CIGNA HealthCare and RelayHealth to Offer Online Physician Consultative Services

Provides Members with Greater Choice, Convenience, and Cost Transparency

CIGNA HealthCare recently announced an agreement with RelayHealth – a premier provider of secure online health care communication services based in California – to offer select California members online visits with participating RelayHealth physicians, prescription refills and renewals, laboratory results, and the ability to schedule appointments. We’re initially offering these services to California-based members of two of our large self-funded customers, including CISCO Systems, Inc. These services will be available to these members beginning in mid-July 2006, making it easier for members to access and communicate with their physicians.

These services meet a marketplace need voiced both by our customers and the American College of Physicians. Members involved in this initial rollout will be able to consult with their physicians on approximately 145 non-urgent medical conditions in a secure, web-based environment. Following this initial launch, we plan to expand the availability of this service to self-insured employers (those with our Open Access Plus, Open Access Plus In-Network, PPO, EPO, Indemnity or CIGNA Choice Fund^® products) with members throughout California, Arizona, Florida, and the Tri-State/New York metropolitan area beginning with January 1, 2007 effective dates.

This agreement can provide our members with choice, convenience, and cost transparency – key elements of CIGNA's consumerism value proposition. This also can provide employers with another consumer-oriented, cost-effective, and efficient service they can provide to their employees and their families.