Aetna Announces Appearance At 2012 World Biomarkers Consortium

HARTFORD, Conn., March 09, 2012 — Aetna (NYSE: AET) announced today that Dr. Edmund Pezalla, National Medical Director for Pharmaceutical Policy and Strategy for Aetna Pharmacy Management, will be presenting at the 7th annual World Biomarkers Consortium on March 11th in Orlando, Florida.

The consortium is designed to educate physicians specializing in hematology/oncology, pathology and genetics on state-of-the-art advances in our understanding of tumor biomarkers. Thought leaders representing a variety of clinical specialty areas will share their experience on the most effective ways to treat a wide range of solid tumors and hematologic malignancies which are types of cancer that affect blood, bone marrow, and lymph nodes.

Dr. Pezalla’s presentation, “Reimbursement: Challenges and Strategies”, will cover the different methodologies used by managed care companies to make coverage decisions for biomarkers. Dr. Pezalla will focus on ways for the Biomarker Industry to collaborate with managed care companies to ensure that patients get the tests they need and providers are reimbursed appropriately for the services they provide.

Presentations are scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m.ET. Additional topics will range from the use of predictive tools in patient care to new ways to utilize technology. 

About Biomarkers Consortium
The Global Biomarkers Consortium™ (GBC) is a community of world-renowned healthcare professionals that will convene in multiple educational forums in order to better understand the clinical application of predictive molecular biomarkers and advanced personalized care for patients.

About Aetna
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, voluntary and consumer-directed health insurance products and related services, including medical, pharmacy, dental, behavioral health, group life and disability plans, medical management capabilities, health care management services for Medicaid plans and health information exchange technology services. Our customers include employer groups, individuals, college students, part-time and hourly workers, health plans, health care providers, governmental units, government-sponsored plans, labor groups and expatriates. For more information, see www.aetna.com.