Use of Prescribed Opioids Down Nearly 12 Percent Over 12 Months Among Cigna Customers
April 06 2017 - 3:00PM
Business Wire
- About halfway to achieving company’s
goal to lower customers’ opioid use 25 percent by 2019
- 158 medical groups with nearly 62,000
doctors have signed Cigna's opioid prescribing pledge
- New customer safety measures coming in
July
Since announcing its commitment to combat the nation’s opioid
epidemic last year, Cigna (NYSE: CI) has made significant progress
toward reaching its goal to reduce opioid use among its customers
with the help of health care providers. Within the last 12 months,
Cigna customers’ use of prescribed opioids has declined nearly 12
percent – about halfway to achieving the company’s goal of 25
percent reduction by 2019.
While Cigna has adopted a multi-pronged response to the epidemic
that includes multiple stakeholder groups, the key to this initial
progress has been Cigna's work with doctors, especially those that
participate in its Cigna Collaborative Care arrangements.
To date, 158 medical groups participating in Cigna Collaborative
Care, representing nearly 62,000 doctors, have signed Cigna's
pledge to reduce opioid prescribing and to treat opioid use
disorder as a chronic condition.
“The opioid epidemic is far too big for any one person or
organization to fight alone. Success will require the efforts of
multiple stakeholders,” said Cigna President and CEO David Cordani.
“We commend those who have joined the battle with us. Our
collective steps are making a notable difference in the lives of
our customers and their families. The decline in opioid use that we
have seen in just one year is encouraging and reinforces how much
more we can accomplish as we continue to work together.”
Cigna assists doctors in preventing, recognizing and treating
opioid misuse by:
- Analyzing integrated claims data across
pharmacy and medical benefits to detect opioid use patterns that
suggest possible misuse by individuals, and then notifying their
health care providers. This helps identify individuals with
substance use disorders more quickly so they can get the help they
need.
- Alerting doctors when their opioid
prescribing patterns are not consistent with the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) guidelines that include
opioid selection, dosage, and duration.
- Establishing a database of opioid
quality improvement initiatives for doctors that can help them
determine next steps for improving patient care, including
referrals into chronic pain management or substance use disorder
treatment programs.
Cigna is also implementing additional customer safety measures
in support of the CDC guidelines. Effective July 1, most new
prescriptions for a long-acting opioid that are not being used as
part of treatment for cancer or sickle cell disease, or for hospice
care, will be subject to prior authorization, and most new
prescriptions for a short-acting opioid will be subject to quantity
limits. According to the CDC, drug overdoses are the leading cause
of accidental death in the United States. Of the overdose deaths
that occurred in 2015, 63 percent involved an opioid.
“As a country, we have developed an overreliance on opioids to
manage pain. If we’re going to break the opioid epidemic, we need
to change that culture,” Cordani said. “Helping doctors become more
aware of their own prescribing patterns and the effectiveness of
non-narcotic alternatives for pain management is key to helping our
customers have better health outcomes. For those who have become
dependent on opioids, we need to treat them as compassionately as
we would someone suffering from any other chronic disease and help
them with recovery.”
Cigna continues to work closely with Shatterproof, a national
nonprofit organization dedicated to reducing the devastation that
addiction causes to families and the stigma associated with this
disease. A Cigna Foundation grant helped the organization launch a
comprehensive online portal earlier this year. It has the most
up-to-date, evidence-based information on how to understand,
prevent, intervene, treat, and recover from substance use
disorders.
About Cigna
Cigna Corporation (NYSE: CI) is a global health service company
dedicated to helping people improve their health, well-being and
sense of security. All products and services are provided
exclusively by or through operating subsidiaries of Cigna
Corporation, including Connecticut General Life Insurance Company,
Cigna Health and Life Insurance Company, Life Insurance Company of
North America and Cigna Life Insurance Company of New York. Such
products and services include an integrated suite of health
services, such as medical, dental, behavioral health, pharmacy,
vision, supplemental benefits, and other related products including
group life, accident and disability insurance. Cigna maintains
sales capability in 30 countries and jurisdictions, and has more
than 90 million customer relationships throughout the world. To
learn more about Cigna®, including links to follow us on Facebook
or Twitter, visit www.cigna.com.
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version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170406005795/en/
Cigna CorporationMark Slitt,
860-226-2092mark.slitt@cigna.comorKaren Eldred,
860-787-7015karen.eldred@cigna.com
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