Aetna To Offer Access To Confidential Telephonic Cancer Genetic Counseling To Health Plan Members
Genetic counseling helps individuals and their doctors assess their risk for cancer, appropriately order and interpret genetic tests, and make informed screening and preventive decisions
HARTFORD, Conn., November 27, 2007 — Aetna (NYSE: ΑET) today announced that effective immediately it will offer members confidential telephone and web-based cancer genetic counseling services as a component of health benefit plans which include coverage for genetic testing. The services will be offered through Informed Medical Decisions, a national genetic counseling company staffed with board-certified genetic counselors with expertise in cancer genetic counseling.
A significant proportion of colorectal, breast and ovarian cancers are due to an inherited susceptibility. Prevention strategies are available to reduce risk, but concerns about a shortage of board-certified genetic counselors have made access to reliable information challenging for patients and physicians alike. Aetna is trying to facilitate informed decision making through member education, increased access to genetic counselors, and involvement of the member’s primary care physician in genetic decision making.
"Talking with a genetic counselor is often the first step toward understanding and dealing with your family’s medical condition or inherited risk for condition," said Troyen Brennan, M.D., Aetna’s chief medical officer. "This confidential genetic counseling service can provide critical health information that members and their families can use to anticipate and reduce risk."
"Genetic science is complex, and incorporating it into routine patient care has been challenging for many physicians," noted Joanne Armstrong, M.D., Aetna’s senior medical director who developed the genetic counseling program at Aetna. "With fewer than 2,000 board-certified genetic counselors in the United States, it is difficult for physicians and their patients to access the appropriate specialists. Aetna seeks to provide supportive tools and services for our members’ physicians to help them participate in the genetic counseling decision making in a more collaborative way."
"At Informed Medical Decisions, we believe that one of the most important roles of a genetic counselor is to ensure that genetic testing is only performed when it is likely to provide
actionable, well-informed health information," said Heather Shappell, chief operating officer of
Informed Medical Decisions, as well as a board certified genetic counselor. "This ensures that individuals enter into genetic testing with a clear understanding of what information they are seeking and why and how that information can be used by their physician to devise a treatment plan to reduce their risk or manage it appropriately."
Members who decide to participate in the genetic counseling program first fill out a prescreening questionnaire on Informed Medical Decision’s secure website. (www.informeddna.com). If a member’s personal health or family history indicates he or she may be at an increased risk for an inherited cancer, the member then completes a more detailed family medical history and schedules an appointment for a telephone consultation with a genetic counselor. This counselor will help the member determine his or her risk level, assess whether a genetic lab test is appropriate, and respond to questions and concerns. The member is encouraged to share this information with his or her primary care physician. If the member proceeds with genetic testing, the genetic counselor will work with the member’s physician to schedule the test and interpret the results. A second telephone consult with the member is scheduled so that the genetic counselor can review all information and discuss next steps including risk reduction strategies. There is no cost for the prescreening questionnaire. Costs associated with the genetic counseling and testing services are subject to the provisions of the member’s health plan, meaning the member may pay applicable deductibles and coinsurance requirements.
All discussions between Aetna members and genetic counselors are private and will not
be shared with the member’s employer or with Aetna. Neither Aetna nor the member’s employer
will receive test results. "Reassuring members that the process is completely confidential is critical as studies have shown that concern about confidentiality of genetic services is blocking access to care," Dr. Brennan added. "In fact, Aetna took the initiative in 2002 to create privacy guidelines for genetic information and testing precisely to address this issue. We’re proud that these guidelines have now been adopted as the industry standard by America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP)."
Aetna piloted this service with its own employees in 2006-2007 and found that only a small percentage of employees understood their personal risk or the contribution of family history to that risk. Few were recommended by primary care physicians to consult with trained genetic counselors, and the majority reported that they were the first member of their extended family to ever speak with a genetic counselor. After the completion of services, the majority of participants reported a significant improvement in their understanding of personal risk as well as available risk reduction strategies. "Beyond the increased knowledge of participants, this pilot proved that when patients have convenient access to genetic counseling they are more likely to take advantage of the services," Shappell noted. "Indeed, 66 percent of participants in the Aetna pilot reported that the telephonic aspect of the program was the determining factor in their decision to participate."
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 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, government-sponsored plans and expatriates. www.aetna.com
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