Cigna's ACO pilots are doing so well at improving quality and lowering costs that the healthcare payer plans to more than double its pilot programs later this year.
Cigna (NYSE: CI) has seen positive results since 2007 at its own Cigna Medical Group of Arizona and since 2008 at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. In Arizona, the ACO program resulted in annual savings of $336 per patient and the cost of ambulatory surgery is down 11 percent. The number of preventive care visits rose by 3 percent overall, including an increase of 12 percent for adults, reports the Hartford Courant. Additionally, there was a 10 percent improvement in closing gaps in care because a care coordinator made sure patients followed through on appointments and medical tests. – Read the full article in FierceHealthPayer