CIGNA unveils new program to predict short-term disability

The average disability absence costs $35,000 in lost productivity per employee, according to the Integrated Benefits Institute. CIGNA (NYSE:CI) today unveils a glimpse into the future– a new program that uses data analysis to predict the likelihood of a short-term disability. The power behind this model comes from the combination of predictive results with personalized outreach from nurses to those potentially at risk. Within a strict privacy framework, CIGNA is piloting both components to determine the most effective mix of identification, proactive outreach programs and services that can keep short-term disabilities from happening.

“Short-term disabilities cause a productivity deficit in the workplace, and many short-term disabilities often do not register with other predictive or risk assessment tools. It’s a high impact problem,” said Dr. Jeff Kang, chief medical officer for CIGNA.

“In addition to medical and disability claims data, this new approach complements health risk assessments and takes into account socio-economic information, demographics, behavioral health and other data to draw a more complete picture of an individual’s experience, and target outreach more effectively,” Kang continued.

“The ability for health professionals to identify individuals who are at increased risk for a short-term disability event while the disability may be preventable would have a tremendous value to employers and employees,” said Helen Darling, president of the National Business Group on Health. “CIGNA's new program shows potential for helping employees improve their health and well-being, while helping employers protect the productivity and resiliency they need in their workers for success in this tough, global economy.”

According to the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, the overall annual cost of poor health in the workplace is estimated at $1.8 trillion. Meanwhile, a JHA absence management survey reports 55 percent of employee absences are blamed on disabling injuries and illnesses.

In the current phase of program development, CIGNA is matching conditions that can be predicted with the best window of opportunity to provide assistance to participating employees and help them achieve prevention. Employees who participate in the program benefit from one-to-one assistance from nurses, who develop a personalized action plan, with incentives, that addresses a potentially disabling health issue. The nurse may refer the individual to specialized CIGNA programs including stay-at-work services and CIGNA Pharmacy’s drug therapy optimization program as well as other CIGNA health advocacy programs offered by their employer.

CIGNA’s programs can help employees and employers maintain a healthy and productive work environment. Predicting and helping prevent short term disabilities using this new model will further deepen CIGNA's ability to achieve sustained healthy results.