Evernorth has unveiled a new specialty pharmacy program that leans on AI to support a better experience for patients with complex conditions.
Called Pharmacy Forward, the program aims to use technology to drive more coordinated and connected care as well as offer personalized supports in real time. Evernorth plans to launch the program first for Accredo Specialty Pharmacy customers, investing $100 million through 2028 in the project.
The goal, according to an announcement from the company, is to allow care teams to spend more time on clinical and patient care, while also accelerating prescription processing and service responsiveness.
"Patients navigating complex health conditions need comprehensive, expert support, often during some of the most difficult moments in their lives," said Matt Perlberg, president of the Evernorth Health Services pharmacy and care delivery businesses, including Accredo, and executive vice president of Customer Innovation for The Cigna Group, in the announcement.
"Pharmacy Forward reflects our commitment to meet patients where they are —delivering an even faster, more seamless experience while ensuring they receive the personalized support and clinical care they deserve," Perlberg said.
The platform combines key clinical data and insights alongside AI-powered summaries and analytics to make it easier for care teams to offer connected and informed support. For example, it positions them to identify sooner when patients may be at risk of falling off of therapy or experiencing an adverse event.
The company said in the announcement that it expects this work to improve medication adherence beyond 80%, the current industry standard. The use of AI will also likely reduce the clinical documentation necessary by 40%, freeing up clinical teams to focus more on providing care, Evernorth said.
In addition, AI makes it easier for the clinical teams to get upstream in the patient journey to intervene proactively before any risks worsen to major issues. Accredo has already implemented a program that uses AI-enabled scheduling to reach out to patients during their preferred windows.
Through Pharmacy Forward, Accredo expects to see a 25% increase in the use of personalized digital patient pathways.
Beyond the implications for patient care, the program is expected to ease the time it takes for individuals to access prescriptions. Accredo estimates that it will cut the time for patients to receive their prescriptions in half.
Part of that equation is leaning on AI to make prior authorization requests more complete and identify copayment assistance. In addition, Pharmacy Forward will enhance Accredo's ability to deliver complex specialty medications to patients in their homes.
Evernorth expects that the program will generate $400 million in value by the end of 2028, with plans to expand many of its components to other pharmacy operations in the future.
"AI is enabling us to fundamentally reimagine how we support each patient’s journey," said Katya Andresen, chief data, digital and AI officer for the Cigna Group, Evernorth's parent company, in the announcement. "By responsibly combining real-time data, advanced analytics and deep clinical expertise, we can deliver more personalized, proactive support — helping people access the care they need faster and achieve better health outcomes."