NYUPN CLINICALLY INTEGRATED NETWORK and Cigna program aims to improve care for people receiving oncology treatment

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Cigna CI and the NYUPN Clinically Integrated Network (NYUPN) have started a program that aims to improve the quality and cost-efficiency of care for people receiving oncology treatment. NYUPN consists of NYU Langone Medical Center, one of the nation's premier centers for excellence in clinical care, biomedical research, and medical education, and the University Physicians Network, comprised of more than 2,000 clinical faculty and voluntary physicians affiliated with NYU Langone.

The program is an extension of Cigna Collaborative Care, a value-based initiative that uses incentives to engage health care professionals and to help drive improved health, affordability and customer experience.

The new arrangement aligns with evidence-based medicine guidelines for cancer care and tracks the quality of care and associated costs for NYUPN patients. As part of this initiative, NYUPN will make the following available to patients receiving oncology treatment:

• Expanded same day appointment availability
• After-hours care and clinical advice, including 24/7 access to clinical triage staff
• An appointed oncology care coordinator (a registered nurse or advanced care practitioner) to assist patients and help ensure their care is properly coordinated

Cigna will provide a single point of contact to facilitate NYUPN's understanding of Cigna customers' benefits, and will offer oncology case management services for customers and their families who require additional education or coordination of resources outside of the oncology practice.

"Cigna has seen first-hand the value our collaborative care arrangements can bring to individuals as well as to physician practices," said E. David Perez, MD, regional medical market executive for Cigna's Tristate region, which includes New York, New Jersey and Fairfield County, Connecticut. "We're excited to apply this same successful model to drive similar improvements in the quality and cost of oncology care at NYUPN."

"We are thrilled to join forces with Cigna in an effort to further improve the cancer treatment experience for patients within our network," said Dr. Abraham Chachoua, MD, Associate Director Cancer Services at NYU Langone Perlmutter Cancer Center. "By bringing health plan and clinical resources together, we can ensure that our patients get services and support they need, during what can be a physically and emotionally challenging time."

About Cigna

Cigna Corporation 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 Cigna Health and Life Insurance Company, Connecticut General 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 more than 90 million customer relationships throughout the world. To learn more about Cigna^®, including links to follow us on Facebook or Twitter, visit www.cigna.com.

About NYUPN Clinically Integrated Network

NYUPN is the clinically integrated network (CIN) of University Physicians Network (UPN) and NYU Langone Medical Center (NYU Langone). This unique alignment brings together over 2,000 physicians of the UPN and NYU Langone hospitals to collaborate in implementing nationally recognized standards for patient-centered, high quality, cost-efficient healthcare delivery. All physicians and hospitals use electronic medical records (EMR) that are connected to a network wide health information exchange (HIE), facilitating timely exchange of clinical information. NYUPN will also serve as a vehicle to negotiate and successfully execute health care contracts based on new and emerging payment models that reward high quality and cost-efficient care.

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