CIGNA Honored as Award Finalist in URAC’s Best Practices in Health Care Consumer Empowerment and Protection

  • CIGNA's “Engagement in Intensive Case Management Program” Among 30 Finalists
  • Program Helps Individuals Coping with Multiple Mental Health Issues
  • Will Be showcased at URAC’s 11th Annual Quality Summit in October

BLOOMFIELD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- CIGNA (NYSE:CI) was selected as one of 30 finalists for URAC’s Best Practices in Health Care Consumer Empowerment and Protection Awards. URAC, a leading accreditation organization, will honor the finalists during its 11th Annual Quality Summit, October 5 - 7, 2010, in Chicago.

CIGNA’s Engagement in Intensive Case Management program was selected by a distinguished panel of judges out of entries from across the nation. Finalists are invited to present their winning programs at the Annual Quality Summit which will showcase best practices in two categories: Consumer Decision-Making and Consumer Health Improvement.

CIGNA's program targets high-risk individuals who are coping with multiple mental health issues, such as depression, anxiety and substance abuse, and helps them to take action that can prevent their condition from worsening, improve productivity, decrease missed workdays and reduce disability.

“The key factor in this program is engagement. By engaging individuals we’re able to involve them more actively in managing their condition, which leads to better outcomes,” said Dr. Doug Nemecek, senior medical director for CIGNA's behavioral health business. “We’re honored that our program was selected as a finalist and pleased that mental health programs are earning such important recognition.”

Entries were judged by a panel chaired by epidemiologist Thomas W. Wilson, Ph.D., DrPH, Trajectory HealthCare, LLC. The 30-member panel included the best and most widely recognized experts in program evaluation, care coordination, health information technology, employer and purchaser decision making and patient safety. Entries were reviewed and scored by the judges based on objective criteria.

“The Annual Quality Summit provides a unique opportunity for leaders in health care to learn what premier companies are doing to advance consumer protection and empowerment,” said Alan P. Spielman, President and CEO of URAC. “It is a one-of-a-kind conference, designed to inspire the industry as a whole to rapidly adopt proven practices that advance patient safety and empower consumers with improved decision-making tools.”

All finalists are invited to attend a special event during the conference, where they will discover how they will be distinguished as award winners. Gold, Silver, Bronze and Honorable Mention Award winners in each of the six organization categories will be announced at the dinner. Platinum Award winners will also be announced in the two topic categories.

Click on the link to see a complete list of judges.

About CIGNA

CIGNA (NYSE:CI), a global health service company, is dedicated to helping people improve their health, well being and sense of security. CIGNA Corporation's operating subsidiaries provide an integrated suite of medical, dental, behavioral health, pharmacy and vision care benefits, as well as group life, accident and disability insurance, to approximately 46 million people throughout the United States and around the world. To learn more about CIGNA, visit www.cigna.com. To sign up for email alerts or an RSS feed of company news, log on to http://newsroom.cigna.com/rss/. Also, follow us on Twitter at @cigna, visit CIGNA’s YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/cignatv and listen to CIGNA's podcast series with healthy tips and information at http://www.cigna.com/podcasts or by searching "CIGNA" in iTunes.



CONTACT:

CIGNA
Mark Slitt, 860-226-2092
[email protected]

KEYWORDS:   United States  North America  Connecticut  District of Columbia  Illinois

INDUSTRY KEYWORDS:   Health  Mental Health  Professional Services  Insurance  Managed Care

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