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CONNECTICUT 39 www.ceotodaymagazine.com CEO Today USAAwards 2017 www.cigna.com across the country. And, we actively improve the customer experience through new technology and digital enablement solutions such as One Guide, which helps our customers make more informed choices as they select their benefits, better manage their cost-of-care through price transparency and reward-program participation. It also makes it easier for them to create and connect to a personalized team of doctors, coaches and clinicians, how and when they choose. As we pursue this path, we focus on the “H” – or “humanity” – in health care, reminding ourselves that there’s a vulnerable, uncertain and often frightened person at the end of the health care equation. We need to work together, meaning the entire health care industry, elected officials, health care providers, and employer-groups, to bring greater humanity to health care in critical and mutually reinforcing ways. How has Cigna worked to make health care more affordable? We work with doctors and hospitals to reward them financially when they keep patients healthy. Among our large physician Collaborative Accountable Care groups, we’ve generated savings of $145 million through total medical cost reduction since the program’s inception. One-third of physician groups that have been active for at least one year saved three percent in total medical cost. Directly related to delivery-of-care quality, they’ve seen seven percent better quality performance, 30 percent lower rate of avoidable emergency room visits and 27 percent lower hospital inpatient admission rate. 1 How has Cigna taken a leadership role in fighting the national opioid epidemic? At Cigna, we know that compassion and community efforts help solve problems. Shame and blame do not. We need to think of substance use disorders as a chronic disease and we must help protect those who may be at-risk. For those who already live with a substance use disorder, we need a health care system that supports early detection and prioritizes an integrated, holistic approach to health. We’ve put a stake in the ground on the opioid epidemic by committing to reduce our customers’ opioid use by 25 percent by 2019. We’ve made tremendous progress to date, achieving 12 percent in our first year and are well on our way to achieving our goal. Our primary focus is to take us back to pre-crisis levels, while still providing the right care at the right time. As just a few examples of the actions we’ve taken, we’ve already had 170 medical groups representing 64,000 doctors in our Cigna Collaborative Care network sign our pledge to reduce opioid prescribing and treat opioid disorder as a chronic condition. 2 We’ve also lifted prior authorization for medication-assisted treatment to ensure its availability for customers. What is Cigna doing to helpmembers of the veteran community, who are particularly vulnerable to opioid addiction? When it comes to the brave men and women who keep us safe, we feel it’s our obligation to help. As a leader in the US health care system that is highly recognized for our commitment to veterans, Cigna is dedicated to helping veterans overcome a variety of life challenges, including opioid misuse. Through extensive research with veterans’ organizations, we learned that some veterans fall through the cracks of the health system, and that connecting with other veterans provides them with a level of comfort and trust. This led to the development of our free support line for all veterans and their families/caregivers, as well as the mindfulness groups exclusively for veterans. Anyone seeking help can call 855.244.6211 and the line is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. We also offer a weekly Mindfulness for Vets session, exclusively for veterans. Mindfulness is an evidence-based therapy proven to have a positive impact on depression, stress, anxiety, performance, sleep, addiction, PTSD and more by providing trainings in stress management, acceptance and compassion. The sessions are available every Tuesday at 4 pm central time and can be accessed by dialing 1.888.244.6260 and entering the passcode 536435.