CIGNA Corporation (NYSE: CI) today announced that in partnership with more than 1.1 million prescribing clinicians, the global health service company has achieved a 25 percent reduction in opioid use among its customers, reaching this key metric one year ahead of its ambitious initial goal. The broad based effort meaningfully contributes to curbing the opioid epidemic, which has taken thousands of lives, sidelined millions of workers and diverted billions of dollars in the United States.
In May 2016, Cigna brought together resources across its medical, behavioral and pharmacy programs to identify ways that the company could harness its physician-partnership model to interrupt the cycle of addiction while assuring that people who have no alternatives to manage their pain retained clinically appropriate access to the remedies prescribed by their doctor. One key metric in the effort was to reduce opioid use among its customers by 25 percent by 2019. The company selected 25 percent because this reduction would return customers’ usage of opioids to pre-epidemic levels.
"We committed to this reduction for our customers because we recognized the severity of the epidemic and its impact on people from every walk of life, their families, employers and communities," said David M. Cordani, Cigna President and Chief Executive Officer. "We are proud that we achieved this goal early, but even more importantly, we did so by enhancing patient support and ensuring our customers have access to the right care at the right time. There is still much more work to do, and we are focused on continuing to push forward on these efforts every day."
To track against the 25 percent metric, Cigna measured the total volume of opioids being prescribed based on morphine milligram equivalent doses, taking into account the number of pills, the dosing of those pills, as well as the relative strengths of the different opioid medications. Cigna collaborated with physicians, dentists, patient awareness and support organizations in local communities to identify immediate and longer-term approaches that increased safeguards in the opioid prescribing process, enhanced support and counseling, and made it easier to access treatments for substance use disorders. Specifically, the company:
Convened more than 2,000 medical groups representing more than 65,000 doctors in a focused effort to reduce opioid prescribing and to treat opioid use disorder as a chronic condition, one patient at a time.
Notified physicians of risks of possible misuse or overuse, suggested by an integrated analysis of pharmacy, medical and mental health (behavioral) benefits.
Engaged with more than 85,000 prescribers annually whose patients have a concerning pattern of opioid prescription use to ensure that prescriptions are appropriate, medically necessary and safe for the patient.
Worked closely with clients to implement opioid utilization management solutions.
Opened Cigna’s 24/7/365 free counseling helplines to all veterans and their caregivers, whether they are Cigna customers or not, to help this community which is particularly vulnerable in this national epidemic.
Convened local leaders to better understand the impact of the epidemic in communities like New York, Houston and Los Angeles and identify solutions together that create greater awareness, more innovative treatments, and prevention.
"We collaborated with Cigna very early on, looking at the opioid prescription habits of our physicians and trying to get our practice more commensurate with national guidelines," said Dr. John Bertini of Renaissance Physicians in Houston, Texas. "Cigna set itself apart because of their interest in the health of the patient. Clearly the inappropriate use of opioids is detrimental to the health of the patient, their family and the community on many levels. As we work together to address this problem, we are enhancing the health of the populations of patients that we collectively serve."
In the United States, an estimated 2.5 million people suffer from substance use disorders related to prescription opioid pain relievers. Cigna recognizes that substance use disorders are complex, chronic conditions that are frequently accompanied by other behavioral or medical conditions. To address this growing health issue, the company tapped into its extensive exp...
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