Baton Rouge Clinic and Cigna Form Accountable Care Program in Louisiana to Improve Health and Lower Costs

  • Consumers benefit from improved care coordination and greater emphasis on preventive care
  • Primary care doctors are rewarded for improving patient health and lowering medical costs
  • Program includes registered nurse care coordinators aligned with Cigna case managers

BATON ROUGE, La. & BLOOMFIELD, Conn.--()--Cigna (NYSE: CI) and the Baton Rouge Clinic have launched a collaborative accountable care initiative to improve patient access to health care, enhance care coordination and achieve the “triple aim” of improved health, affordability and patient experience.

Collaborative accountable care is Cigna's approach to accomplishing the same population health goals as accountable care organizations, or ACOs. The program, which took effect January 1, 2014, will benefit individuals covered by a Cigna health plan who receive care from Baton Rouge Clinic’s nearly 50 primary care doctors and more than 40 specialists.

“The physicians of the Baton Rouge Clinic are excited about this collaboration that will bring a high level of medical care and care coordination into the Baton Rouge Community. We look forward to playing a key role in further improving the health and maintaining high quality health outcomes for all of our present and future patients,” said Mark Hodges, president and chairman of the Board of the Baton Rouge Clinic.

“We look forward to expanding our collaborative accountable care program across Louisiana with the addition of the Baton Rouge Clinic,” said Mark Netoskie, M.D., Cigna's senior medical director for Louisiana. “Our goal is to create a health care system focused on providing quality care for the patient, which will ultimately lead to a healthier population and lower medical costs.”

Under the program, the Baton Rouge Clinic will monitor and coordinate all aspects of an individual’s medical care. Patients will continue to be treated by their current physician and automatically receive the benefits of the program. Individuals who are enrolled in a Cigna health plan and later choose to seek care from a doctor in the medical group will also have access to the benefits of the program. There are no changes in any plan requirements regarding referrals to specialists. Patients most likely to see the immediate benefits of the program are those who need help managing chronic conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease and obesity.

Critical to the program’s success are registered nurses, employed by the Baton Rouge Clinic, who will serve as clinical care coordinators and help patients with chronic conditions or other health challenges navigate the health care system. The care coordinators are aligned with a team of Cigna case managers to ensure a high degree of collaboration between the medical group and Cigna, which will ultimately provide a better experience for the individual.

The care coordinators will enhance care by using patient-specific data from Cigna to help identify patients being discharged from the hospital who might be at risk for readmission, as well as patients who may be overdue for important health screenings or who may have skipped a prescription refill. The care coordinators are part of the physician-led care team that will help patients get the follow-up care or screenings they need, identify potential complications related to medications and help prevent chronic conditions from worsening.

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, such as programs for tobacco cessation, weight management and stress management.

The principles of the patient-centered medical home are the foundation of Cigna's collaborative accountable care initiatives. Cigna then builds on that foundation with a strong focus on collaboration and communication with physician practices. Cigna has 86 collaborative accountable care initiatives in 27 states, encompassing more than 880,000 commercial customers and more than 35,000 doctors, including more than 16,000 primary care physicians and more than 19,000 specialists. Cigna launched its first collaborative accountable care program in 2008 and will reach its goal to have 100 of them in place with one million customers in 2014.

Collaborative accountable care is one component of the company's approach to physician engagement for health improvement, which also includes the innovative Cigna-HealthSpringSM care model for Medicare customers. Today, well over one million Cigna and Cigna-HealthSpring customers benefit from more than 250 engaged physician relationships across 31 states, with more than 62,000 doctors participating, including more than 22,000 primary care physicians and more than 40,000 specialists.

About Baton Rouge Clinic

Sixty years ago, The Baton Rouge Clinic was formed through the vision of four local physicians. They recognized the advantages and importance of a group practice and the level of excellence of care it would afford their patients. Over the years, we have grown to become the premier multi-specialty clinic in this Southern region. We’re home to one of the area’s largest Internal Medicine and Pediatric Departments, and have the largest available number of Endocrinologists (diabetes, thyroid and other glandular disease), Pulmonologists (lungs), Rheumatologists (bones, joints, and connective diseases) and Pediatric Neurologists in this Southern region. Other patient care areas include dermatology; urology; breast, general, bariatric and vascular surgery specialists; ENT; allergy; gastroenterology; and neurology.

About Cigna

Cigna Corporation (NYSE: CI) is a global health service company dedicated to helping people improve their health, well-being and sense of security. All products and services are provided exclusively by or through operating subsidiaries of Cigna Corporation, including Connecticut General Life Insurance Company, Cigna Health and Life Insurance Company, Life Insurance Company of North America and Cigna Life Insurance Company of New York. Such products and services include an integrated suite of health services, such as medical, dental, behavioral health, pharmacy, vision, supplemental benefits, and other related products including group life, accident and disability insurance. Cigna maintains sales capability in 30 countries and jurisdictions, and has approximately 80 million customer relationships throughout the world. To learn more about Cigna®, including links to follow us on Facebook or Twitter, visit www.cigna.com.

Contacts

Cigna
Michelle Vroom, 215-761-2104
Michelle.Vroom@cigna.com
or
Baton Rouge Clinic
Katy Meyers, 225-246-9495
kmeyers@brclinic.com

Release Summary

Cigna and Baton Rouge Clinic have launched an accountable care program to achieve the “triple aim” of improved health, affordability and patient experience.

Contacts

Cigna
Michelle Vroom, 215-761-2104
Michelle.Vroom@cigna.com
or
Baton Rouge Clinic
Katy Meyers, 225-246-9495
kmeyers@brclinic.com