BLOOMFIELD, Conn., Feb. 1, 2005 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- An estimated sixty-five percent of U.S. adults are overweight or obese and either have or are at risk for serious obesity-related health problems that impact quality of life, employee productivity and medical costs. CIGNA HealthCare today announced it will launch extensive new clinical management programs to assist members with serious obesity-related illnesses to become healthier and to help prevent the negative health effects of obesity.
Speaking today at the World Health Care Congress, CIGNA Chief Clinical Officer W. Allen Schaffer, M.D. said, “Obesity has emerged as one of the most serious health threats our country faces today and is also one of the most complex medical conditions to manage. Helping people attain better health through weight management requires very targeted, personalized and integrated approaches, which we can successfully provide through our extensive and industry-leading medical management capabilities.”
The new programs focusing on obesity will add to an array of programs already offered to promote wellness and help members control chronic illnesses such as diabetes. CIGNA HealthCare said it is aligning obesity programs with the specific health care needs of members as follows:
-- Specialized case management services and a Centers of Excellence program for members who have morbid obesity and may be candidates for bariatric surgery; -- A new Well Aware disease management program for members who have serious obesity-related health issues including metabolic syndrome or multiple cardiovascular risk factors such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure; -- A comprehensive weight loss program that uses nutritional counseling, exercise counseling and behavioral modification strategies for overweight or moderately obese members, including those who currently do not have significant health problems but who are motivated to become healthier; and, -- Wellness programs for members who maintain an ideal weight but who want to adopt or maintain healthy lifestyle habits.
The following new programs will be available for plans that take effect on January 1, 2006:
Specialized Case Management and Centers of Excellence -- Under these new programs, case management nurses will work individually with members who may be considering bariatric surgery. For members who meet surgery criteria and whose plans include coverage for the procedure, case managers will provide information about what to expect before and after surgery and help members to develop a healthy lifestyle to maintain weight loss. Case managers will work with members who do not meet surgery criteria to identify appropriate clinical resources to assist them with weight management.
To improve patient safety and health care quality, CIGNA HealthCare will establish a network of facilities recognized for their expertise in performing bariatric surgery and provide this information to members to encourage them to seek care from these facilities. To be designated a Center of Excellence, a facility must have a comprehensive bariatric surgery program that includes pre-operative medical and psychosocial assessment and a long- term post operative care program. The facility must also meet volume thresholds for the number of procedures performed, meet standards for minimum required experience of surgeons, and demonstrate a commitment to results measurement and improvement by reporting outcomes.
High Risk Obesity Disease Management Program -- The goal of the new high risk obesity program is to assist members who are at risk for serious health problems related to obesity. The program will help them to stabilize their weight or lose weight and better manage obesity-related health conditions. The program will also identify and assist members with metabolic syndrome.
Metabolic syndrome is characterized by a combination of three or more of five cardiac risk factors such as abdominal obesity, hypertension, abnormal cholesterol or triglycerides and abnormal blood sugar, which can greatly increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. Metabolic syndrome affects an estimated 47 million U.S. adults and is related to overweight/obesity, physical inactivity and genetic factors.
Comprehensive Weight Loss Program -- This program will offer members ongoing personalized weight management support by health coaches and will emphasize behavior modification that leads to lifestyle changes, including identifying barriers to change and encouraging better nutrition and increased physical activity.
CIGNA HealthCare currently offers programs that promote the health and wellness of members including:
-- myCIGNA.com -- CIGNA’s personalized web portal, myCIGNA.com, gives members access to a suite of online decision support and health maintenance tools from WebMD Health. Members can use these tools to assess their health, determine their risk for health problems, and receive customized information to help them take action to improve their overall health. -- Healthy Rewards -- CIGNA HealthCare offers a wide range of discount and wellness programs designed to encourage fitness and weight management, including discounts for Weight Watchers, fitness center memberships and a program that promotes regular exercise and ongoing fitness by encouraging members to take 10,000 steps every day. -- Healthy Kids Challenge -- CIGNA has paired with Healthy Kids Challenge to help combat obesity in youth and begin educational programming with elementary school-age children to encourage exercise and proper nutrition. CIGNA will sponsor the participation of up to 100 schools in the Healthy Kids Challenge beginning in Philadelphia, Cleveland, Atlanta, Houston, Dallas and Richmond. An employer-based program is in development as is a continuing education program on childhood obesity for providers. -- CIGNA Well Aware for Better Health(SM) -- CIGNA HealthCare currently manages one of the largest disease management programs in the country with over 550,000 members enrolled in programs for the management of common chronic health care conditions including asthma, diabetes, low back pain, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, congestive heart failure and coronary artery disease. -- Health Advisors -- The CIGNA Health Advisor(SM) program gives members access to a nurse health coach, available by phone or email, who can provide personalized support for a variety of health concerns.
CIGNA HealthCare, headquartered in Bloomfield, Connecticut, provides medical benefits plans, dental coverage, behavioral health coverage, pharmacy benefits and products and services that integrate and analyze information to support consumerism and health management. “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 HealthCare
Contact: Amy Turkington, +1-860-226-3489 or Arlys Stadum,+1-763-559-5587, both of CIGNA
Web site: http://www.cigna.com/
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