- 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
- Cigna now has nine collaborative care
initiatives in North Texas
Cigna (NYSE: CI) has launched collaborative care initiatives
with three North Texas medical groups. The new arrangements with
Catalyst Health Network, Dallas Methodist Physicians Network (DMPN)
and Genesis Accountable Physician Network (GAPN) aim 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 these three programs, which became effective April 1, Cigna now
has nine collaborative care initiatives in the Dallas/Fort Worth
Metroplex.
Cigna Collaborative Care is the company’s approach to
accomplishing the same population health goals as accountable
care organizations, or ACOs. These three new programs
will benefit more than 22,000 individuals covered by a Cigna health
plan who receive care from more than 260 primary care doctors at
the three groups.
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.
“We’re looking forward to this collaboration with Cigna, which
is an excellent opportunity for our independent physicians to
continue bringing real value to our communities by delivering
superior quality of care while holding the line on cost,” said Dr.
Christopher Crow, president of Catalyst Health Network.
“Improving the lives of our patients through quality care is at
the heart of our mission, which is why this collaboration with
Cigna is a great fit for us,” said Michael S. Marshall, M.D., chair
of the DMPN board of directors. “Care coordinators will play a
pivotal role because better coordinated care is fundamental to
better health and lower costs.”
“We believe that health care relies on solid relationships, and
this new collaboration builds relationships between our independent
physician members, patients, and Cigna,” said Dr. Jim Walton,
president and CEO of Genesis Physicians Group. “Care coordination,
which is central to this collaboration, supports our members as
they help patients manage chronic conditions and live healthier
lives.”
“Through these types of collaboration we have the opportunity to
help transform the health care delivery system,” said Dr. Frederick
Watson, Cigna’s senior medical director for North Texas. “When we
reward doctors for results and focus on prevention, wellness,
health improvement and care coordination, we can create a system
that works for everyone who uses, pays for or delivers health
care.”
Under the program, the medical groups will monitor and
coordinate all aspects of an individual’s medical care. Patients
will continue to go to their current physicians and automatically
receive the benefits of the program. Individuals who are enrolled
in a Cigna health plan and later choose to seek care from these
medical groups 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 registered nurse
clinical care coordinators, employed by the medical groups, who
will help patients 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 groups and Cigna, which
will ultimately provide a better experience for the individual.
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 the 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 the medical groups for the medical and
care coordination services they provide. Additionally, the
physician groups may be rewarded through a “pay for value”
structure if they meet 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 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.
About Catalyst Health Network
Catalyst Health Network is a clinically integrated network of
physicians designed to provide coordinated, high-quality care to
patients. Catalyst provides independent physicians a dynamic
population health platform that is critical to reach the Triple Aim
in healthcare – higher quality, improved cost and an enhanced
patient experience. Physicians are able to remain independent while
enjoying the services and structure needed to be successful in the
new, value-based world of healthcare. Catalyst received
certification by the Texas Medical Board as a nonprofit health
corporation. The network is comprised solely of physician members
and managed by StratiFi Health, a physician services organization.
For more information, visit www.catalysthealthnetwork.com or
follow @CatalystHN on Twitter.
About Dallas Methodist Physicians Network
Dallas Methodist Physicians Network is a non-profit healthcare
organization certified by the Texas Medical Board which has been in
the Dallas market since 1986. The network is comprised of
independently practicing primary care physicians and medical
specialist physicians with offices in Arlington, Dallas, DeSoto,
Duncanville, Grand Prairie, Mansfield, McKinney, Midlothian,
Richardson, and Waxahachie. The network’s hallmark is its emphasis
on the use of nationally recognized evidence based quality metrics,
and excellent in office practice standards.
About Genesis Physicians Group
Based in Dallas, Texas, Genesis Physicians Group is the largest
independent physicians association in North Texas with 1,400
primary and specialty care physician members. Genesis provides
services to support private practices in the business of medicine.
Its clinically integrated subsidiary, Genesis Accountable Physician
Network (GAPN), operates with nearly 400 physicians. GAPN offers
members value-based contracting, care coordination services, and
performance improvement initiatives to enhance health outcomes.
Visit www.genesisdocs.org and www.genesisaco.com for more
information.
Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available:
http://www.businesswire.com/multimedia/home/20150408006066/en/
CignaMark Slitt, 860-226-2092mark.slitt@cigna.comorCatalyst
Health NetworkJessica Nunez,
972-388-5510jessica@Nunezprgroup.comorDallas Methodist Physicians
NetworkChris Hawes, 469-834-7100chrishawes@mhd.comorGenesis
Physicians GroupNicole Pearce,
972-419-0012nicole.pearce@genesisdocs.org
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