Cigna and CVS Health Launch Cigna Health Works, A New Model for Customer-Enabled Design for Affordable, Convenient Access to Pharmacy and Health Care

BLOOMFIELD, Conn. and WOONSOCKET, R.I., June 8, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Cigna (NYSE: CI) and CVS Health (NYSE: CVS) announced today the launch of Cigna Health Works^SM: a new collaboration, that aligns Cigna-administered health benefits with CVS Pharmacy and CVS MinuteClinic retail health care services to deliver an innovative consumer-friendly experience for Cigna self-funded employer-sponsored health plans.

This collaboration brings together the health benefits insights of a global health service company with the deep knowledge of retail consumer behaviors of a leading national retail pharmacy and retail health care provider to help patients get the most from their health benefits at their local CVS Pharmacy, including:

• Customer engagement and personalized pharmacy support using Health Tag Messages on the prescription bag to advise patients of needed health actions by the pharmacist or clinician, and provide information on available Cigna Health and Wellness Coaching services included in their Cigna plan at no additional cost
• Contracted discounts at CVS MinuteClinic for select preventive and acute care, including biometric screenings for blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar as well as diagnosis and treatment for minor illnesses such as bronchitis, ear infections and strep throat
• A CVS ExtraCare Health card that provides an exclusive 20 percent discount on CVS Health brand over-the-counter health related products, including pain relievers, vitamins, digestive health products and more, at CVS Pharmacy locations nationwide
• Plus, this program can be coupled with Cigna 90 Now, which offers 90-day refills for maintenance prescriptions to help improve patient adherence to their medication regimen, cost savings and satisfaction.

This new personalized health and wellness program is now being offered on a select market basis for U.S. Cigna-administered employer-sponsored medical plans.

"Cigna Health Works flips the traditional health care experience on its head to help make health benefits more effective, affordable and user-friendly," said Michele Paige, Vice President and General Manager of Cigna Onsite Health. "This new model is based on how the customer wants to consume health care -- it's about creating value and a new way for health care consumers to get more from their health plan, by ensuring that we are there for them at the places they prefer to go for convenient care."

"This new level of collaboration with Cigna is a part of the growing trend toward consumer-directed care," said Helena Foulkes, President of CVS Pharmacy. "By providing information and cues for CVS customers and patients to help them get the most from their Cigna-administered health benefits, we also help them improve their health and reduce their health care costs in a way that's easy and convenient."

Improving Health, Costs and Care Connectivity

According to Ms. Paige, Cigna Health Works provides both the opportunity to improve health care quality, while reducing employer and individual health care costs as well as potential gaps in care.

Notably, the Cigna Health Works initiative offers the opportunity for significant health care cost savings by offering an effective and appropriate alternative to Urgent Care and Emergency Room visits. Cigna data show that roughly 45 percent of their customers' Urgent Care facility visits could have been conducted at retail health care clinics, potentially reducing their health care costs by 81 percent per visit.¹

"As the popularity of retail health care continues to rise, Cigna Health Works is designed to help improve health care quality and address potential gaps in care. In some markets, up to one-third of Cigna customers have used some form of retail health care within a year's time,^2" Ms. Paige said.

Cigna Health Works can help address important health concerns such as lack of a primary care physician or access to a pre-diabetic health screening. Through Cigna Health Works, CVS MinuteClinic nurse practitioners can offer Cigna-administered plan customers immediate access to acute episodic care at discounted rates, as well as low cost A1C blood sugar testing, while CVS pharmacists provide affordably priced medications.

Also if a Cigna Health Works patient does not have a primary care physician, the MinuteClinic staff will provide them with a list of Cigna-contracted physicians from the health plan's provider network.

For Cigna customers who have a designated primary care physician, Cigna Health Works connects to their physician by ensuring an electronic record of each visit to CVS MinuteClinic is sent to their office by the nurse practitioner.

"By connecting all constituents in the care continuum, Cigna Health Works is designed to close potential gaps and improve the quality of care our customers receive," Ms. Paige said.

¹ Cigna Next Gen Access Opportunity Analysis Report, Greater South Florida, 1/2015 12/2015

² Cigna Next Gen Access Opportunity Analysis Report, Chicago and Greater South Florida, 11/2013 10/2014