Cigna is committed to facilitating the continuity and coordination of care our customers experience when moving between providers and across settings as their conditions and care needs change during the course of a chronic or acute medical or behavioral illness. Disruptions in care and lack of timely communication may result in delays in treatment and poor health outcomes for customers. Continuity and coordination of care is necessary regardless of the number of medical and/or behavioral specialties utilized by the patient. Through communication, planning, and collaboration, continuity and coordination can be achieved and ultimately improve health outcomes.

Our quality programs monitor for:

• Coordination of care:
• During transitions between inpatient settings, such as hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, or hospice
• In outpatient settings, such as rehabilitation centers, emergency departments or surgery centers
• Between any setting type (for example, medical to medical, medical to behavioral health)
• When patients move between providers (for example, from a specialist to a primary care provider or between medical and behavioral health providers)
• Notification of patients and their transition from providers who have been terminated from a network
• Patients who qualify for continued coverage of services rendered by providers who have been terminated from a network for reasons other than quality

Potential barriers to coordination of care include:

• Lack of recognition for the need to communicate
• Lack of efficient ways to communicate information
• Lack of awareness that other providers were involved in the care

Behavioral conditions often present in primary care settings. Cigna's behavioral website contains links and resources intended to support Primary Care Physicians in assessing, treating, and/or referring commonly seen behavioral conditions.