Bridges Health Partners LLC and Cigna Announce Collaborative Accountable Care Agreement to Improve Health and Lower Costs in Western Pennsylvania

Business Wire

WARRENDALE, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Bridges Health Partners LLC, a Clinically Integrated Network, and Cigna (NYSE:CI) have entered into a Collaborative Accountable Care Agreement for Cigna commercial customers in Western Pennsylvania. The agreement becomes effective July 1, 2019 and will make it easier for Bridges Health Partners LLC doctors to proactively help Cigna customers achieve better health.

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Formed in 2017 by affiliates of Butler Health System, Excela Health System, St. Clair Hospital, and Washington Health System, Bridges Health Partners LLC integrates the systems’ independent and employed medical staff. The organization focuses on quality and outcomes improvement by implementing an integrated, regional network of care.

“Our organization is extremely aware of the challenges that employers continually face to better manage workforce health and healthcare spending. This new value-based collaboration with Cigna, combined with both organizations’ deep local presence in Pittsburgh, will create synergies that promote and enable improved outcomes for this population,” said Tom Boggs, president of Bridges Health Partners.

“Cigna's success with Collaborative Accountable Care arrangements has helped our customers receive higher quality care and value, while making access to treatment more affordable,” said Dr. Laura Reich, market medical executive for Cigna. “Bridges Health Partners LLC is aligned with our commitment to put the patient at the center of all we do, with enhanced coordination of care, a focus on prevention, and patient education about chronic conditions and wellness.”

In Western Pennsylvania, Cigna has a sizable workforce of more than 2,000 people who serve commercial employers by providing health engagement, disability management, and customer service locally in Pittsburgh.

Working together, Bridges and Cigna will create a care management team designed to:

Use data insights to proactively manage the health care needs of the Cigna customers through early care intervention, and educate customers on the value of preventive care
Provide patient-centered care that increases the quality of access to medical services, reduce costs, and offer a better patient experience
Ensure a seamless integration within inpatient and outpatient care teams

“Through collaborative efforts with Cigna, we are excited to continue to transform the medical care we provide to our patients; care that’s of high quality, patient-centric and delivered close to home in the communities we serve,” said Bridges Health Partners LLC chief medical officer, Dr. Robert Zimmerman. “The Bridges care model will be augmented by this relationship with Cigna, which shares our vision of engaging our patients to provide evidence-based, cost-effective care to not only help treat chronic medical problems, but to also encourage healthy lifestyles to prevent them.”

About Bridges Health Partners LLC

Four independent, non-profit health systems in the Pittsburgh metropolitan market and surrounding communities are the founding members of Bridges Health Partners LLC, including Butler Health System, Excela Health System, St. Clair Hospital and Washington Health System. Each partner system, along with their independent and employed medical staff are committed to transforming how healthcare services are delivered by implementing an integrated, regional network of care that supports all patient populations, no matter the payer. Together, Bridges Health Partners LLC serves patients through a broad geography of outpatient, community-based sites and inpatient facilities in Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Clarion, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Lawrence, Mercer, Venango, Washington and Westmoreland counties.

Our commitment to quality has been recognized by numerous national and independent authorities including HealthGrades, Truven Health Analytics, The Leapfrog Group, CareChex, IBM Watson Top 100 Hospital, and U.S. News and World Report's High Performing Hospitals and Best Regional Hospitals, to name just a few.

Bridges Health Partners LLC network comprises seven hospital campuses with over 1,450 licensed beds, over 1,000 employed and affiliated physicians with a network of primary care and specialty group practices, ambulatory surgery centers, urgent care clinics, imaging and diagnostic centers, skilled nursing, home health and hospice care. Bridges Health Partners LLC are strong healthcare provider organizations individually; collectively dedicated to delivering the best quality of care at a lower cost to patients where they live and work. To learn more about Bridges Health Partners LLC, visit www.bridgeshealthpartners.org.

About Cigna

Cigna Corporation (NYSE:CI) is a global health service company dedicated to improving the health, well-being and peace of mind of those we serve. Cigna delivers choice, predictability, affordability and access to quality care through integrated capabilities and connected, personalized solutions that advance whole person health. All products and services are provided exclusively by or through operating subsidiaries of Cigna Corporation, including Cigna Health and Life Insurance Company, Connecticut General Life Insurance Company, Life Insurance Company of North America, Cigna Life Insurance Company of New York, Express Scripts companies or their affiliates. Such products and services include an integrated suite of health services, such as medical, dental, behavioral health, pharmacy, vision, supplemental benefits, and other related products including group life, accident and disability insurance.

Cigna maintains sales capability in over 30 countries and jurisdictions, and has more than 160 million customer relationships throughout the world. To learn more about Cigna^®, including links to follow us on Facebook or Twitter, visit www.cigna.com.