Healthcare Reform, Health IT Focus Of HIMSS14 Speaker
By Wendy Grafius, contributing writer
Aetna CEO Mark Bertolini to open HIMSS14 with his vision of healthcare’s future
Chairman, CEO, and president of one of the nation’s leading diversified healthcare benefits companies, Aetna, Mark Bertolini will launch this year’s impressive roster of keynote speakers at HIMSS14. Bertolini is scheduled to share his vision on the future of healthcare in a presentation on Monday, February 24th, at 8 a.m. in the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL.
An advocate for market-based solutions to increase access, lower costs, and improve the quality of healthcare, Bertolini is a major player in the healthcare reform arena with considerable influence among both state and federal policymakers. His agenda for change focuses on transformation from a medical system to an integrated healthcare structure with patient-centered care and employer-based programs. Aligning economic incentives, providing a transparent patient experience, and leveraging advanced health information technology are some of the strategies that Aetna employs under his leadership to this end.
Joining Aetna in 2003 as head of specialty products, Bertolini was named president in 2007, assuming responsibility for all of the company’s businesses and operations including medical, pharmacy, dental, behavioral health, group life and disability plans, and management and services for Medicaid plans. In 2010, he was named CEO, ascending to chairman in 2011. He previously held executive positions with Cigna, NYLCare Health Plans, and SelectCare, Inc.
Based in Hartford, Connecticut, Aetna is a Fortune 500 company employing 49,000 workers who serve an estimated 44 million people with information and resources for better healthcare decision making. The company offers a broad range of insurance and employee benefit products to consumers in North America, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East and has developed a reputation for innovating in the health information technology field. ActiveHealth CareEngine analyzes medical claims, pharmacy, and lab data, addressing “care considerations” or gaps in individual care. The iTriage app, downloaded more than 10 million times, helps consumers check symptoms for possible causes and pursue diagnosis and treatment. And Aetna’s Medicity technology enables disparate EHR and health IT systems to share records and collaborate timely patient care.
During his keynote speech, Bertolini is also expected to elaborate on his personal experiences in the healthcare system as a young EMT, as a spinal cord injury survivor, and as a kidney donor and advocate during his son’s fight against cancer.
SOURCE: HIMSS
Want to publish your opinion?