CIGNA’s Behavioral Health Care Centers Earn Full Accreditation from The National Committee for Quality Assurance

Copyright 2009 Business Wire, Inc. Business Wire

January 27, 2009 Tuesday 3:00 PM GMT

DISTRIBUTION: Business Editors; Health/Medical Writers

LENGTH: 445 words

HEADLINE: CIGNA's Behavioral Health Care Centers Earn Full Accreditation from The National Committee for Quality Assurance

DATELINE: BLOOMFIELD, Conn.

In real estate it's all about location. In health care it's all about quality.

At the end of 2008, all four of CIGNA's behavioral health care centers nationwide earned "Full" accreditation from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). In the past, these centers were each evaluated and accredited separately. Now, for the first time, all of the centers have been evaluated and accredited simultaneously, in keeping with CIGNA's status as a national behavioral health service organization. The accreditation is valid for three years.

"Having NCQA's 'quality seal of approval' for our behavioral health care centers is a powerful validation of CIGNA's commitment to excellence in our quest to improve the health, well-being and security of the people we serve," said Jodi Prohofsky, CIGNA's senior vice president of health solutions operations. "And receiving simultaneous accreditation for all of our behavioral health care centers underscores our commitment to offering a national service organization, ready to help people wherever they are throughout the country."

NCQA is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. NCQA accredits and certifies a wide range of health care organizations and recognizes physicians in key clinical areas. NCQA's Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS®) is the most widely used performance measurement tool in health care today. NCQA is committed to providing health care quality information through the Web, media and data licensing agreements in order to help individuals, employers and others make more informed health care choices.

The NCQA accreditations, which are valid through Dec. 31, 2011, apply to CIGNA's centers in Dallas; Glendale, Calif.; Lutherville, Md.; and Eden Prairie, Minn. The centers provide services such as behavioral health care benefits management, credentialing and recredentialing of the behavioral health care providers in CIGNA's network, monitoring of feedback from people enrolled in CIGNA's behavioral health plans, management of preventive health programs, and oversight of the company's quality improvement initiatives.

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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 . CONTACT: CIGNAMark Slitt, 860-226-2092 [email protected] http://www.businesswire.com

LOAD-DATE: January 27, 2009