New England Quality Care Alliance (NEQCA) Collaborates With Cigna to Improve Health and Lower Costs in Boston Area
May 10 2016 - 11:00AM
Business Wire
- Customers benefit from improved care
coordination and greater emphasis on preventive care
- Primary care doctors are rewarded for
improving patient health and lowering medical costs
- Program includes registered nurse care
coordinators aligned with Cigna case managers
- Second Cigna Collaborative Care
arrangement in Boston area
Cigna (NYSE: CI) has launched a collaborative care initiative
with New England Quality Care Alliance (NEQCA), a network of more
than 1,800 community and academic physicians affiliated with Tufts
Medical Center, to improve patient access to health care and
enhance care coordination. The initiative became effective April 1
and is Cigna's second arrangement of this type in the Boston area.
It will benefit more than 10,000 individuals covered by a Cigna
administered health plan who receive care from NEQCA
physicians.
Cigna Collaborative Care aims to achieve the same population
health goals as accountable care organizations (ACOs): improved
health, affordability and patient experience.
In places where it’s been introduced, Cigna Collaborative Care
is helping to improve the health of Cigna customers while
effectively managing medical costs. For example, the programs are
helping to:
- Close gaps in care, such as missed
health screenings or prescription refills;
- Reinforce the appropriate use of
hospital emergency rooms;
- Increase the number of preventive
health visits; and
- Improve follow-up care for people
transitioning from the hospital to home.
“We are pleased to be partnering with Cigna in their
collaborative care program,” said Jeff Lasker, M.D., NEQCA
president and chief executive officer. “Cigna Collaborative Care
exemplifies the values of our network, and provides an opportunity
for our physicians to continue to demonstrate their ability to
successfully meet quality and financial targets. Year over year, we
have brought value to patients and payers through targeted quality
improvement and clinical programs. By sharing data and resources,
and with the support of Cigna care coordinators, we believe this
new partnership can enhance the care we deliver to all of our
patients by identifying earlier stages of disease and individuals
at risk to ensure better outcomes for our patients.”
The registered nurse 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. The
care coordinators are also 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.
Care coordinators can also help individuals schedule
appointments, provide health education and refer people to Cigna's
clinical support programs that are part of their employer’s health
plan.
“We continue to see great success with these types of
arrangements throughout New England and throughout the country, and
we look forward to working with NEQCA, a demonstrated leader in
population health, through this consultative partnership to improve
health care in Greater Boston,” said Mark Butler, Cigna's president
and general manager for New England. “When we reward doctors for
the value of their care and focus on prevention, wellness, health
improvement and care coordination, we can create a system that
benefits everyone who uses, pays for or delivers health care.”
Cigna will compensate physicians who are part of the initiative
for the medical and care coordination services they provide.
Additionally, physicians may be rewarded through a “pay for value”
structure for meeting targets for improving quality and lowering
medical costs.
Cigna clinical and medical economics teams will provide
consultative services to NEQCA to help it achieve its quality and
financial targets. Additionally, NEQCA will benefit from the
learning collaboratives that Cigna convenes each quarter, and will
share best practices and success stories from across the
Massachusetts-based network with front line staff at participating
medical groups nationwide.
Cigna has been at the forefront of the accountable care
organization movement since 2008 and now has 150 Cigna
Collaborative Care arrangements with large physician groups. They
span 29 states, reach 1.7 million commercial customers and
encompass more than 69,000 doctors, including nearly 34,000 primary
care physicians and nearly 36,000 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 90 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 NEQCA
New England Quality Care Alliance (NEQCA) is a partnership of
more than 1,800 community and academic physicians located in
practices across eastern Massachusetts. NEQCA is a leader in
helping physician practices of all sizes manage change, build
population health capabilities, control costs and improve the
quality of patient care. NEQCA is among the highest-quality
networks in Massachusetts, and has been recognized for its ability
to control healthcare spending. Tufts Medical Center, the principal
teaching hospital for Tufts University School of Medicine and the
Floating Hospital for Children is the preferred academic medical
center for the network. For more information, please visit:
www.neqca.org.
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version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160510006130/en/
CignaMark Slitt, 860-226-2092mark.slitt@cigna.comorNEQCAAlison
Goodwin Nogi, 781-664-1483anogi@neqca.org
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