In an effort to improve the quality of care, cost efficiency and patient experience, health insurer CIGNA Corp. (CI) along with naviHealth announced to manage post-acute care for Cigna-HealthSpring members. This service will be made available in the Mid-Atlantic and Pennsylvania markets.
Both companies are working together to reduce incidences like readmission to hospitals and other related snafus that can hinder the care of, and jack up costs for, patients who require some level of post-acute care after leaving the hospital.
With the help of naviHealth’s decision support technology and field-based care managers, specialized care services will be made available to Cigna-HealthSpring members receiving Skilled Nursing Facility services.
Skilled nurses and licensed therapists from naviHealth will keep in touch with Cigna-HealthSpring members to keep them informed about post acute care during and after hospitalization. The naviHealth team ensures such follow up after hospital discharge.
On the same day, Cigna also announced that along with SocialWellth it is creating a market place via which the patients can choose the most accurate health application to suit their needs from over 40,000 mobile health applications available.
The platform has been named as Go You Cigna Marketplace. Via this platform Cigna along with SocialWellth will certify those apps which are most effective and useful for patients. The certification process takes into account behavioral psychologists, information architects and other internal and external subject matter experts. The platform will act as a filter for numerous health apps available to the patients.
With this platform Cigna will help patients to easily identify and get hold of the app which is best for them. Cigna will also create a pilot program involving selected group of clients and customers. The company plans to continue to gradually add more certified, useful apps.
These initiatives undertaken by the company signify its efforts to provide superior and advanced service to its members. Given the rapidly changing face of the health insurance industry, players providing enhanced services are seen to gain a competitive edge compared to other players in the market.
Cigna carries a Zacks Rank # 2 (Buy). Other players Eastern Insurance Holdings, Inc. (EIHI), Financial Group Inc. (FFG) with Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and Kemper Corporation (KMPR) with Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) are worth considering.
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