The Cigna Group Launches Actions To Drive Positive Change for Customers and Patients

Rhea-AI Summary

The Cigna Group (NYSE: CI) has announced a comprehensive multi-year initiative to transform healthcare experiences for its customers. The company outlined five key focus areas: easier access to care, better support, better value, accountability, and transparency.

Key actions include: tying leadership compensation to customer satisfaction, publishing an annual Customer Transparency Report starting in 2026, expanding healthcare advocate teams for complex conditions, improving prior authorization processes, and implementing changes at Express Scripts to protect patients from high medication list prices.

To ensure accountability, Cigna established the Office of Excellence and Transformation, overseen by Dr. David Brailer and Chris DeRosa. The office will coordinate company-wide efforts to improve customer health outcomes and experiences.

Positive

• Implementation of leadership compensation tied to customer satisfaction metrics
• Expansion of healthcare advocate teams for complex conditions
• Introduction of enhanced digital tracking system for prior authorizations
• New protection measures against high medication list prices through Express Scripts

Negative

• None.

Company Implements Governance and Executive Changes To Ensure Accountability

BLOOMFIELD, Conn., Feb. 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Global health company The Cigna Group (NYSE: CI) today announced a new multi-year effort aimed at meaningfully transforming the experiences of the millions of people it serves.

"The health care system in America needs to be better, and we have challenged ourselves to help lead and drive systemic change," said David M. Cordani, chairman and CEO of The Cigna Group. "We do a lot of good for many people, but we need to do better for everyone. We are committed to implementing tangible actions across our company to help drive better health outcomes and health care experiences. Today's announcement marks the initial steps in our multi-year journey toward building a better and more sustainable model in health care."

The Cigna Group has established five key areas of focus, and several initial specific actions, to improve the health of its customers and the value it provides:

• Easier access to care: The company will address the challenges customers face by making its processes simpler, easier and faster.
  
  
• Better support: The company will provide customers with more support and resources to navigate the health care system.
  
  
• Better value: The company will drive better value for its customers.
  
  
• Accountability: The company will implement governance processes at the highest levels to successfully ensure positive changes.
  
  
• Transparency: The company will openly share how it is continuously improving.

Initial Actions To Drive The Cigna Group's Commitments

The Cigna Group: To ensure alignment in priorities and greater accountability, The Cigna Group will tie its leaders' compensation to improving the satisfaction of its customers.

Additionally, starting in early 2026, The Cigna Group will publish an annual Customer Transparency Report to make its progress toward its commitments clear. The report will include important information relating to how the company facilitates customer care, including details about its services and resolution statistics.

Cigna Healthcare: As announced separately today, Cigna Healthcare is taking the following actions:

• Expanding its team of Cigna Healthcare advocates who support customers and patients with the most challenging or complex conditions, such as cancer; these highly trained advocates will help more patients navigate every stage of their care and treatment journey
  
  
• Investing resources to help more customers and patients quickly resolve administrative needs with prior authorization and post-care claims
  
  
• Introducing an enhanced digital status tracker that patients can use for prior authorization updates
  
  
• Encouraging physicians to communicate electronically about prior authorizations and claims through Cigna Healthcare's digital provider portal to expedite approvals and reduce error

Evernorth Health Services: Evernorth recently announced actions to address Express Scripts' patient access and affordability and improve transparency.

Going forward, Evernorth's standard offerings will protect patients from paying the high list price of their medications, ensuring they benefit from the lower price negotiated by Express Scripts. Additionally, patients in employer-sponsored plans will have improved financial predictability, receiving the benefit of savings negotiated by Express Scripts if they don't already.

As part of this broader effort, the company also committed to providing an annual personalized summary to customers about how they benefit directly from the discounted prices Express Scripts negotiates and providing an annual standardized report to plan sponsors disclosing costs and pharmacy claim-level reporting.

Executive Changes To Ensure Accountability

The Cigna Group's work to drive significant improvements for all its customers will be governed by its new Office of Excellence and Transformation. This office will partner across the organization to shape the company's response to improve the health of the millions of customers it serves and to ensure accountability.

The office will have oversight by Dr. David Brailer, the company's executive vice president and chief health officer and a highly experienced physician. Additionally, Chris DeRosa will assume a newly created role leading the office, reporting to Dr. Brailer. DeRosa, a longtime Cigna Healthcare leader with a deep understanding of the needs of customers and health plan sponsors, currently serves as president, U.S. Government, Cigna Healthcare. DeRosa will continue to oversee the company's Medicare businesses through the transaction with HCSC, which we expect will close in the first quarter.

"I am inspired to work alongside our 70,000 colleagues and the Office of Excellence and Transformation to realize our commitments to better care and clinical excellence," Dr. Brailer said. "We will lead the health care industry in how we serve our patients and customers and support the clinicians who care for them."

More information about The Cigna Group's commitments is available here.  

About The Cigna Group
The Cigna Group (NYSE: CI) is a global health company committed to creating a better future built on the vitality of every individual and every community. We relentlessly challenge ourselves to partner and innovate solutions for better health. The Cigna Group includes products and services marketed under Cigna Healthcare, Evernorth Health Services, or its subsidiaries. The Cigna Group maintains sales capabilities in more than 30 markets and jurisdictions and has approximately 182 million customer relationships around the world. Learn more at thecignagroup.com.

Media Contact
media@cigna.com

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SOURCE The Cigna Group

FAQ

What are the 5 key focus areas in Cigna's (CI) new healthcare transformation initiative?

Cigna's five key focus areas are: easier access to care, better support, better value, accountability, and transparency in healthcare delivery.

When will Cigna (CI) start publishing its Customer Transparency Report?

Cigna will begin publishing its annual Customer Transparency Report in early 2026.

How is Cigna (CI) changing its executive compensation structure?

Cigna is tying its leaders' compensation to improving customer satisfaction metrics as part of its new accountability measures.

What changes is Cigna (CI) implementing through Express Scripts?

Express Scripts will protect patients from paying high list prices for medications, ensuring they benefit from negotiated lower prices and improved financial predictability in employer-sponsored plans.

Who will lead Cigna's (CI) new Office of Excellence and Transformation?

The office will be overseen by Dr. David Brailer, executive vice president and chief health officer, with Chris DeRosa leading operations in a newly created role.