Aetna CEO Mark T. Bertolini to Deliver Keynote Address at 2012 mHealth Summit

ARLINGTON, Va., Oct. 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The mHealth Summit today announced that Mark T. Bertolini, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of Aetna, will deliver the opening keynote address at this year's event. 

The 4^th annual mHealth Summit will take place December 3-5, 2012 at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in the Washington, DC area.  Mr. Bertolini will address attendees at 9:15 a.m. on Monday, December 3^rd. In his keynote, he will share his personal passion  for creating  a connected, convenient health care system that empowers patients to take control of their health. In addition, Mr. Bertolini will demonstrate how Aetna is using innovative technology to bring this connected, convenient system to life.

"We are pleased this year's summit will kick-off with a keynote from Mark Bertolini of Aetna, a leading global diversified health care benefits company. It signals a broadening of the mHealth Summit to include greater representation of thought-leaders from across the payer and health delivery community," commented Richard Scarfo, Director of the mHealth Summit and Vice President of Vendor Events at HIMSS Media.  "In this fast-paced and evolving mobile health ecosystem, we continue to look for ways to make the summit the most impactful global event for serious discussion, collaborations and knowledge-sharing among all the key sectors."

Mr. Bertolini is widely recognized as an accessible, forward-thinking and solutions-oriented leader. He is actively engaged in the national dialogue on health care reform, advocating to increase access, lower costs and improve the quality of health care.  He is a strong advocate for market-based solutions, the use of health information technology, and the sustainability of the employer-based system. Born and raised in Detroit, Mr. Bertolini worked various jobs throughout high school and college, including assembly work at a Ford Motor Company plant and various caregiver roles in health care delivery.  He is a spinal cord injury survivor and is partially disabled as the result of a severe skiing accident in 2004.  In 2007, Mr. Bertolini donated a kidney to his son. These experiences are foundational to his dedication to improving the patient experience and addressing the longstanding challenges facing the U.S. health care system.

The 2012 mHealth Summit has become the global convener of the mHealth ecosystem and brings together 4,500 leaders from over 50 countries to encourage dialogue and advance collaboration in the use of wireless technology to improve health outcomes.  This year's expanded program offers an analysis of the critical issues surrounding mobile health in the areas of Health, Innovation, Technology, Research, Policy, Business and Finance. 

For more information:

• Visit www.mhealthsummit.org for registration and conference details.
• To apply for media credentials:  www.mhealthsummit.org/press-media-registration
• Join us on Twitter:  #mHS12  @mhealthsummit   www.twitter.com/mhealthsummit

About the mHealth Summit

The mHealth Summit is presented by the HIMSS Media, in partnership with the National Institutes of Health, the mHealth Alliance and the Foundation for the NIH.  It is the leading conference, expo and networking event advancing cross-sector collaboration in the best use of wireless technology to improve health outcomes. The 2012 mHealth Summit, to be held December 3-5 at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, will connect leaders in government, private sector/industry, academia, foundations and not-for-profit organizations to advance discussion and decision-making related to the intersection of mobile technology, health research, and policy in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit www.mhealthsummit.org.

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, voluntary and consumer-directed health insurance products and related services, including medical, pharmacy, dental, behavioral health, group life and disability plans, and medical management capabilities, Medicaid health care management services and health information technology services. Aetna 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.

For additional information on the 2012 mHealth Summit's organizing partners, please visit:

About HIMSS:  www.himss.org 
About the Foundation for the NIH:  www.fnih.org
About the mHealth Alliance:  www.mhealthalliance.org
About the National Institutes of Health:  www.nih.gov

SOURCE mHealth Summit