Quality Improvement Programs

According to the Centers for Disease Control, an estimated $25 billion of U.S. healthcare costs was attributed to the abuse of painkillers—otherwise known as opioids. Up to 36 million people worldwide struggle with opioid addiction. CNN recently revealed that health Insurance companies alone lose a total of $72.5 billion annually due to of opioid addiction. Cigna is the most recent health insurance company to join the fight. By using patient data they are hoping to target overprescribing of prescription painkillers. Monitoring patient data and prescription history Cigna flags high-risk customers and notifies doctors about the patient’s history of opioid use or their high-risk behavior which puts the patient at risk for new prescriptions.