Cigna Collaborative Care improves practices in Connecticut

Medical practices in Connecticut participating in the Cigna Collaborative Care initiative are successfully meeting the goals of the program: improving quality and lowering medical costs.

Cigna Collaborative Care is the company’s approach to accomplishing the same population health goals as accountable care organizations, which include improved health, affordability and patient experience.

“When gaps in care are closed, when doctors follow evidence-based medicine guidelines, when individuals get care in the proper setting rather than the emergency room, the quality of care goes up, people are healthier, they have a better experience and costs are reined in,” Cigna Connecticut Senior Medical Director Robert Hockmuth said. “That’s really what Cigna Collaborative Care is all about, and these medical groups are excellent examples of how well it’s working.”

ProHealth Physicians in Farmington is an example of a practice that is fulfilling the goals of Cigna Collaborative Care. Since joining the program in 2008, ProHealth’s emergency room use is 7 percent and use of advanced imaging is 16 percent better than market averages.

“ProHealth is pleased to be among the first participants in Cigna Collaborative Care,” Jim Cox-Chapman, chief medical officer for ProHealth, said. “We have enjoyed the opportunity to work with our payer partners to improve the health care experience for our shared population. Cigna was among the first health plans in our state to recognize the value of such collaboration, and we are delighted to have consistently demonstrated our success in both quality improvement and managing health care expenses.”