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"The Big Picture" Newsletter
July/August 2007
Latest News
CIGNA Corporation reports Second Quarter 2007 results
Earnings reflect strong results in each of the health and related benefits
businesses
In its second
quarter earnings report, CIGNA Corporation announced adjusted
income from operations of $279 million and a 4.4%
increase in medical
membership through the first six months of 2007. According to CIGNA
Chairman and CEO H. Edward Hanway, we are on track to achieve our
2007 outlook, which capitalizes on our competitive strengths and
reflects industry-leading member growth rates for our health care
business.
CIGNA acquires Sagamore Health Network in Indiana
Brings strong new competition to the state’s health benefits and
services marketplace
CIGNA has acquired the Sagamore Health Network,
Inc., the largest leased
health care provider network in Indiana. This acquisition reflects our
continued commitment to delivering high-quality health care nationwide.
It will significantly strengthen our presence among local employers,
and enable us to bring a wider range of health benefit choices to more
employers and consumers in Indiana.
Acquiring Sagamore will help us better serve our customers and members
in the region by offering even more flexibility in pricing and significantly
expanding access to care. Over time, Sagamore will be able to leverage
for its payers and producers the new resources, capital and value-added
services and programs that CIGNA brings to the mix as the industry’s
leading health advocate for consumers. More details are included
in the press
release.
CIGNA HealthCare battles colorectal cancer
Preventive screenings and programs can improve medical outcomes and even
save lives
Not counting skin cancers, colorectal cancer is the
third most common cancer found in men and women in the U.S. The American
Cancer Society estimates that there will be more than 150,000 new cases
of colon and rectal cancer in 2007 and combined they will cause approximately
52,000 deaths.
Because colon cancer is preventable and treatable and can be detected
at a stage where effective treatments are available, CIGNA HealthCare
recently expanded its Colorectal Cancer Screening program to include
its members in 13 states across the country who were 50 years of
age and older and overdue for a colorectal cancer screening. As
a result, 1,016 or 6.7 percent of the members who participated in
the program and mailed in the InSure fecal immunochemical (FIT) kits
had positive test results and required follow-up testing from their
physician.
This in-home screening test is a telling example of how preventive
programs and screenings can improve medical outcomes and even
save lives.
More
information is available about the results from the screening
tests and the recognition the program is receiving nationally
and internationally.
CIGNA survey reveals changing health care needs with local government
Most local governments lack health advocacy programs to address
their chief health care concerns
CIGNA HealthCare has commissioned an extensive survey
of American municipal and county administrators to find out more about their health care
issues and concerns. The findings indicate that the
top three issues can be addressed through health advocacy programs that
CIGNA offers.
Today most local governments don’t have health advocacy programs
to address their chief health care concerns. However, in the next
five years nearly one-third of local government administrators say
they plan to offer rewards for participating in wellness or disease
prevention programs, about one-quarter plan to offer health risk
assessments, and the percentage of municipalities that offer rewards
for using high quality, cost efficient providers will nearly double.
Government entities represent a fast-growing percentage of CIGNA
HealthCare’s overall membership, and this survey demonstrates
to this segment the significant value that our consumer engagement
and health advocacy programs can bring to municipal employees in
terms of health and productivity.
Intracorp’s health care and disability case management
and utilization management services earn URAC Accreditation
Intracorp, a CIGNA company, has earned full accreditation
from URAC in recognition of the quality of the
health care case management and utilization management programs
provided to CIGNA HealthCare members, CIGNA Pharmacy Management
members and to individuals served through CareAllies programs.
In addition, Intracorp has earned Full Case Management Accreditation
from URAC in recognition of the quality of its disability case
management services
URAC's accreditation – a highly
sought, nationally recognized symbol of excellence – recognizes
CIGNA's commitment to meet and exceed industry quality improvement
standards.
Now in its 37th year of operation, Intracorp helps employers enhance
productivity and reduce benefit costs. Intracorp's case managers,
most of whom are registered nurses and vocational rehabilitation
specialists, work with physicians to coordinate appropriate, quality
care, ensure patient satisfaction, help improve medical outcomes,
facilitate an individual's timely return to work and reduce overall
health care costs. Intracorp also holds full accreditation from URAC
in Workers' Compensation Utilization Management.
 CIGNA
employees prepare for 2007 Health Awareness Tour
The 2007 CIGNA Health Awareness Tour (HAT) is a company-wide initiative
in which CIGNA employees will be mobilizing in an effort to build a
national awareness about health care conditions, challenges, and solutions
in America.
At the heart of the HAT is a series of concurrent bicycle rides in different
areas of the country. A total of seven rides will take place between September
10 and September 21, with each ride lasting approximately five days. During these
rides, CIGNA riders and volunteers will engage fellow employees, family members,
neighbors and members of the local community with the goal of promoting health
awareness and improved health outcomes.
The Texas route coincides with the 20th Annual Benefits Management Forum & Expo in Dallas, one of the largest conferences in the country for benefits managers. CIGNA is a leading sponsor and will be hosting a breakfast on September 18 at the conference from which the HAT riders will depart as they begin their route.
HAT routes and events are scheduled as follows:
September 10 – 14 |
Pittsburgh, PA to Philadelphia, PA
Sacramento,
CA to Anaheim, CA
Nashville,
TN to Atlanta, GA |
September 12 – 17 |
Las Vegas, NV to Phoenix, TX |
September 17 – 21 |
Bloomfield, CT to Scranton, PA
Eden
Prairie to Chicago/Bourbonnais, IL
Dallas,
TX to Houston, TX |
Product Spotlight
CIGNA introduces new identity theft program
Helps protect employees’ security and employers’ productivity
The fastest growing crime in America, identity theft affects nearly
9 million people each year. CIGNA’s new identity
theft program offers a way to help prevent this crime and offers
personal assistance for your customers’ employees who fall victim
to it. Coverage is extended to all employees and family members covered
under a CIGNA Accident plan.
“Employers have a huge stake in helping their employees avoid
and recover from ID theft because of the impact it can have on workplace
productivity,” said Dan Berenbaum, senior director of accident
products. “Victims need to make many calls to inform creditors,
banks, and anyone else they do business with of the theft. Those calls
often are made from the workplace costing employers valuable work hours.”
With CIGNA’s Identity Theft Program, covered employees and family
members have access to one-on-one assistance to deal with administrative
tasks 24 hours a day, 365 days a year – in every country in the
world. And most importantly employers and employees can access
our online site for useful information on to how to reduce the risk of
identity theft before it occurs.
Learn more about this powerful new way you can help your clients improve
their productivity at http://www.cigna.com/idtheft.
On June 27, CIGNA hosted an identity theft web seminar to raise awareness
and demonstrate the value of this new offering. Guest speakers
Kirk Voisin, Vice President of Europ Assistance USA and Brooks MacDonald,
Insurance Bank Manager at First Citizens Bank, discussed this topic from
both the vendor and employer perspective. Now through the end of
September, you can see the hour-long web seminar that 96% of participants
said that they would recommend to others. View the replay at livemeeting.com.
CIGNA Dental launches member outreach program
Encourages members to receive oral care
Inspired by the desire to drive awareness on the importance of preventive
care and the relationship between oral and overall health, CIGNA Dental
has launched our Member Outreach Program, which is available to eligible
accounts at no additional cost.
This program is aimed at members who haven’t visited the dentist
in several months, encouraging them to get routine care and take advantage
of their dental plans’ preventive benefits. They will find that
most preventive services are covered at no charge or have low out-of-pocket
cost. We will provide assistance in locating convenient dentists
and scheduling appointments.
CIGNA Dental believes that encouraging preventive care leads to a healthier
workforce. Regular oral care helps address minor problems before they
become major and more expensive to treat. Encouraging routine dental
care may help reduce costs associated with restorative and emergency
dental care. And since oral health has been shown to impact overall
health, there’s the potential for savings on medical care.
This new outreach program is another example of our commitment to deliver
innovative products and services that help employers improve the health
and well-being of their employees, reduce costs and improve productivity.
Technology
Update
CIGNA to offer online precertification this fall
Precertification faster and easier to manage with NaviMedix
Precertification is the online service most requested by CIGNA network
providers, and we recently announced that
we’ll begin providing it this fall to more than 365,000 physicians
in our national network. The new service will be powered by NaviNet®,
one of the nation's leading provider-communications portals, from
NaviMedix, Inc. This new capability will make it faster and easier
for providers across the country to submit and check the status of
precertification requests for most inpatient services, certain outpatient
services, and injectable medications.
Regional News
What's happening locally
CIGNA HealthCare news for your area
 Get
the latest CIGNA HealthCare news for your part of the country. Every
month, we post new articles of interest and
update the states to which they apply.
Here's where you'll also find up-to-date
local contact information to help you
with your questions and concerns. Want
to know the news for your area? Find
out here.
(NOTE: States with new
articles of special interest are highlighted
in blue.)
“CIGNA” and “CIGNA HealthCare” refer
to various operating subsidiaries of CIGNA Corporation. Products
and services are provided by these operating
subsidiaries and not by CIGNA Corporation. These
operating subsidiaries include Connecticut General
Life Insurance Company, Tel-Drug, Inc. and its
affiliates, CIGNA Behavioral Health, Inc., Intracorp,
and HMO or service company subsidiaries of CIGNA
Health Corporation and CIGNA Dental Health, Inc.
In Arizona, HMO plans are offered by CIGNA HealthCare
of Arizona, Inc. In California, HMO plans are
offered by CIGNA HealthCare of California, Inc.
In Connecticut, HMO plans are offered by CIGNA
HealthCare of Connecticut, Inc. In Virginia,
HMO plans are offered by CIGNA HealthCare Mid-Atlantic,
Inc. In North Carolina, HMO plans are offered
by CIGNA HealthCare of North Carolina, Inc. All
other medical plans in these states are insured
or administered by Connecticut General Life Insurance
Company.
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