SpectraCell Enters Into National Contract With Aetna

HOUSTON, Jan. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- SpectraCell Laboratories announced today that it has agreed with Aetna Health, one of the nation's largest health insurers, to become a contracted in-network provider. The contract provides coverage by Aetna of SpectraCell's micronutrient testing, as well as other advanced tests offered by the company.

Aetna is just one of a growing number of major insurance carriers that recognize the importance of nutrition in health and disease. They acknowledge SpectraCell's micronutrient testing as a valuable piece of the healthcare puzzle, changing the current paradigm of disease-care to true wellness-care and prevention.

"Much of the cutting edge technology in health care is emerging in the field of diagnostics. SpectraCell's micronutrient testing, originally developed at the University of Texas, is a prime example of advanced clinical tools," says Rusty Preece, VP and Chief Financial Officer of SpectraCell. "Insurers see the value in identification and targeted correction of patients' specific vitamin and mineral deficiencies, which have a major impact on underlying disease processes."

Even during the worst recession in decades, SpectraCell's client base expanded very aggressively in 2009. This is due largely to the fact that when physicians see how their patients' symptoms are resolved once they detect and correct (often multiple) micronutrient deficiencies, they recommend it to other physicians and order it on more and more patients.

Aetna covers over 19 million individuals in all 50 states. Its networks include almost one million health care professionals, over 500,000 of which are primary care physicians. SpectraCell serves over 3,500 physician clients nationally, spread across 42 states.

About SpectraCell Laboratories - SpectraCell is a CLIA accredited laboratory that services healthcare providers nationwide by providing advanced diagnostics, including comprehensive micronutrient testing and the Lipoprotein Particle Profile(TM) (LPP (TM)).

SpectraCell's micronutrient testing provides an innovative analysis of a patient's nutritional status. Unlike traditional serum, hair and urine tests, SpectraCell's tests measure how an individual's white blood cells function in specific nutritional environments. Consequently, the test results take into account individual variations in metabolism, absorption rates, age, genetics, prescription drug usage and other factors. Over 30 vitamins, minerals, amino acids and antioxidants can be evaluated.

SpectraCell's Lipoprotein Particle Profile(TM) is the most advanced lipoprotein testing available. Unlike traditional cholesterol tests, SpectraCell's LPP(TM) directly measures both the size (density) and number of several classes of lipoprotein particles, providing an accurate assessment of cardiovascular risk.

http://www.spectracell.com

SOURCE SpectraCell Laboratories