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Cigna and Orlando Health Physician Partners Join in Collaborative Accountable Care Initiative
BLOOMFIELD, Conn. & ORLANDO, Fla. --(Business Wire)--
Cigna (NYSE:CI) and�physicians with Orlando
Health Physician Partners have launched a collaborative accountable
care initiative to expand patient access to health care, improve care
coordination, and achieve the "triple aim" of improved health outcomes
(quality), lower total medical costs and increased patient satisfaction.
Collaborative accountable care is Cigna's approach to accomplishing the
same population health goals as accountable care organizations, or ACOs.
The program will benefit approximately 24,000 individuals covered by a
Cigna health plan who receive care from among approximately 532 doctors
affiliated with Orlando Health in 94 practice locations around Orlando.
"Providing patients with quality care and supporting them with a team
from their doctor's office focused on coordinating that care will lead
to better outcomes, a more positive patient experience, and improved
management of medical costs," said Wayne Jenkins, M.D., President,
Orlando Health Physician Partners. "We believe this model of practice is
the future of the health care delivery system."
Under the program, Orlando Health doctors monitor and coordinate all
aspects of an individual's medical care. Patients continue to go to
their current physician and automatically receive 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 or heart disease.
"With this collaboration, we are helping to bring a new model of health
care delivery to our customers in Orlando - one that emphasizes the
value of health care services instead of the volume of care provided,"
said Scott Evelyn, president and general manager for Cigna in Florida.
"Orlando Health is also a leading force for this change, and so is an
ideal organizaion for us to collaborate with."
Critical to the program's benefits are registered nurses, employed by
the physician practice, who are part of the physician-led care team and
serve as clinical care coordinators. They help patients with chronic
conditions or other health challenges navigate the health care system.
For example, they identify patients�discharged from the hospital who
might be at risk for readmission, help patients get the follow-up care
or screenings they need, identify any issues related to medications and
help prevent chronic conditions from worsening.
The care coordinators use patient-specific data from Cigna to help them
identify patients in need of these services and are aligned to a team of
Cigna case managers to ensure a high degree of collaboration between
Orlando Health physicians and Cigna that ultimately results in a better
experience for the individual. Care coordinators can also help patients
schedule appointments, provide health education and refer patients to
the Cigna health management and wellness programs that may be available
to them through their employer's benefit plan.
Cigna will compensate Orlando Health physicians for the medical and care
coordination services they provide. Physicians will also be rewarded
through a "pay for performance" structure if they meet targets for
improving quality and lowering medical costs.
Cigna is now engaged in 52
collaborative accountable care initiatives in 22 states,
encompassing nearly 510,000 Cigna customers and more than 14,000
doctors, including more than 6,500 primary care physicians and more than
7,500 specialists. Cigna launched its first collaborative accountable
care program in 2008 and its goal is to have 100 of them in place with
one million customers by the end of 2014.
About Orlando Health
Orlando Health is a $1.9 billion not-for-profit health care organization
and a community-based network of hospitals and care centers throughout
Central Florida. The organization, which includes the area's only Level
One Trauma Centers for adults and pediatrics, is a statutory teaching
hospital system that offers both specialty and community hospitals. They
are: Orlando Regional Medical Center; Arnold Palmer Hospital for
Children; Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women & Babies; Dr. P. Phillips
Hospital; South Seminole Hospital; Health Central Hospital, South Lake
Hospital (50 percent affiliation); St. Cloud Regional Medical Center (20
percent affiliation) and MD Anderson Cancer Center Orlando - the first
affiliate of one of the nation's premier cancer centers, The University
of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Orlando Health's areas of
clinical excellence are heart and vascular, cancer care, neurosciences,
surgery, pediatric orthopedics and sports medicine, neonatology, and
obstetrics and gynecology.
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 approximately 71 million customer relationships
throughout the world. To learn more about Cigna®, including links to
follow us on Facebook (News - Alert) or Twitter, visit www.cigna.com.
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