University Hospitals has signed a new accountable care collaboration with Cigna that will enhance care coordination and reduce costs and reach some 10,000 people covered by the company's health plan and who receive care from the 1,500 primary care physicians and specialists employed by UH.
"University Hospitals is pleased to join with Cigna in a collaborative way to better coordinate care for Cigna's customers and assist plans administered by Cigna in better managing the health of their employees," said Eric Bieber, MD, president of UH's ACO and chief medical officer of UH, in a Tuesday news release. Its inital ACO, billed as one of the largest in the countr, was launched in 2011.
UH currently has more than 160,000 self-insured, commercially insured, Medicare and Medicaid members and beneficiaries and is one of the few providing coordinated care, disease management and case management services to all populations, from infants to senior citizens, officials say.
"We need a patient-centered healthcare system that emphasizes prevention and primary care and rewards physicians for quality of care and improved health outcomes," said Julia Huggins, president of Cigna in Ohio, in a press statement. "A system that's focused on value rather than volume will ultimately lead to a healthier population and lower medical costs, which is good for individuals, families, employers and doctors."
Officials say critical to the program's success are UH ACO's registered nurses and medical assistants, who will serve as clinical care coordinators and assist patients with chronic conditions or other health challenges manage their care effectively and navigate the healthcare system. The UHACO care coordinators are aligned with a team of Cigna case managers to ensure a high degree of collaboration between UH ACO and Cigna.
The UH ACO care coordinators work closely with UH physicians to use this data to help patients get the follow-up care or screenings they need, identify potential complications related to medications and help prevent chronic conditions from worsening. The care coordinators can also help patients schedule appointments, provide health education and refer patients to Cigna's clinical support programs, such as disease management programs for diabetes, heart disease and other conditions; and lifestyle management programs, including tobacco cessation, weight management and stress management.
Currently, Cigna has 75 collaborative ACO initiatives across 26 states, encompassing more than 760,000 commercial customers.