CIGNA (NYSE:CI) today announced two new enhancements to its online
Prescription Drug Price Quote tool that will make it even easier for
members to save money on their prescriptions. Now by using the
myCIGNA.com personal Website, eligible CIGNA Pharmacy Management®
members can get electronic generic prescription discount coupons. They
can also get real-time, side-by-side price comparisons of drug costs
from three local pharmacies at a time, as well as from the CIGNA Tel-Drug®
Home Delivery Pharmacy.
“These additions are part of our ongoing
efforts to give members the information they need to make the best
possible decisions about their health care,”
said Thom Stambaugh, RPH, CIGNA's chief pharmacy officer. “By
making the information easier to use and more complete, we believe that
even more members will decide to save money by converting to generic
medications.”
Using the myCIGNA.com pharmacy Web page, members in self-funded plans
that participate in CIGNA's Save with Generics program can
download a coupon for a reduced co-payment on their first fill of
various generic medications. Stambaugh said that CIGNA Pharmacy
Management already has one of the highest generic utilization rates in
the industry.
By implementing many of CIGNA Pharmacy Management’s
Save with Generics programs, Loral Space and Communications of
New York achieved a 74% generic conversion rate, resulting in a 6.6%
reduction in their drug trend in 2007. “In the
past, our employees were only mailed coupons, which they may not have
been able to find when they went to re-fill their prescription, so there
was a lost opportunity to save,” said director
of benefits Mandy Capogrossi. “We believe the
ability to access online coupons when people need them will make it
easier for our employees and lead to even greater savings for them and
for the company.”
Gordon Furlong of Munich Re America, a reinsurance company whose parent
company is headquartered in Germany said, “We
appreciate the ability to offer incentives, such as these online
coupons, that encourage our employees to try less expensive generic
medications.” As Furlong pointed out, it
leaves the choice up to the employees, but encourages them to save money
for both the employee and for the company, so everyone benefits. “It’s
not often you can find a win-win situation in employee benefits,”
he said.
Unlike many other online pharmacy tools, CIGNA’s
Prescription Drug Price Quote tool enables members to compare –
based on the specifics of their own benefit plan -- real-time pricing
for brand name medications, available generics and low-cost
therapeutically equivalent drug alternatives at their local pharmacies
and at the CIGNA Tel-Drug Home Delivery Pharmacy. Members can view costs
in a side-by-side format that highlights savings opportunities and
applies co-payments, co-insurance, deductibles, plan maximums and
specific drug coverage based on the member’s
specific benefit plan.
In addition, members may download and print a report that includes the
results of their price search, a CIGNA Tel-Drug Home Delivery order
form, and helpful hints and questions they can use when speaking with
their physician about their condition or medications. This report is in
addition to “Perspectives,”
a member-specific feature which customizes information to the member’s
medication search and provides targeted health messages. “Perspectives”
messaging provides links that highlight clinical information as well as
tips regarding generic and therapeutic alternatives.
To improve the member experience, the Web tool is easy to use and
includes such features as Google mapping to find a local pharmacy. The
additions to the price quote comparison tool are the latest in an
arsenal of tools on myCIGNA.com that enable CIGNA Pharmacy Management
members to better understand their drug treatment options and have more
informed discussions with their physicians about medications and their
associated costs.
The enhancements also reflect CIGNA's commitment to help members choose
quality and cost effective health care options. All 23 of the CIGNA
HealthCare HMO and POS plans that have undergone NCQA accreditation
review, hold Excellent Accreditation status. All have earned Distinction
for NCQA's Quality Plus Member Connections and Physician and Hospital
Quality standards. The Member Connections standards assess a plan's
Web-based and telephonic consumer decision support tools. The Physician
and Hospital Quality standards assess how well a plan provides members
with information about physicians and hospitals in its network to help
consumers make informed health care decisions.
About CIGNA Pharmacy Management:
CIGNA Pharmacy Management employs a consultative approach to help plan
sponsors design pharmacy benefit plans that achieve lower net costs
while providing industry-leading pharmacy clinical programs to help
improve the health outcomes of their members. “CIGNA,”
“CIGNA Pharmacy Management,”
“CIGNA Tel-Drug”
and the “Tree of Life”
logo are registered service marks of CIGNA Intellectual Property, Inc.,
licensed for use by CIGNA Corporation and its operating subsidiaries.
All products and services are provided exclusively by such operating
subsidiaries and not by CIGNA Corporation. Such operating subsidiaries
include Connecticut General Life Insurance Company, Tel-Drug, Inc.,
Tel-Drug of Pennsylvania, L.L.C., and HMO or service company
subsidiaries of CIGNA Health Corporation.
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