July 1 (Reuters) – Cigna said on Wednesday its health services unit Evernorth has launched a new AI-powered specialty pharmacy program to reduce the time it takes to process prescriptions and improve customer service.
The program, called Pharmacy Forward, is supported by a $100 million investment through 2028, the health insurer said.
Here are more details:
• The company is launching the AI program first through its specialty pharmacy, Accredo.
• The program uses AI to integrate clinical data and insights, generate summaries to free up more time for clinicians to focus on patient care.
• ‘Pharmacy Forward’ is expected to reduce clinician documentation time by up to 50%, the company said.
• The program uses AI to improve prior authorization requests, halving the time it takes for patients to receive their medication after Accredo receives a prescription, the company said.
• Health insurers are increasingly adopting artificial intelligence tools to streamline documentation processes, reduce administrative burdens and lower costs.
• Accredo is also expanding capacity, staffing, and capabilities at many of its nearly 40 care facilities, Cigna said.
• The program is expected to generate about $400 million in value by the end of 2028, with Evernorth expecting to extend many of these capabilities to its other pharmacy operations in the coming years, it said.
(Reporting by Sneha S K in Bengaluru; Editing by Leroy Leo)
