Regional Cancer Care Associates and Cigna Collaborate to Improve Care for People Undergoing Chemotherapy
May 05 2015 - 10:15AM
Business Wire
- Value-based initiative uses incentives
to engage physicians and help drive improved health, affordability
and experience
- Close collaboration between RCCA’s
oncology care coordinator and Cigna's collaborative care
associate
- RCCA to follow evidence-based medicine
guidelines for cancer care
- COTA, Inc. to classify patients and
provide analytics and insights on quality and cost
Cigna (NYSE: CI) and Regional Cancer Care Associates LLC (RCCA)
have started a program that aims to improve care for people
receiving chemotherapy to treat any type of cancer.
The program is an extension of Cigna Collaborative Care, a
value-based initiative that uses incentives to engage health care
professionals and help drive improved health, affordability and
patient experience. Cigna Collaborative Care initially focused on
large primary care physician groups but was expanded to include
hospitals, small primary care practices and specialists, including
oncologists.
The arrangement encourages RCCA to follow evidence-based
medicine guidelines for cancer care and to use COTA, Inc., an
industry-leading oncology analytics company that tracks the quality
of care and associated costs. In addition, the practice will expand
access to daily acute care with same day appointment availability,
after-hours access and after-hours clinical advice, including 24/7
access to clinical triage staff.
RCCA will designate a registered nurse or an advanced care
practitioner as the group’s oncology care coordinator who will
assist patients and ensure their care is properly coordinated.
Cigna will compensate the medical group with a one-time care
management payment for each of its patients undergoing chemotherapy
treatment. This incentive reimburses the group for its additional
oversight and management of patient care.
Cigna will also provide a single point of contact – a
collaborative care associate – who will assist the medical
practice’s oncology care coordinator with information about a Cigna
customer’s benefits. Cigna will also provide oncology case
management services for customers and their families who might need
additional education or coordination of resources outside of the
oncology practice.
Cigna plans to launch a similar program soon with an oncology
practice in Florida, and expects to have up to eight of these
arrangements in place by the end of 2015.
“We’ve seen great results from our collaborative care
arrangements with large physician groups,” said Ronald Menzin,
M.D., senior medical director for Cigna in New Jersey. “Now we’re
applying that successful model – which includes a care coordinator
employed by the medical practice, and incentives that compensate
physicians for the value of the care they deliver – to drive
similar improvements in quality and cost of oncology care.”
“The need to bring value to the health care system by avoiding
under and over utilization is essential to optimize patient
outcomes and reduce overall cost of care,” said Andrew Pecora,
M.D., president of Regional Cancer Care Associates. “Establishing
this relationship with Cigna, and using new technologies like COTA
that precisely measure variance in clinical and cost outcomes, will
improve cancer care so that we can deliver better quality of life
and a better experience for our patients each time they interact
with our clinical team.”
The care coordination component of Cigna Collaborative Care for
oncology consists of six components, with RCCA managing the
treatment and Cigna providing extra support and information to
help:
- Informed decision making regarding
treatment, which helps patients and care givers understand when
therapy is or isn’t curative; provides treatment options and
information about toxicity, cost and effectiveness of treatment;
initiates conversations with patients and families about functional
status, advanced care, end of life wishes; and facilitates access
to palliative and/or hospice care when appropriate.
- Holistic evaluation of the symptoms and
quality of life at each encounter.
- Proactive care coordination, which
includes inpatient management and discharge planning for all
admissions; care planning and post therapy outreach to ensure
individuals have access to prescriptions, understand side effects
and know when and who to call if there are changes in health
status; patient education and help with future appointments.
- Hospice care coordination, which
assists patients and families with end of life planning and
palliative care services.
- Access and referral coordination, where
the oncologist and the collaborative care coordinator are the
primary contact for the patient while in treatment, with 24x7
access to a practice affiliated clinician, and proactive
communication with the individual’s primary care physician and
other health care providers.
- Transition of care back to the primary
care physician by providing the patient and the primary care
physician with a discharge summary and discharge plan which
includes diagnosis, summary of clinical status, list of medications
and recommendations for ongoing observation.
About Regional Cancer Care Associates
Regional Cancer Care Associates (RCCA), one of the largest
oncology physician networks in the U.S., is transforming oncology
care by ensuring patients and their caregivers are an active part
of the treatment team in all aspects of the management of their
disease in a way that is life-enriching and respectful. RCCA
extends across New Jersey with more than 100 cancer care
specialists and is supported by 700 employees at 25 care delivery
sites, providing care to more than 23,000 new patients annually and
over 240,000 existing patients. RCCA takes responsibility to ensure
access to the highest quality, compassionate and cutting-edge
cancer care for its patients while controlling the cost of this
care. For more information visit:
http://www.regionalcancercare.org.
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 86 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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CignaMark Slitt, 860-226-2092mark.slitt@cigna.comorRegional
Cancer Care AssociatesBryan Soltes,
973-714-7904bsoltes@regionalcancercare.org
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