BLOOMFIELD, Conn., Jan. 12, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Taking a
whole-person approach to health by integrating Cigna medical,
pharmacy and behavioral benefits drives better health engagement,
outcomes and lowers total health care costs, according to Cigna's
fifth annual Value of Integration study, released
today. This year's findings are based on a two-year analysis of
more than 2.2 million customer medical claims from Cigna
customers who receive coverage through their employer.
"Employers continue to find great value, both for their
organization and their workforce, by offering fully integrated
benefits that make health care simple, more predictable and
ultimately more affordable, while best supporting individuals'
physical and mental health," said Matt Totterdale, senior vice
president, Cigna Pharmacy. "With over 30 years of designing
and building our benefits to work together as one, we're able to
see every step of our customers' health journey — anticipating
needs, engaging our customers and their providers early and
providing individualized, one-on-one ongoing support, which is
increasingly important as more patients are relying on virtual care
during COVID-19."
Integrated benefits reduces costs
The study shows that employers with Cigna's integrated medical,
pharmacy and comprehensive behavioral benefits continue to see
meaningful savings in total medical costs, as compared to those
with standalone medical and pharmacy coverage. According to the
study, on average, Cigna clients recognized savings of $227 annually per customer1. For
individuals identified as having a health improvement opportunity,
average cost savings increase to $4,741 annually per customer.
Savings can be even more significant when looking at customers
living with high-cost conditions. The study shows total medical
cost savings of more than $6,700 for individuals with an
oncology diagnosis and more than $2,700 for individuals with a
diabetes diagnosis.
"Through effective contracting with pharmaceutical
manufacturers, collaborating with providers, proactively engaging
customers and acting on real-time data and insights, we're able to
get ahead of gaps in care and drive meaningful interventions," said
Totterdale. "We are by their side, helping them take steps to
achieve their best health — body and mind. This total health care
approach eliminates those gaps, helping to protect against surprise
costs and driving better outcomes for our customers."
Integrated benefits increases engagement
According to the study, Cigna's integrated customers are
significantly more engaged in their health and experience greater
opportunity for improved health outcomes. In fact, the study
found:
- Higher engagement for customers living with depression (21
percent), diabetes (11 percent) or an oncology diagnosis (10
percent).
- A 25 percent higher customer engagement in Cigna programs such
as counseling, lifestyle or wellness coaching, smoking cessation,
and case management for more complex conditions.
The study also reveals that engaged customers are:
- Less likely to have emergency room visits, especially those
living with depression (16 percent), diabetes (14 percent) or
musculoskeletal conditions like arthritis or back pain (11
percent).
- More likely to use in-network, high-performing providers (seven
percent).
Through integrated benefits, Cigna is able to identify and
engage early with preventive health screens and predictive
modeling. This holistic approach to customer health looks across
all benefits, engaging providers and working to remove barriers to
care. Cigna health coaches are able to support customers
every step of the way, delivering ongoing support by continually
screening for gaps in care, mental health co-morbidities, and
opportunities for cost savings like financial assistance and
programs that cap the cost of certain drugs, including
insulin.
"This holistic view gives us access to the entire health
profile, including behaviors, preferences, conditions and
medications. We can then accurately leverage predictive analytics
to get ahead of diagnoses and trigger outreach to customers and
providers to guide them to the next best action," said Young Fried, chief clinical officer, Cigna
Pharmacy.
To read the whitepaper about Cigna's Value of Integration
study, click here.
About the Study
The Value of Integration report is conducted
annually to assess and evaluate opportunities to optimize health
plan benefit designs. Cigna's 2020 Value of
Integration study examined approximately 2.2 million
customer claims from January 2018 to December
2019 from medical claims for group benefit plans. Customers
were matched between the two groups on key attributes, including
demographics, health condition, access to health improvement
solutions, plan design and geographies.
Milliman, Inc. provided an independent review of the approach
and methods Cigna used to conduct the 2020 Value of
Integration study and found them to be reasonable and
appropriate. Cigna used a published academic method and
appropriate statistical tests and rigor. Milliman was engaged by
Cigna to perform this review of Cigna's analysis. Milliman did not
conduct an independent analysis to verify any results. Milliman did
not audit the data or the programming code used to conduct the
study and does not guarantee any results. The data used for the
Cigna study was Cigna's internal data. Please see
https://www.milliman.com/cigna-integrated-benefits for a publicly
available version of Milliman's report.
About Cigna
Cigna Corporation is a global health service company dedicated
to improving the health, well-being and peace of mind of those we
serve. Cigna delivers choice, predictability, affordability and
access to quality care through integrated capabilities and
connected, personalized solutions that advance whole person health.
All products and services are provided exclusively by or through
operating subsidiaries of Cigna Corporation, including Cigna Health
and Life Insurance Company, Connecticut General Life Insurance
Company, Evernorth companies or their affiliates and Express
Scripts companies or their affiliates. 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.
Cigna maintains sales capability in over 30 countries and
jurisdictions, and has more than 170 million customer relationships
around the world. To learn more about Cigna®, including links to
follow us on Facebook or Twitter,
visit www.cigna.com.
Media Contact
Meaghan MacDonald
1 (860) 840-1212
meaghan.macdonald@cigna.com
1 Customer refers to covered members (employee
or covered dependent)
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SOURCE Cigna