Aetna Joins Consortium on Mobile Health Diabetes Prevention Program in India

Aetna (NYSE: AET), a leading global diversified health care benefits company, announced that it is participating in a diabetes prevention program in India led by non-profit Arogya World that strives to reach one million consumers via mobile text messages. This mobile health (mHealth) initiative, which is being supported by a consortium of organisations, aims to raise awareness about diabetes and its prevention through text messages in 12 languages over two years.

“Diabetes is on the rise around the world, including India where one report estimates that some 40 million Indians are already diabetic. That number is expected to reach 73.5 million by 2025,” said Sandip Patel, head of Aetna International. “We want to help people around the world live healthier lives. Prevention is the most important way to fight non-communicable diseases like diabetes, which have a high cost on chronically ill people and society in general. We must both promote wellness and prevention through lifestyle and quality medical care to detect illness before serious medical intervention is required. Aetna’s experience has demonstrated that cost associated with early detection and disease management is far outweighed by the cost of acute, often emergency, inpatient hospital treatment.

“We believe this mHealth program will be instrumental in bringing about sustainable social change,” added Patel. “Aetna is proud to support this innovative program, and to lend our expertise in analyzing health data and managing diabetes risk.”

Aetna is supporting the program in three ways by making a financial contribution to fund the effort; serving on the consortium’s advisory committee; and providing health care experience. Aetna will provide insights into disease management, wellness and data analytics techniques based upon its deep experience and successes in these areas.

The program is one of the first nationwide diabetes mHealth initiatives in a developing country. The consortium is led by Arogya World and also includes Nokia, which is providing support and special technology platforms on its mobile phones, Emory University, Synovate, Biocon and LifeScan, Inc.

About Aetna International

Aetna International entered India this year when it acquired Indian Health Organisation Pvt Ltd. (IHO), an Indian start-up that offers consumers access to quality medical and dental care at a savings through a credentialed network of approximately 3,000 doctors, dentists, clinics and labs, as well as preventative care and wellness programs.

Aetna International is committed to helping create a stronger, healthier global community by delivering comprehensive health benefits and health management solutions worldwide. Aetna International'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. The organisation’s expatriate offerings include medical, dental, vision, life, disability and emergency assistance. Aetna International’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.aetnainternational.com.

About Aetna

Aetna is one of the nation’s leading diversified health care benefits companies, serving approximately 36.5 million people with information and resources to help them make better informed decisions about their health care. Aetna offers a broad range of traditional, voluntary 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, governmental units, government-sponsored plans, labor groups and expatriates. For more information, see www.aetna.com.

About Arogya World

Arogya World is a U.S.-based non-profit organisation, committed to changing the course of chronic disease, one community at a time. Globally, the organisation advocates for prevention of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Arogya World is also working on diabetes prevention through lifestyle changes in India, where school-based and mobile health programs are currently in progress.

Arogya World’s approach is to leverage strong science, partnerships and breakthrough technology to make measurable public health impact. The organisation’s Behavior Change Task Force is a key group made up of medical, scientific, health promotion, communications and consumer experts from India, U.S. and the U.K. See www.arogyaworld.org for more information.

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