The Jackson Clinic Shows Improved Quality, Lower Costs in Cigna's Collaborative Accountable Care Program

First-year results from Cigna's (NYSE: CI) collaborative accountable care initiative with The Jackson Clinic  indicate that the program is showing progress toward achieving the “triple aim” of improved health, affordability and patient experience. The Jackson Clinic serves over 5,500 individuals covered by a Cigna health plan and has shown significantly positive results in delivering quality care while controlling total medical cost trend.

“Providing the highest possible quality of care – medical care that exceeds the expectations of our patients throughout rural West Tennessee – that is our goal,” said Dr. Bill Mariencheck, Clinic President. “It was apparent from our first meeting with Cigna about its Collaborative Accountable Care program that it was well-thought-out, and it provided a solid foundation for us to integrate the infrastructure put in place at The Clinic over the past decade to support well-coordinated, efficient care delivery.”

Cigna quality of care measures compare how well a physician practice follows guidelines for evidence-based medicine relative to other practices in the same geographic area (market) across the patients with Cigna coverage. During calendar year 2012, the Jackson Clinic outperformed its peers on a number of important measures:

• 19% better than market for annual eye exams for people with diabetes
• 25% better than market for annual screenings for kidney disease for people with diabetes
• 7% better than market for breast cancer screenings
• 50% better than market for adolescent well-care visits