Cigna and Denver-Area Doctors Collaborate to Improve Health and Lower Costs

Cigna (NYSE: CI) has launched two different collaborative care programs with doctors affiliated with Colorado Health Neighborhoods and Rose Integrated Health Network. These programs improve access to health care, enhance care coordination, and achieve the goals of improved health, affordability and customer experience.

Cigna Collaborative Care is the company’s approach to accomplishing the same population health goals as accountable care organizations, or ACOs. The programs will benefit more than 40,000 individuals covered by a Cigna health plan who receive care from more than 700 primary care doctors and specialists affiliated with Colorado Health Neighborhoods and more than 250 primary care doctors and specialists with Rose Integrated Health Network. With the addition of these groups, Cigna's network has expanded to include nine collaborative care initiatives in Colorado serving 170,000 customers.

In places where it’s been introduced, Cigna Collaborative Care is helping to improve the health of Cigna customers while effectively managing medical costs. The programs are helping to close gaps in care, such as missed health screenings or prescription refills, reinforcing the appropriate use of hospital emergency rooms, increasing the number of preventive health visits and improving follow-up care for people transitioning from the hospital to home.

“We are pleased to partner with Cigna and remain committed to working with partners that align with our efforts to enhance care coordination and manage costs through our emphasis on wellness and prevention," said John Suits, executive director, Colorado Health Neighborhoods. “We are working to optimize health value and ACO programs such as Cigna Collaborative Care help us to ensure consumers receive the right care in the right place at the right time.”

"In our current health care environment we are all faced with rising costs,” said Timothy Dudley, MD, medical director, Rose Integrated Health Network. “Working more collaboratively with Cigna will provide our physicians the cost and quality data they need to deliver the best care possible along with the most value."

“Over the past three and a half years, we’ve seen substantial growth across our collaborative care initiatives, mainly a result of our longstanding relationships with health care professionals dedicated to providing quality care and putting the individual first,” said Mark Laitos, MD, senior medical executive for Cigna's Mountain States region. “We are thrilled to add Colorado Health Neighborhoods and Rose Integrated Health Network to our growing portfolio. By working together, we are helping create a new delivery system that is focused on quality of care, rather than volume of service.”

Under the program, Colorado Health Neighborhoods and Rose Integrated Health Network will monitor and coordinate all aspects of an individual’s medical care. People will continue to go to their current physician and automatically receive the benefits of the program. Individuals who are enrolled in a Cigna health plan and later choose to seek care from a physician affiliated with either organization will also have access to the benefits of the program. There are no changes in any plan requirements regarding referrals to specialists. Individuals most likely to see the immediate benefits of the program are those who need help managing chronic conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease and obesity.

Critical to the program’s benefits are the registered nurse clinical care coordinators, employed by Colorado Health Neighborhoods and Rose Integrated Health Network, who will help individuals with chronic conditions or other health challenges navigate the health care system. The care coordinators are aligned with a team of Cigna case managers to ensure a high degree of collaboration between the medical groups and Cigna, which will ultimately provide a better experience for the individual.

The care coordinators enhance care by using data from Cigna to help identify individuals being discharged from the hospital who might be at risk for readmission, as well as those who may be overdue for important health screenings or who may have skipped a prescription refill. The care coordinators are part of the physician-led care team that will help people get the follow-up care or screenings they need, identify potential complications related to medications and help prevent chronic conditions from worsening.

Care coordinators can also help people schedule appointments, provide health education and refer individuals to Cigna's clinical support programs, such as disease management programs for diabetes, heart disease and other conditions; and lifestyle management programs, such as programs for tobacco cessation, weight management and stress management.

Cigna will compensate both organizations for the medical and care coordination services they provide. Additionally, the groups may be rewarded through a “pay for value” structure if they meet targets for improving quality and lowering medical costs.

Cigna has been at the forefront of the accountable care organization movement since 2008 and now has 134 Cigna Collaborative Care arrangements with large physician groups. They span 29 states, reach nearly 1.5 million commercial customers and encompass nearly 60,000 doctors, including approximately 30,000 primary care physicians and 30,000 specialists.

About Colorado Health Neighborhoods

Colorado Health Neighborhoods (CHN) is a physician-led network of independent affiliated and employed providers partnering with Centura Health to develop a high-performance network that delivers optimal health care value to consumers. The network’s more than 3,300 physicians and other health care professionals care for more than 175,000 lives across Colorado. Leveraging a partnership with Centura Health, the region’s leading health care system, CHN has the resources to deliver on its vision for the future of health care. Visit mychn.org for more information.

About Rose Integrated Health Network

Rose Medical Group and Rose Integrated Health are 650 physician IPA geographically distributed in the Denver Metro area. RMG and RIHN’s purpose is to coordinate the delivery of high quality, affordable health care services through a physician-governed, market responsive, network which brings value to our independent physician members. RMG and RIHN add value to the physician members, the insurance carriers, and our medical office product partners.

About Cigna

Cigna Corporation (NYSE: CI) is a global health service company dedicated to helping people improve their health, well-being and sense of security. All products and services are provided exclusively by or through operating subsidiaries of Cigna Corporation, including Connecticut General Life Insurance Company, Cigna Health and Life Insurance Company, Life Insurance Company of North America and Cigna Life Insurance Company of New York. Such products and services include an integrated suite of health services, such as medical, dental, behavioral health, pharmacy, vision, supplemental benefits, and other related products including group life, accident and disability insurance. Cigna maintains sales capability in 30 countries and jurisdictions, and has more than 89 million customer relationships throughout the world. To learn more about Cigna®, including links to follow us on Facebook or Twitter, visit www.cigna.com.

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