Connecticut medical practices collaborating with Cigna are having success improving quality and lowering medical costs

Medical practices in Connecticut that participate in the Cigna Collaborative Care initiative are having success improving quality and lowering medical costs, which is what the program was designed to do. Cigna Collaborative Care  is the company’s approach to accomplishing the same population health goals as accountable care organizations, or ACOs: improved health, affordability and patient experience.

ProHealth

ProHealth has focused strongly on reducing unnecessary emergency room use (ER visits for non-emergency care), and as a result, its emergency room use is 7 percent lower than market. ProHealth accomplished this significant improvement mainly by opening urgent care clinics in areas where people with high ER use lived, making it easier for them to get the right care at the right time in the right setting.

Community Medical Group

Community Medical Group is an integrated network of physicians and other health care professionals that has participated in Cigna Collaborative Care since October 2012. The group’s total medical cost is trending 1.9 percent better than market and its success rate with evidence-based medicine guidelines is better than market at 85.3 percent.

Day Kimball Healthcare 

Day Kimball Healthcare and its affiliated physicians group is an integrated medical services network serving northeast Connecticut that has participated in Cigna Collaborative Care since October 2012. The group is showing solid improvements in both quality and cost, with improved breast cancer screening, diabetes care and cervical screening driving quality results. Its rate for closing gaps in care improved 7 percent last year compared to the year before.