EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn., April 10, 2007 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- CIGNA
Behavioral Health (CBH) today released new data on the results of the
company's Intensive Care Management (ICM) program, demonstrating improved
member outcomes that resulted in average savings of more than $3,000 per
member.
CBH's intensive care management program pairs members experiencing
complex clinical behavioral conditions, such as severe depression, with a
clinical "care advocate" following an initial inpatient visit. The central
goal of the program is to empower members to take preventive action before
a condition escalates to a higher-risk situation, which could otherwise
lead to overall decreases in productivity, missed work days or even
disability.
The study found ICM program participants experienced:
-- a 53 percent decrease in inpatient admissions,
-- a 14 percent increase in medication compliance, and
-- a savings of $3,134 during the program enrollment.
To conduct the study, CBH analyzed one full year of medical, behavioral
and pharmacy utilization data for all clients. The population evaluated had
a primary behavioral diagnosis with underlying medical co-morbidities and a
minimum of one inpatient psychiatric admission. A study group of 286
participants enrolled in the ICM program were compared with 517 members of
a control group not enrolled in the program. The study group participants
were managed by a personal care advocate, who maintained daily or weekly
contact and who made outreach calls to both the member's behavioral and
medical doctors to ensure coordination of medications. The care advocate
also confirmed appointment participation, provided ongoing education to
both the participant and their family members, and screened for enhanced
symptoms and stressors and contacted the member's provider anytime the
member needed a higher level of care.
The company called the results significant, noting that chronic medical
conditions are often the cause of employee absenteeism with mental illness
causing more missed work days than many other chronic conditions such as
diabetes, asthma and arthritis. Mental illness and substance abuse
disorders are the top five causes of disability among people age 15-44 in
the U.S. and Canada.(1)
"The intensive care management program was developed to assure that we
were doing everything possible to improve the lives of our members by
carrying our philosophy of care advocacy beyond traditional utilization
review," said Jodi Aronson Prohofsky, Senior Vice President of Clinical
Operations. "Through this program we now know that with targeted
intervention, we can increase productivity, decrease absenteeism and reduce
overall health care costs.
About CIGNA Behavioral Health
CIGNA Behavioral Health provides behavioral care benefit management,
EAPs, and work/life programs to consumers through health plans offered by
large U.S. employers, national and regional HMOs, Taft-Hartley trusts and
disability insurers. CBH, with headquarters in Eden Prairie, Minn.,
operates care management centers around the U.S. in support of a national
network of more than 56,800 independent psychiatrists, psychologists and
clinical social workers and more than 5,100 facilities and clinics. For
more information, visit http://www.CIGNABehavioral.com.
(1) An Employers Guide, Behavioral Health Services, National Business
Group on Health
SOURCE CIGNA Behavioral Health
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Related links:
http://www.cigna.com
http://www.CIGNABehavioral.com
http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/165050.html/
CONTACT:
Arlys Stadum of CIGNA Behavioral Health,
+1-763-559-5587, Arlys.Stadum@cigna.com
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