Dr. Melissa Welch Named Head of Aetna’s Regional Care Management

HARTFORD, Conn., July 11, 2011 — Aetna (NYSE: AET) announced today that Melissa Welch, M.D., M.P.H, has been named head of Regional Care Management. She will work closely with Aetna’s clinical and network teams nationwide to provide Aetna’s members with access to affordable and quality care, from wellness programs to managing chronic disease to emergency and critical care.

“Regional Care Management plays a key role in helping members navigate the health care system and access quality care,” Welch said.  “I believe Aetna’s leadership promoting safe, effective and affordable health care in the marketplace will continue to drive positive change in the industry for years to come.”

A California resident, Welch has a wealth of experience in both the public and private sectors. She has served as a senior medical director in Aetna’s West Region for more than nine years. She was responsible for providing clinical guidance for Aetna’s clinical programs.

“Dr. Welch’s significant experience in driving health care quality combined with her strong commitment to serving the people who use our services will be a strong asset to Aetna and our customers. Her vision and leadership will be vital as we seek to make quality health care more affordable,” said Paul Marchetti, head of Aetna National Care Management.

Prior to Aetna, Welch was a senior medical director of National Clinical Operations for United Healthcare, and she served as medical director for the Health Plan of San Mateo, a county-organized plan serving Medi-Cal recipients. She was also chief medical officer for the Community Health Network, the San Francisco Department of Public Health integrated delivery system. From 1999 to 2004, she concurrently served as both president of the San Francisco Board of Health as well as a professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco.

Welch is the principal founder of Perspectives of Differences Diversity Training and Consultation for Health Professionals. She received her medical degree from Harvard Medical School and a master’s in Public Health epidemiology from the University of California, Berkley. 

About Aetna
Aetna is one of the nation’s leading diversified health care benefits companies, serving approximately 33.8 million people with information and resources to help them make better informed decisions about their health care. Aetna offers a broad range of traditional, 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.