Cigna, CVS MinuteClinics Partner for Expanded Healthcare Access
Cigna and CVS Health are working to align services and expand access to care for beneficiaries of certain health plans.
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By - Cigna and CVS Health have partnered to launch Cigna Health Works for expanded healthcare access for the payers employer-based health plan members. The launch is currently limited to certain markets only.
Cigna Health Works will align members with routine and diagnostic care services provided by CVS Pharmacy and CVS MinuteClinics. The objective is to improve quality of health care while also reducing employer and individual health care costs.
“Cigna Health Works is designed primarily to improve the Cigna customer experience and meet customers where they are when visiting their local CVS pharmacy and MinuteClinic,” said Michele Paige, Vice President and General Manager of Cigna Onsite Health to HealthPayerIntelligence.com.
Unique benefits for Cigna members include member-focused pharmacy support, a CVS ExtraCare Health card for discounts on health-related products, and enrollment in the payer's Cigna 90 Now program, which offers 90-day refills for maintenance prescriptions.
The insurer will also contract discounted preventive and acute care services at CVS MinuteClinics. The select services available will include biometric screenings for blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar, and diagnosis and treatment for common health conditions such as bronchitis, ear infections and strep throat.
“This new level of collaboration with Cigna is a part of the growing trend toward consumer-directed care,” said Helena Foulkes, President of CVS Pharmacy in a press release. “By providing information and cues for CVS customers and patients to help them get the most from their Cigna-administered health benefits, we also help them improve their health and reduce their health care costs in a way that’s easy and convenient.”
The integration of the CVS MinuteClinic into Cigna’s health service offerings provides a cost-effective alternative for minor complaints than urgent care or emergency room visits.
Based on recent data from Cigna, approximately 45 percent of members who sought treatment at an urgent care facility could have visited a retail health care clinic instead. The payer estimated this could have cut health care costs by up to 81 percent per visit.
Programs like Cigna Health Works allow payers to pro-actively close gaps that exist in the healthcare continuum and reduce claim costs.
“Let’s look at a real world example,” explained Paige. “A Cigna Health Works customer visits her MinuteClinic. During the visit, the provider may see a prompt from Cigna on their screen that indicates the customer does not have a primary care provider (PCP). At that time, the provider may give the customer a Cigna flyer that offers a way to choose a PCP that is part of her plan network.”
Even if a member does lack a PCP, Cigna Health Works offers the ability to immediately address real time health concerns at discounted rates through a MinuteClinic.
For members with a PCP, Cigna Health Works connects to their provider and sends an electronic record of each visit they make to a CVS MinuteClinic.
Convenient access to routine care, coupled with technology, point to a growth trajectory in healthcare delivery according to Cigna, who already has nearly a third of its members accessing medical care through a convenience care location.
“We believe this number will grow over time, and it’s important to help connect care and share these visits with the customer’s medical home,” said Paige.
“This is just one of the next steps to help continue down this path – and bring more value to our clients and customers.”
According to Cigna, the insurer is looking forward to expanding the program to other partnerships and locations.
