- Customers benefit from improved care
coordination and greater emphasis on preventive care
- Doctors are rewarded for improving
customer health and lowering medical costs
- Program includes registered nurse care
managers aligned with Cigna case managers
Cigna (NYSE: CI) and Northwestern Medicine Physician Partners
(NMPP), formerly known as Cadence Medical Partners, have launched a
collaborative care initiative to improve access to health
care, enhance care coordination and achieve the goal 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 program will benefit
over 5,600 individuals covered by a Cigna health plan who receive
care from more than 550 NMPP primary care doctors and specialists.
Cigna now has four collaborative care arrangements in Chicago metro
and 122 of them nationwide.
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.
“Northwestern Medicine Physician Partners is committed to
building healthier communities by integrating technology with care
coordination and this new collaboration with Cigna helps further
our mission,” said Marty Manning, president of Northwestern
Medicine Physician Partners. “The valuable insights and data Cigna
provides will help us maintain the quality standards we strive for
while keeping costs affordable.”
“As the health care industry continues to evolve, it’s important
we provide innovative solutions that improve quality of care while
saving our customers money. Working together with health care
professionals like Northwestern Medicine Physician Partners is one
of the ways we accomplish that goal,” said Peter W. McCauley Sr.,
M.D., regional medical executive for Cigna's Northeast region,
which includes the Midwest. “By rewarding physicians for value,
rather than volume of services, we aim to create a system focused
on prevention and wellness, which will ultimately lead to a
healthier population and lower medical costs.”
Under the program, NMPP will monitor and coordinate all aspects
of an individual’s medical care. People will continue to go to
their current NMPP 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 an NMPP physician 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 NMPP, 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 group 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 better manage chronic conditions.
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 NMPP for the medical and care coordination
services it provides. Additionally, the physician group may be
rewarded through a “pay for value” structure if it meets 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 122 Cigna
Collaborative Care arrangements with large physician groups that
span 29 states, reach more than 1.3 million commercial customers
and encompass more than 50,000 doctors, including more than 24,000
primary care physicians and more than 27,000 specialists.
About Northwestern Medicine®
Northwestern Medicine® is the collaboration between Northwestern
Memorial HealthCare and Northwestern University Feinberg School of
Medicine around a strategic vision to transform the future of
healthcare. It encompasses the research, teaching, and patient care
activities of the academic medical center. Sharing a commitment to
superior quality, academic excellence and patient safety, the
organizations within Northwestern Medicine comprise a combined
workforce of more than 25,000 among clinical and administrative
staff, medical and science faculty and medical students. The
entities involved in Northwestern Medicine remain separate
organizations. Northwestern Medicine is a trademark of Northwestern
Memorial HealthCare and is also used by Northwestern
University.
About Northwestern Memorial HealthCare
Northwestern Memorial HealthCare (NMHC) is an academic health
system whose entities operate as Northwestern Medicine®. NMHC
consists of over 60 ambulatory sites throughout Chicago, including
four hospitals; Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital in Lake
Forest, Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield,
Northwestern Medicine Delnor Hospital in Geneva and its flagship
Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, which is rated No. 1 in
Chicago and Illinois, as well as 10th in the nation according to
the U.S. News & World Report 2014-2015 Honor Roll of America's
Best Hospitals; and more than 4,000 aligned physicians.
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 88 million customer relationships throughout the world. To
learn more about Cigna®, including links to follow us on Facebook
or Twitter, visit www.cigna.com.
Media Contacts:CignaMichelle Vroom,
267-606-5822michelle.vroom@cigna.comorNorthwestern Medicine
Physician PartnersChristopher King,
630-933-5117christopher.king@cadencehealth.org
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