- Customers benefit from improved care
coordination and greater emphasis on preventive care
- Primary care providers are rewarded for
improving patient health and lowering medical costs
- Program includes care coordination team
aligned with Cigna case managers
Cigna (NYSE: CI) has launched a collaborative care initiative
with the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) that aims
to improve patient access to health care, enhance care
coordination, and achieve the goal of improved health,
affordability and patient experience. With the launch
of this initiative, which becomes effective October 1, Cigna will
have eight collaborative care arrangements throughout
California.
This Smart News Release features multimedia.
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http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20151001005157/en/
Cigna Collaborative Care is the company’s approach to
accomplishing the same population health goals as accountable
care organizations, or ACOs. The new arrangement will
benefit more than 8,000 individuals covered by a Cigna health plan
who receive care from the 2,200 doctors at UCSF Medical Center and
UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital San Francisco.
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 and
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.
“I am excited to be adding UCSF to our collaborative care
portfolio. We share a vision of changing the health care delivery
system from one that rewards volume of care to one that puts the
patient at the center and rewards quality of outcomes and value,”
said Peter Welch, Cigna president and general manager, Northern
California.
Under the program, UCSF will help monitor and coordinate an
individual’s medical care. Patients will continue to go to their
current physicians at UCSF, and automatically receive the benefits
of the program. Individuals who are enrolled in a Cigna health plan
and later choose to seek care from UCSF will also have access to
the benefits of the program. There are no changes in any plan
requirements regarding referrals to specialists. Patients 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 UCSF clinical care
coordinators, who help patients with chronic conditions or other
health challenges navigate the health care system. The care
coordinators align with a team of Cigna case managers to ensure a
high degree of collaboration between UCSF and Cigna, which will
ultimately provide a better experience for the individual.
“For the many patients today who are living with one or more
chronic disease conditions, such as diabetes or even cancer, the
health care system can be extremely difficult to navigate, which
makes them less likely to seek the preventive care they need,” said
Ami Parekh, M.D., executive medical director of Population Health
and Accountable Care at UCSF. “This collaboration will help connect
all of the elements of that care, from their primary care provider
to their multiple specialists, and help make sure that their care
is covered by their insurance, so all of our patients can stay
healthy longer.”
The care coordinators will enhance care by using
patient-specific data from Cigna to help identify individuals being
discharged from the hospital who might be at risk for readmission,
as well as individuals who may be overdue for important health
screenings or who may have skipped a prescription refill. The care
coordinators are part of physician-led care teams 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 individuals schedule
appointments, provide health education and refer people 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 UCSF 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 134 Cigna
Collaborative Care arrangements with large physician groups that
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 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.
About UCSF
UCSF Medical Center and UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital San
Francisco are ranked among the nation’s top hospitals, providing
world-class care and serving as a training ground for health care
leaders of the future. They are part of UCSF, a leading university
dedicated to promoting health worldwide through advanced biomedical
research, graduate-level education in the life sciences and health
professions, and excellence in patient care. The birthplace of
biotechnology, UCSF serves as a bioscience magnet for the city,
attracting bio/pharma companies and entrepreneurs to one of the
most active biotech hubs in the nation. Please visit
www.ucsf.edu/news and http://www.ucsfhealth.org
UC Disclaimer
The information stated above was prepared by Cigna. Nothing in
this statement shall be construed to imply any support or
endorsement of Cigna, or any of its products, by The Regents of the
University of California, its officers, agents and employees.
View source
version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20151001005157/en/
CignaJill Holliday, 860-226-2094Jill.holliday@cigna.comorUC San
FranciscoJennifer O’Brien,
415-502-6397jennifer.obrien@ucsf.edu@JenOBrienSF
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