BLOOMFIELD, Conn., April 08, 2009 - CIGNA was awarded Bronze Honors for Primary Prevention by leading health care accreditation organization URAC, for its Colorectal Cancer Screening Program. The honor was announced at the 2009 Best Practices in Health Care Consumer Empowerment and Protection Awards Gala on April 1-2 in Orlando, Florida. The awards are designed to recognize innovative leadership and successful programs in consumer-focused health care management.
CIGNA's Colorectal Cancer Screening Program was implemented to increase the colorectal cancer screening rates among CIGNA's individual customers ages 50 and older. This program addresses health quality improvement that protects people from short-term or long-term health-related adverse events.
“Our Best Practices awards program is a unique celebration of the best the health care industry has to offer. These companies have made a difference in the lives of consumers by implementing leading-edge programs with results that matter,” said Alan P. Spielman, president and CEO of URAC. “At a time when health care reform is in the spotlight, achievements from companies like CIGNA are even more important.”
“URAC's recognition is evidence of the effectiveness of CIGNA's efforts to help improve the health and well-being of the people we serve and to promote preventive health measures,” said Dr. Dick Salmon, CIGNA senior national medical director. “We are pleased to receive this recognition from URAC and gratified that our colorectal cancer screening program is helping to improve health care quality.”
While the American Cancer Society says that colorectal cancer is preventable, treatable and beatable, it remains the third leading cause of cancer-related death in both men and women in the United States and accounts for almost 10 percent of all cancer deaths. CIGNA's Colorectal Cancer Screening Program aims to increase the number of individuals who are screened for this cancer, and also to identify the most effective outreach methods to impact behavior change.
Individuals covered by a CIGNA medical plan who are 50 years of age or older, and who according to CIGNA's records are overdue for a colorectal cancer screening, now receive information on appropriate colon cancer screening tests, including colonoscopy. In addition, they have an opportunity to request the InSure® FIT screening kit, an easy and convenient test that is sensitive at detecting abnormalities in the lower gastrointestinal tract. It is provided free of charge by Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX), and the laboratory processing fees are covered as a preventive benefit under most CIGNA plans. In 2008, CIGNA sent information to approximately 600,000 individuals.
For the URAC Awards, seventy submissions were evaluated by a 27-member panel of prestigious, independent judges including experts in program evaluation, care coordination, health information technology, employer and purchaser decision making and patient safety. Honors were awarded in six categories: Health Plans and Health Networks, Health Management, Health Information/Decision Support, Pharmacy Quality Management, Consumer Decision-Making, and Consumer Health Improvement.
About CIGNA
CIGNA (NYSE:CI), a global health service company, is dedicated to helping people improve their health, well-being and 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 47 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/section_display.cfm?section_id=18.
About URAC
URAC, an independent, nonprofit organization, is well known as a leader in promoting health care quality through its accreditation, education and measurement programs. URAC offers a wide range of quality benchmarking programs and services that keep pace with the rapid changes in the health care system, and provide a symbol of excellence for organizations to validate their commitment to quality and accountability. Through its broad-based governance structure and an inclusive standards development process, URAC ensures that all stakeholders are represented in establishing meaningful quality measures for the entire health care industry. For more information, visit www.urac.org.
