Cigna's collaborative accountable care initiative, launched in 2008, has shown early results of lower cost and improved care, according to study data recently published in Health Affairs.
The study looked at 2010 results for quality of care and total medical costs from three of Cigna's CAC locations: Dartmouth-Hitchcock in New Hampshire, Medical Clinic of North Texas and Cigna Medical Group of Arizona.
CMG's total medical costs in 2010 were reduced significantly when compared with other practices in the geographic area. Both Dartmouth-Hitchcock and MCNT achieved performance improvements in their per patient, per month costs. All three of the practices out-performed peers in their area on all care quality measures, with the exception of Dartmouth-Hitchcock's screening of hemoglobin A1c levels among patients with diabetes.
"The study data confirmed our expectations that physician practices and patients benefit from accountable care-based models," said Dick Salmon, MD, PhD, Cigna's national medical executive for performance measurement and improvement.
Cigna's collaborative accountable care initiative is a shared savings program that offers practices up-front support in the first year of participation and performance incentives after that year.
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The study looked at 2010 results for quality of care and total medical costs from three of Cigna's CAC locations: Dartmouth-Hitchcock in New Hampshire, Medical Clinic of North Texas and Cigna Medical Group of Arizona.
CMG's total medical costs in 2010 were reduced significantly when compared with other practices in the geographic area. Both Dartmouth-Hitchcock and MCNT achieved performance improvements in their per patient, per month costs. All three of the practices out-performed peers in their area on all care quality measures, with the exception of Dartmouth-Hitchcock's screening of hemoglobin A1c levels among patients with diabetes.
"The study data confirmed our expectations that physician practices and patients benefit from accountable care-based models," said Dick Salmon, MD, PhD, Cigna's national medical executive for performance measurement and improvement.
Cigna's collaborative accountable care initiative is a shared savings program that offers practices up-front support in the first year of participation and performance incentives after that year.
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