"The introduction of the PHR to Small Group customers further differentiates Aetna in the marketplace and solidifies our position as a leader in health information technology," said Mary Claire Bonner, senior vice president and head of Aetna Small and Middle Market Business. "We are committed to helping simplify and improve our members' interactions with the health care system. The PHR will allow Small Group members to be further engaged in their health care, while providing small business owners with an increased opportunity to better control health care costs."

The Aetna PHR, available to approximately 6 million members, takes a wide variety of health information gathered from across the health care spectrum -- such as physician offices, labs, diagnostic treatment and pharmacies -- with user-entered information such as family history or allergies and houses it in a secure, online location. In addition, it uses the patented CareEngine technology to identify and alert members to potential gaps in care, helping them achieve their optimal health.

The availability of the PHR to Small Group members coincides with recent enhancements made to the Aetna PHR, including Health Trackers to help members better follow their health data, and the ability for members to grant their physicians access to their PHR online. 

Aetna recently partnered with Microsoft to provide its members with portability of their personal health information. Now, Aetna members will be able to transfer the information in their Aetna PHR directly to Microsoft HealthVault, a secure, Web-based consumer health platform. Information stored on HealthVault will be available to members throughout their lives - even if they change jobs or health plans -- creating a truly portable, lifelong record of their health.

"Our partnership with Microsoft is particularly appealing to small businesses as they typically experience more employee turnover and change health insurance providers more frequently than large- and mid-sized companies," said Bonner. "With HealthVault, employees no longer have to rebuild their PHRs every time they change jobs or health insurance providers. This platform helps keep them engaged and active in making health care decisions for themselves and their families."

Now, all consumers can "test-drive" Aetna's members-only resources on Aetna's public website. All consumers now have access to resources for researching cost and quality information, learning about the value of the PHR and finding out what other tools are available through Aetna Navigator. www.aetna.com/showcase/phr

About Aetna
Aetna is one of the nation's leading diversified health care benefits companies, serving approximately 37.2 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, governmental units, government-sponsored plans, labor groups and expatriates. www.aetna.com