Cigna Continues to Expand into the Provider Side of Healthcare

It has become clear to me that some health insurance companies have decided to try to control some aspects of healthcare delivery as a cost-saving measure. Evidence of this trend was the recent decision byCigna to partner withCVS' MinuteClinics. This new program applies only to Cigna's employer-sponsored health plans. (see:Cigna teams with CVS Health in collaboration to rival urgent care clinics). Below is an excerpt from the article:In June,...[Cigna] and CVS Healthannounced the initiative [to partner with CVS] for Cigna's self-funded employer-sponsored health plans. Retail pharmacies are competing against traditional providers by offering convenient walk-in clinics....Roughy 45 percent of urgent care facility visits by its members could be conducted at retail clinics, potentially reducing healthcare costs by 81 percent per visit, Cigna said. The collaboration aligns Cigna-administered health benefits with CVS Pharmacy and CVS MinuteClinic retail healthcare services....Cigna Health Works can help patients who do not have a primary care doctor to find one by providing a list of Cigna-contract physicians from the health plan's provider network....Cigna Health Works beneficiaries get personalized pharmacy support through Health Tag Messages on the prescription bag to advise patients of needed health actions by the pharmacist or clinician, and provide information on available Cigna health and wellness coaching services included in their Ci...
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