Cigna enters alliance to improve health care, reduce costs in Central Florida

Cigna and Central Florida Affordable Care LLC announced on Thursday a collaboration to lower costs while improving health care and patient experience under Cigna’s accountable care organizations program called Cigna Collaborative Care.

Almost 50 primary care doctors and specialists are affiliated with Central Florida Affordable Care to serve approximately 12,000 Cigna health plan members. This collaborative care program is the eighth of its kind in Florida and 134th nationwide.

“With a focus on care coordination and access to data from Cigna, we can take the quality of our care to the next level,” Robert Alexander, executive director of Central Florida Affordable Care, said. “As people live healthier, more productive lives, costs will go down and the entire community will benefit.”

The Cigna Collaborative Care programs help patients with missed health screenings, prescription refills, and education on the appropriate use of a hospital emergency room, increasing preventive health care visits and improving follow-up care. 

“Through these types of collaboration we have the opportunity to help transform the health care delivery system,” Michael Howell, Cigna’s senior medical director for Florida, said. “When we reward doctors for results and focus on prevention, wellness, health improvement and care coordination, we can create a system that works for everyone who uses, pays for or delivers health care.”

Registered nurse clinical care coordinators from Central Florida Affordable Care will help members with chronic conditions and health issues. The coordinators will help Cigna to identify individuals who are at risk for readmission to the hospital or those who could benefit from Cigna’s clinical support programs.