Cigna’s (NYSE: CI) Medicare Advantage (MA) members in certain markets will now have access to home-based primary care through Heal. The provider recently announced that it has formed a partnership with Cigna, and is now part of the organization’s network in Georgia, Illinois, North Carolina and South Carolina.
“Cigna aims to improve all aspects of our customer’s health and well-being, and providing in-network coverage for quality, affordable and convenient health care is one way we do this,” Dr. J.B. Sobel, chief medical officer of Cigna Medicare, said in a press statement. “I have no doubt Heal will provide our Medicare customers with the highest quality care in the comfort of their home.”
In general, the U.S. struggles with access to primary care. It’s common for adults in the U.S. to not have a regular physician, place of care, or a longstanding relationship with a primary care provider, according to a report from The Commonwealth Fund.
Partnerships such as this one could arguably go a long way in addressing this disparity.
“When you think of access to care — we’re coming to them,” Brent Stice, chief growth officer at Heal, told Home Health Care News. “Scheduling an appointment and going somewhere might not seem like a big deal to a lot of people, but for some of our most vulnerable population, that actually is a very difficult task to get done.”
Los Angeles-based Heal is an in-home primary care provider with a senior care focus. The company has made over 275,000 patient visits to date.
As a part of Cigna’s network of providers, its MA members will have access to services one would expect from a traditional primary care office. This means doctors visits, annual wellness visits, flu shots, specialist referrals, telehealth services, remote patient monitoring and more.
Overall, Heal has been able to establish 8 major payer partnerships, according to Stice.
Cigna, in particular, was an attractive organization to partner with because of the growth goals both companies share.
“Cigna is focused on expanding their MA footprint and continues to penetrate their current markets, and are looking for high quality providers they can partner with in a value-based setting to provide the best level of care for their members,” Stice said. “It’s sort of a natural partnership for us to come together because we can help each other grow, and we can better care for their members.”
On its end, Heal has seen major growth over the past few years. Since 2021, the company has seen a 450% increase in the number of seniors it delivers care to.
Stice credits senior preference for receiving care in the home setting for this growth.
“As we’re in more markets and people start to hear about us, and we start serving more members, that starts to catch on,” he said. “I think that seniors are starting to realize and truly believe that they can receive better care in the home.”
Aside from Cigna’s partnership with Heal, the company will give its members access to a companionship and support program as part of its benefits offerings for 2023. Members in certain markets will also have access to a caregiver support program next year.
