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"The Big Picture" Newsletter
June 2007
Latest News
CIGNA reaches out to young cancer patients -- with a video game
Ground-breaking Re-Mission Computer Video Game helps teens fight their cancer
CIGNA HealthCare is teaming up with HopeLab, a non-profit organization
that combines rigorous research with innovative solutions, to help
young people with serious and chronic illnesses improve their health
and quality of life. Our first joint initiative involves offering
teens and young adults with cancer HopeLab's ground-breaking Re-Mission™ computer
video game free of charge through the CIGNA website.
Re-Mission is teen-tested, “cool and fun,” and is
the first video game scientifically proven to improve health related
outcomes for young people with cancer. Read
why so many doctors and young cancer patients are ordering this
free video.
You can view a three-minute video on the CIGNA/HopeLab initiative
on the CIGNA
Showcase Videos page by clicking on the screen in the upper-left
area, "Welcome
to HopeLab,
Watch Video."
CIGNA Dental honored by AT&T as Outstanding Supplier
Recognized for contributions in creative cost management solutions
category
Commitment to excellence has earned CIGNA Dental recognition as an
outstanding supplier to AT&T Inc. As part of the AT&T
2007 Supplier Recognition Program, CIGNA was recognized for its contributions
in the creative cost-management solutions category.
CIGNA Dental received one of 39 supplier recognition awards for its
work in helping AT&T deliver outstanding service to its customers
during the past year.
“This is a great honor and an example of the superior results
that we can achieve working with our employer clients,” said Karen
S. Rohan, president of CIGNA Dental & Vision Care and CIGNA Group
Insurance. “I want to thank our employees, who help make our mission
to improve the oral health of our members and provide affordable dental
benefits a reality.”
The awards were announced in a print ad that appeared in a recent Wall
Street Journal. CIGNA is listed within the Creative Cost Management
Solutions category. View AT&T’s
ad in the Wall Street Journal and read the press
release from AT&T.
New CIGNA Health Advocacy Video
Animated demo highlights recent program enhancements
A new 6-minute video is now available for promoting our health advocacy
value proposition to customers and prospects. The video provides
examples of CIGNA health advocacy at work – proactive and personal
– and focuses on our strengths and our unique capabilities in
consumer health engagement and coaching. The video can be accessed
at the bottom of the CIGNA.com home
page, in the center column under Health & Money.
CIGNA alliance with MVP Health Care/Preferred Care effective July
1, 2007
Impacts regional and national accounts with sites in upstate New York
An agreement with MVP Health enables CIGNA to offer our
national customers access to a “best-in-class” provider
network as well as improved discounts in upstate New York. In
order to receive in-network benefits, as of July 1, 2007 all existing
and new CIGNA members accessing care in this area will utilize the
MVP Health Care/Preferred Care network. This network will replace
CIGNA's network in the Syracuse area and the PHCS network in the
balance of the MVP upstate New York service area, except in Chautauqua,
Cattaraugus and Allegany counties which will remain with PHCS. The
CIGNA direct-contracted network will remain in place for the counties
of Dutchess, Putnam, Westchester, Rockland, Orange and Sullivan.
New York City and Long Island will also continue using the CIGNA
direct-contracted network. More
details can be found in the attached article.
National Business Group on Health honors CIGNA as one of Best Employers
for Healthy Lifestyles
CIGNA among 41 companies recognized for promoting healthy workplace
The National Business Group on Health, a national non-profit organization
of 266 large employers, recently honored CIGNA
Corporation for its
commitment and dedication to combating obesity
and promoting a healthy lifestyle for its employees.
CIGNA Corporation was among 41 employers
who received the Best Employers for Healthy Lifestyles award at the
Leadership Summit sponsored by the Business Group's Institute on
the Costs and Health Effects of Obesity. CIGNA
Corporation received a Gold award for its "Healthy Life" strategy for
the second consecutive year. Winners were honored in one of three categories:
Platinum, for established programs with measurable outcomes; Gold, for creating
cultural and environmental changes that support employees who have made a commitment
to long-term behavior changes; and Silver, for those employers who have launched
significant programs or services to promote living a healthier lifestyle.
CIGNA develops new lifestyle management programs
Coaching techniques to help members change behavior and improve health
Helping people harness their personal values, unique way of thinking,
and work and personal situations to live healthier lives is the focus
of a new approach to health coaching CIGNA announced it is implementing.
The lifestyle management programs will now be clinically managed
directly by CIGNA rather than an external partner, effective September
1. The programs – for stress management, weight management
and tobacco cessation – are related to conditions that account
for seven of every 10 deaths and affect the quality of life of 90
million Americans.
For more information on this service, contact your CIGNA sales representative.
Product Spotlight
Two unique CIGNA programs address narcotic and opioid abuse in the
workplace
Proactive new treatment programs help reduce employer costs and increase
productivity
CIGNA Pharmacy Management (CPM) and CIGNA
Behavioral Health (CBH) have
implemented two important programs in response to alarming trends concerning
narcotic and opioid abuse in the workplace.
CIGNA Pharmacy Management
has announced a proactive, integrated Narcotic
Therapy Management Program that identifies, through pharmacy claims,
members who might be abusing painkillers and works to get them into much-needed
treatment.
The second program involves a partnership between CIGNA
Pharmacy Management and CIGNA Behavioral Health. The latter has become
the only national behavioral health organization to provide coverage
for office-based induction with buprenorphine,
an advanced type of opiate treatment that can be prescribed and monitored
on an outpatient basis and can be taken in the privacy of a member’s
own home. This treatment offers an alternative to Methadone treatment
or hospital-based detoxification, and removes one of the major barriers
to treatment because a patient can be seen in a traditional doctor’s
office.
Narcotic abuse is a serious concern in the workplace: 71 percent
of all illicit drug users are 18 and older. That population includes
7.4 million employed adults – 5.4 million full-time workers and 1.9
million part-time workers.
In addition, approximately 4.4 million American
are currently using pain relievers for non-medical purposes. The stigma
of opiate dependence can be so overwhelming that thousands of U.S. patients
choose to continue using drugs every year, rather than risk possible
exposure by receiving treatment for their addiction. At least 1.2 million
opioid-dependent U.S. patients are believed to be untreated at present.
Star HRG, a business unit of CIGNA HealthCare, is now CIGNA Voluntary
Limited-benefit medical plan complements other CIGNA voluntary offerings
We are very pleased to report that we’ve reached a significant
milestone in the growth of CIGNA's voluntary medical business. As
of April 30, 2007 our Star HRG business unit, the industry leader in
voluntary limited-benefit health plan offerings, has been renamed to
align with the CIGNA brand. Because our voluntary limited-benefit
health plans differ in scope, coverage and audience from our other medical
plans, our official market-facing name for the former Star
HRG is now
CIGNA Voluntary.
Our limited-benefit medical offerings, including Starbridge and Fundamental Care,
complement the rest of CIGNA's voluntary product lines – life, accident,
disability and dental – to present a broad and comprehensive suite of products
for this unique market.
Cavity risk assessment online quiz from CIGNA Dental
Helps members and providers gauge vulnerability for cavities
CIGNA Dental introduced a new Cavity Risk
Assessment tool for members
and providers. According to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, tooth decay is the single most common chronic childhood
disease – five times more common than asthma and seven times more
common than hay fever. In addition, many adults have untreated cavities.
CIGNA Dental provides access to a new online
quiz – located on cigna.com and
myCIGNA.com. When
they complete the quiz, members receive a score indicating risk level
for cavities (low, low to moderate, moderate or high risk). Members
can share the results with their providers at their next dental visits.
Armed
with this information, members will be better prepared to manage their
oral health and help prevent tooth decay.
Five good reasons to offer CIGNA's voluntary accident coverage
Easy-to-install program can be offered anytime
Accidents are the leading cause of death for Americans under age 44
and the fifth leading cause for all age groups, according to the National
Safety Council’s Injury Facts, 2005-2006. But why else
should your clients consider offering voluntary personal accident coverage
from CIGNA?
- Worldwide travel assistance available with no coverage limits on
medical evacuation or repatriation;
- High coverage limits with a premium of only pennies per paycheck;
- Guaranteed issue with no medical underwriting;
- Can be tailored to meet specific industry
needs, e.g., HIV benefit
for hospital/health care workers;
- Dedicated accident specialists in Underwriting, Sales, and Claims.
Plus, voluntary accident coverage counts as an additional line of
coverage toward CIGNA’s override program. You can enroll the
program off cycle and it typically yields a strong participation rate.
It’s simple to install, and automatically renews, paying commission
year after year. Talk to your CIGNA sales representative about how
you can offer voluntary accident coverage for your clients.
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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