Cigna has launched a new oncology consulting service to improve health outcomes for members.
The service is being led by health services subsidiary Evernorth and will connect patients and their oncology team with cancer subspecialty experts at over 20 National Cancer Institute-designated centers. Patients will receive the most recent developments in tests, therapies or clinical trials while staying close to home, according to a May 5 press release.
During a pilot of the program with certain members, 85 percent of eligible oncologists and their patients participated in the program by having their treatment plans reviewed by oncologists in the national PinnacleCare network. Among the reviewed cases, 40 percent of patients benefited from recommendations for new alternative tests and therapy choices.
The consult service is now in place for some Cigna members, and is being expanded for both Cigna clients and clients of Evernorth subsidiary EviCore.
"Clinical innovations in oncology continue to accelerate at an unprecedented pace, fueled by genomic data, precision medicine and an explosion of new treatment options," EviCore Chief Medical Officer Eric Gratias, MD, said. "By using our powerful analytics to identify patients with complex cancer cases, we can bring the right experts together at a critical time in an individual's cancer journey to drive better health outcomes."