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CIGNA HealthCare Joins Forces With the Lance Armstrong Foundation to Give Members Added Cancer Care Support

Posted on: Wednesday, 31 January 2007, 12:00 CST

BLOOMFIELD, Conn., Jan. 31, 2007 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- CIGNA HealthCare members now have another powerful ally to support them through cancer diagnosis, treatment and survival. CIGNA HealthCare has joined forces with the Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF) to provide members in its comprehensive oncology program with added personal support to cope with the effects on physical, emotional, financial and spiritual health that living with cancer brings.

"A diagnosis of cancer can be overwhelming for individuals and their family and friends, leading to many questions and concerns about prognosis, treatment and quality of life," said David Cordani, president of CIGNA HealthCare. "By pairing CIGNA HealthCare's programs with the LAF's educational and support resources, we can help our members be more knowledgeable, informed and empowered participants in their care."

"At the Lance Armstrong Foundation, we provide the information and tools to help people affected by cancer live life on their own terms," said Doug Ulman, president of the LAF. "We are thrilled to work with CIGNA HealthCare to further help survivors face the challenges and changes that come with cancer."

Individuals enrolled in CIGNA HealthCare's comprehensive oncology program are offered assistance from CIGNA case managers as they make critical decisions regarding their medical care. As a part of this program, members will also be offered the LIVESTRONG(TM) Survivorship Notebook and educational materials, which are focused on helping individuals cope with the physical, emotional and practical challenges of cancer. In addition, CIGNA case managers can also directly connect members who may have immediate financial, legal or other support needs to receive additional assistance through LIVESTRONG(TM) SurvivorCare. The LAF will also coordinate directly with CIGNA HealthCare case managers to ensure that CIGNA members who contact LIVESTRONG(TM) SurvivorCare independently are made aware of and supported through the CIGNA HealthCare programs and resources available through their benefits plan.

"Employers are increasingly looking to their health plan partners to bring a strong wellness, prevention and consumer engagement orientation to their care management programs, both to help employees achieve their optimal health, and to address health care costs," said Den Bishop, employee benefits practice leader for the benefits and risk advisory firm Holmes Murphy. "CIGNA HealthCare's comprehensive oncology program and the collaboration with the Lance Armstrong Foundation is a great example of the emphasis on personalized support and focus on quality of care that are hallmarks of the most innovative programs."

In addition to the resources provided to members through the comprehensive oncology program, CIGNA HealthCare will inform its members about the information and support resources the LAF provides by including a link to the Foundation's website in the "Cancer Care Support" section of the myCIGNA.com and the mycareallies.com personalized member web portals.

The services provided in alliance with the LAF are a key component of the comprehensive oncology program that CIGNA HealthCare announced in 2006 and launched on January 1, 2007. This program, like each of CIGNA HealthCare's many health advocacy programs, provides personalized information and support from health coaches as members make decisions about their care and treatment.

According to the Institute of Medicine (IOM), approximately half of all men and one-third of all women in the United States will develop cancer in their lifetimes. Advances in detection and treatment have greatly improved chances of recovery and survival, but even after overcoming the illness, cancer survivors must often manage potentially lifelong consequences and risks associated with their illness.

The CIGNA Comprehensive Oncology Program provides prevention, wellness and condition management assistance to members including:

-- Online information and tools to help members make positive changes in health behaviors to help prevent future illness, such as quitting the use of tobacco; -- Outreach to support early diagnosis and prevention, including outreach to members who are overdue for recommended cancer screenings to encourage them to schedule appropriate tests; -- Support from case managers to help coordinate cancer patient care and help eliminate potential gaps in care. Case manager support includes helping members: better understand treatment options; engage in effective pain and side-effect management; understand how to best use their health benefits plan; and learn where to find other valuable support resources; -- Access to an extensive network of facilities and physicians recognized for their expertise and outcomes in diagnosing and treating cancer, as well as access to an extensive nationwide network of CIGNA HealthCare-credentialed hospice providers; and, -- Ongoing support for members as they manage their recovery and transition to life as cancer survivors, including those who have ongoing maintenance treatment or medication needs. About CIGNA HealthCare

CIGNA HealthCare, based 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 certain operations of Connecticut General Life Insurance Company, which is an operating subsidiary of CIGNA Corporation . Products and services are provided by such operating subsidiaries, and not by CIGNA Corporation. For more information, visit http://www.cigna.com/.

About the Lance Armstrong Foundation

The Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF) inspires and empowers people affected by cancer. We help people with cancer focus on living; we believe that unity is strength, knowledge is power and attitude is everything. From the moment of diagnosis, the LAF provides the practical information and tools people with cancer need to live life on their own terms. The LAF serves its mission through advocacy, public health and research. LIVESTRONG(TM) SurvivorCare is a program of the LAF in collaboration with CancerCare, Patient Advocate Foundation and EmergingMed. Founded in 1997 by cancer survivor and champion cyclist Lance Armstrong, the LAF is located in Austin, Texas. For more information, visit http://www.livestrong.org/.

CIGNA HealthCare

CONTACT: Amy Turkington of CIGNA HealthCare, +1-860-226-3489, oramy.turkington@cigna.com; or Jennifer Long of Lance Armstrong Foundation, +1-512-279-8391, or jennifer.long@laf.org

Web site: http://www.cigna.com/http://www.livestrong.org/

Company News On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/165050.html

Source: PRNewswire-FirstCall

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