Cigna subsidiary Evernorth and Kaiser Permanente have signed a five-year partnership aimed at lowering costs and expanding care access for Kaiser members.
The agreement includes two new offerings for members of the Oakland, Calif.-based payer-provider, according to an April 19 press release:
- Beginning in August, Kaiser commercial HMO and exclusive provider organization members who need urgent care when they are traveling outside of areas served by Kaiser will have access to Cigna's national PPO network of more than 1 million physicians and other providers.
- Accredo, Evernorth's specialty pharmacy, will become Kaiser's preferred external pharmacy for limited distribution drugs, and Evernorth's CuraScript SD will be a preferred distributor for purchasing certain other specialty products.
The broad agreement is effective immediately and may expand to additional areas during the course of the partnership.
"We are excited to work with Evernorth to offer our members convenient, expanded access to high-quality care when they are traveling, through Cigna's provider network," Arthur Southam, MD, executive vice president of health plan operations and chief growth officer for Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals, said. "This will provide our members an improved experience, added convenience, and greater confidence that if they get sick or are injured while traveling, they will have access to great care."