BLOOMFIELD, Conn., Dec. 8, 2004 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- CIGNA HealthCare has been selected by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to provide services to help chronically ill Medicare beneficiaries in Georgia manage their health and adhere to their physicians' plans of care.
CIGNA HealthCare is one of the organizations CMS has selected to take part in phase one of the Chronic Care Improvement Program. The initiative was authorized by the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA) and is designed to offer support to Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries with chronic conditions to help them manage their health, follow their physician's treatment plan and receive appropriate care to avoid complications from their illness.
"We are pleased that we've been selected to work with CMS as a partner in this important initiative," said Michael Ferris, president of CIGNA HealthCare's senior segment. "Through our extensive experience in providing disease management programs and case management services, we have seen the results these programs can achieve in improving health care quality and reducing costs for patients with complex health problems. We are committed to helping the Medicare beneficiaries we will serve through the program gain these same benefits."
CIGNA HealthCare, working in collaboration with American Healthways, will provide services for 20,000 patients with complex diabetes or congestive heart failure in the state of Georgia. These services include self-care education and support by nurses. As part of the program, nurses will work in consultation with the patient's treating physician to execute on the physician's plan of care and also help coordinate care among the various different health care providers involved in the patient's treatment.
Phase I of the initiative, scheduled to begin during 2005, will operate for three years. The program is completely voluntary and will initially be focused on beneficiaries who have congestive heart failure or complex diabetes among their chronic conditions. As part of the first phase of the initiative, CMS will evaluate the programs for their success in improving quality of care, promoting patient satisfaction and achieving expenditure targets.
"Our collaboration with American Healthways has helped us to develop industry-leading disease management capabilities," said Tom Croswell, CIGNA HealthCare senior vice president for medical management. "We look forward to extending our collaboration with American Healthways through this new initiative."
CIGNA HealthCare has provided disease management programs through its group health care benefit plans since 1997 and currently manages one of the largest disease management programs in the country in collaboration with American Healthways. Over 550,000 CIGNA HealthCare members currently participate in programs focused on six different chronic conditions, including approximately 90,000 enrolled in cardiac care programs and approximately 185,000 enrolled in the diabetes care program.
CIGNA HealthCare, headquartered in Bloomfield, Connecticut, provides medical benefits through managed care and indemnity health care plans, dental coverage, behavioral health coverage and pharmacy benefits. "CIGNA HealthCare" refers to various operating subsidiaries of CIGNA Corporation . Products and services are provided by these operating subsidiaries and not by CIGNA Corporation.
CIGNA HealthCareContact: Amy Turkington, CIGNA, +1-860-226-3489
Web site: http://www.cigna.com/
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