BLOOMFIELD, Conn., April 4, 2006 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- CIGNA HealthCare and RelayHealth announced today that they have teamed up to offer eligible CIGNA HealthCare members access to "virtual house calls" for non- urgent health issues. Starting in July 2006, California-based CIGNA HealthCare members employed by select customers including CISCO Systems, Inc., will have the ability to use a broad suite of web-based physician communications services, including: online doctor's visits with their participating physicians, prescription refills and renewals, laboratory results review, and appointment scheduling.
The online doctor's visits, called webVisits, offer health plan members the convenience of consulting with their physicians on approximately 145 non- urgent medical symptoms in a secure, web-based environment.
CIGNA HealthCare plans to expand the availability of this online communications service to other CIGNA HealthCare self-insured health plans effective in 2007 with members in California, Arizona, Florida and the Tri- State/New York metropolitan area -- the broadest geographic reach offered by any health plan to date. webVisits will be available for those CIGNA HealthCare members whose employers elect to cover this benefit.
According to CIGNA HealthCare Chief Medical Officer Jeffrey Kang, M.D., "This initiative is designed to use the power of technology to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the day-to-day doctor/patient relationship. Our solution can make consumer access to their doctor easier, help improve the doctor's office workflow and compensate physicians for their services."
"Our affiliation with RelayHealth is another way we can help meet our consumers' needs on their own terms," said CIGNA HealthCare National Segment President, Noel Obourn. "This tool offers members more choice and convenience in health care delivery. The need for Internet-based consultations has been expressed by both our customers and the American College of Physicians. It is a solution that benefits consumers, doctors and employers."
As one of the initial companies to deploy the CIGNA HealthCare/RelayHealth online consultation solution, CISCO Systems Corporate Medical Director Dr. Jeff Rideout said: "This initiative is another step in CISCO's ongoing commitment to improving the quality of healthcare for our employees and their dependents. Whether it's in the office or traveling overseas, this service will provide our employees with easy access and quality care no matter where they are or what time zone they are in."
Access to RelayHealth will be available through CIGNA HealthCare members' personalized Web site, http://www.mycigna.com/, and includes:
-- webVisit Online Consultation - The RelayHealth webVisit can guide the
patient through an interactive interview, help the member send a
succinct message to the physician, and arm the doctor with an array of
tools to efficiently reply to the patient;
-- eScript Electronic Prescriptions - An electronic prescription service
that enables physicians and staff to instantly transmit prescriptions
to virtually any pharmacy in the U.S., and automatically screen for
drug interactions;
-- The Online Office - A communications tool set for administrative
communications such as scheduling appointments, refilling
prescriptions, and requesting referrals, reviewing lab results, and
receiving appointment reminders.
Giovanni Colella, MD, president and chief executive officer of RelayHealth said, "We applaud this investment in innovation by CIGNA HealthCare, and we believe it demonstrates the synergy between RelayHealth and health plans that are empowering consumers with tools aimed at helping lower health care costs and improving productivity and health care quality.
"This agreement with CIGNA HealthCare helps solidify our leadership position in clinically sound, health care e-communication. Most importantly, it can bring secure, affordable online physician access to CIGNA HealthCare members in California, Arizona, Florida and New York."
About CIGNA HealthCare
CIGNA HealthCare, headquartered in Bloomfield, CT, provides medical benefits plans, dental coverage, behavioral health coverage, pharmacy benefits and products and services that integrate and analyze information to support consumerism and health advocacy. "CIGNA HealthCare" refers to various operating subsidiaries of CIGNA Corporation . Products and services are provided by these operating subsidiaries and not by CIGNA Corporation.
About RelayHealth Corporation
RelayHealth is the leading provider of secure online healthcare communication services linking patients, healthcare professionals, health plans, and pharmacies. A secure, clinically structured productivity platform for the medical office, the RelayHealth service is an emerging online communication standard, interfacing with both commercial and custom-built electronic medical record systems through the company's Interoperability Toolkit. Research studies show RelayHealth reduces phone traffic and increases physician productivity through modular features like the webVisit(R) clinical consultation and eScript(R) electronic prescribing - one reason leading health plans nationwide increasingly reimburse providers who use the RelayHealth service. For healthcare consumers, RelayHealth provides a secure place to maintain personal health records, and improves convenience, access and communication with their own doctors. For information, visit http://www.relayhealth.com/.
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