Aetna Provides Programs, Tools and Information to Help Improve Patient Safety.

HARTFORD, Conn. -- As one of the nation's leading health care benefits companies, Aetna (NYSE:AET) has taken a multi-pronged approach to helping make health care safer for patients. As National Patient Safety Awareness Week concludes, Aetna's efforts in this area will continue to support the major goals of this week, which according to the National Patient Safety Foundation, "emphasizes a collective effort for safer health care through partnerships among providers, patients, families and communities."

"For many years, Aetna has been a leader in supporting and driving initiatives to increase patient safety," said Troyen Brennan, M.D., Aetna's chief medical officer. "We have worked with numerous federal agencies and national groups to provide patient safety tools and information to members, consumers and physicians, and it will continue to be one of our primary goals as a company in the future."

Aetna has a number of different programs and policies aimed at improving patient safety, including:

[TABLE OMITTED]

Helpful Information

Another way Aetna helps improve patient safety is by providing easy-to-understand health-related information, assisting consumers and members in becoming more involved in their own health care.

One resource consumers can access is Aetna InteliHealth([R]), a free public website containing information provided by more than 150 top health care organizations, with Harvard Medical School and Columbia University College of Dental Medicine among the primary sources. In addition to useful information on various medical conditions, Aetna InteliHealth also includes:

[TABLE OMITTED]

Aetna members have access to additional tools and information through Aetna Navigator([R]), Aetna's password-protected member website, such as comparative ratings of hospitals based on guidelines approved by the Consumer Purchaser Disclosure Project (CPDP) and the Leapfrog Group.

"A more informed patient is a more involved patient, and encouraging our members to take a more active role in their health care is one of the most important things we can do in the area of patient safety," said Dr. Brennan. "An engaged patient usually has a better relationship with his or her physician, and that can lead to improved health outcomes."

About Aetna

Aetna is one of the nation's leading diversified health care benefits companies, serving approximately 36.7 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, and government-sponsored plans in the U.S. and internationally. Aetna's international businesses include Aetna Global Benefits, Aetna's expatriate benefits division that focuses on providing comprehensive solutions to employees working, traveling and living in over 100 countries. www.aetna.com