve continued high quality, affordability, access and convenience for our customers and members. We believe this initiative can make a positive impact on our customer, member and provider communities in the Middle East region.a

AGB members currently have access to more than 61,000 health care providers outside of the United States through the organisationa™s direct-settlement arrangements and strategic partnerships. In the United States, members have access to more than 900,000 health care professionals.

About Aetna Global Benefits

Aetna Global Benefits, the international business segment of Aetna, is committed to helping create a stronger, healthier global community by delivering comprehensive health benefits and health management solutions worldwide. AGB's expatriate business is one of the industry's largest and most prominent U.S.-based international health benefits providers, supporting more than 400,000 members worldwide. Our expatriate offerings include medical, dental, vision, life, disability and emergency assistance. The organisation's health management business collaborates with health care systems, government entities and plan sponsors around the world to design and build locally-applied health management solutions to improve health, quality and cost outcomes. For more information, see [ www.aetnaglobalbenefits.com ].

About Aetna

Aetna is a leading global diversified health care benefits company headquartered in the U.S., serving approximately 35.8 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, behavioural 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, governmental units, government-sponsored plans, labour groups and expatriates. For more information, see [ www.aetna.com ].