1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:02,480 Hello, everyone. This is Jacob Emerson with the 2 00:00:02,480 --> 00:00:04,259 Becker's Payer Issues podcast. 3 00:00:04,639 --> 00:00:06,879 Thrilled today to be joined by a special 4 00:00:06,879 --> 00:00:09,679 guest. Margo Curry is the senior director of 5 00:00:09,679 --> 00:00:12,500 commercial medical clinical solutions and strategy 6 00:00:12,875 --> 00:00:15,355 at Cigna Health Care. Margo, thank you so 7 00:00:15,355 --> 00:00:16,954 much for taking the time to be with 8 00:00:16,954 --> 00:00:18,255 me on the podcast today. 9 00:00:19,195 --> 00:00:20,795 Jacob, it's great to be here. Thank you 10 00:00:20,795 --> 00:00:23,515 for having me. Absolutely. Thank you so much 11 00:00:23,515 --> 00:00:24,814 for taking the time. 12 00:00:25,670 --> 00:00:27,030 We we're here to talk with you today 13 00:00:27,030 --> 00:00:29,670 about a very important issue, but before we 14 00:00:29,670 --> 00:00:31,510 dive into all of that and all that 15 00:00:31,510 --> 00:00:33,270 we wanna talk with you about, can you 16 00:00:33,270 --> 00:00:34,950 tell us a little bit more about yourself 17 00:00:34,950 --> 00:00:37,690 in terms of your health care career background 18 00:00:37,750 --> 00:00:39,510 and what it is that you do today 19 00:00:39,510 --> 00:00:40,250 at Cigna? 20 00:00:40,925 --> 00:00:43,645 Sure. At Cigna, I'm a product lead of 21 00:00:43,645 --> 00:00:46,465 Cigna's medical clinical solutions and strategy. 22 00:00:46,925 --> 00:00:49,164 And so in this role, I'm responsible for 23 00:00:49,164 --> 00:00:53,164 our overall wellness programs, disease specific programs, medical 24 00:00:53,164 --> 00:00:55,024 specialty drugs, and oncology. 25 00:00:56,039 --> 00:00:58,439 I've been with Cigna for 6 years and 26 00:00:58,439 --> 00:01:01,320 in various products and strategy roles for probably 27 00:01:01,320 --> 00:01:02,699 over 25 years. 28 00:01:03,479 --> 00:01:05,560 I live in San Diego with my husband 29 00:01:05,560 --> 00:01:07,979 and 2 young girls. They're aged 46. 30 00:01:09,185 --> 00:01:09,924 And ironically, 31 00:01:11,104 --> 00:01:12,165 despite leading 32 00:01:12,545 --> 00:01:15,924 Cigna's oncology program, in the summer of 2023, 33 00:01:16,864 --> 00:01:19,045 I was given the shocking diagnosis 34 00:01:19,424 --> 00:01:21,045 I had stage share breast cancer. 35 00:01:22,280 --> 00:01:24,120 And how I found it was I was 36 00:01:24,120 --> 00:01:26,140 going to a local concert with my husband, 37 00:01:26,439 --> 00:01:28,520 I put on a tube cap shirt, we 38 00:01:28,520 --> 00:01:31,079 were dressing up, and I felt some bumps 39 00:01:31,079 --> 00:01:32,760 not even on my breast but in my 40 00:01:32,760 --> 00:01:35,505 upper left chest. And I remember immediately showing 41 00:01:35,505 --> 00:01:37,344 it to my husband at the time and 42 00:01:37,344 --> 00:01:40,325 he had a very normal reaction which was, 43 00:01:40,385 --> 00:01:42,305 hey, babe. You know, don't worry about it. 44 00:01:42,305 --> 00:01:44,225 It's on your chest. It's not even on 45 00:01:44,225 --> 00:01:44,885 your breast. 46 00:01:45,424 --> 00:01:45,924 And 47 00:01:46,790 --> 00:01:47,290 luckily, 48 00:01:47,670 --> 00:01:50,469 I took action after talking to a friend 49 00:01:50,469 --> 00:01:52,650 who encouraged me to see someone right away 50 00:01:52,870 --> 00:01:55,290 and I did see my primary care 51 00:01:55,590 --> 00:01:59,030 and very quickly got the unfortunate diagnosis I 52 00:01:59,030 --> 00:02:00,810 had stage 3 breast cancer. 53 00:02:01,515 --> 00:02:03,935 But this was a shock. I mean, Jacob, 54 00:02:04,314 --> 00:02:07,515 I had no family, no genetic history. I 55 00:02:07,515 --> 00:02:09,354 still don't even after they've done all the 56 00:02:09,354 --> 00:02:10,415 rigorous testing. 57 00:02:10,955 --> 00:02:13,594 I was healthy. I always bought organic. I 58 00:02:13,594 --> 00:02:15,534 didn't smoke. I did my annual 59 00:02:15,990 --> 00:02:19,669 visit, physician visits and checks. This was something 60 00:02:19,669 --> 00:02:21,830 I thought I would never have to be 61 00:02:21,830 --> 00:02:22,650 worried about. 62 00:02:23,270 --> 00:02:23,770 And, 63 00:02:24,069 --> 00:02:24,569 unfortunately, 64 00:02:25,110 --> 00:02:27,349 you know, this is all too common of 65 00:02:27,349 --> 00:02:30,090 people who get breast cancer. In fact, 85% 66 00:02:31,384 --> 00:02:33,625 of the women who get breast cancer have 67 00:02:33,625 --> 00:02:36,104 no family and no genetic history. So they're 68 00:02:36,104 --> 00:02:38,204 in a state of shock just like me. 69 00:02:38,824 --> 00:02:39,324 And 70 00:02:40,185 --> 00:02:42,185 kind of in terms of my treatment, pretty 71 00:02:42,185 --> 00:02:42,685 immediately, 72 00:02:43,144 --> 00:02:44,685 I had to start a grueling 73 00:02:45,040 --> 00:02:46,960 five and a half months of chemo with 74 00:02:46,960 --> 00:02:48,879 some of the toughest chemo drugs in the 75 00:02:48,879 --> 00:02:49,379 world. 76 00:02:49,680 --> 00:02:51,760 Very quickly, I would shave my head and 77 00:02:51,760 --> 00:02:53,680 then all of my hair. I had to 78 00:02:53,680 --> 00:02:54,819 get a double mastectomy, 79 00:02:55,680 --> 00:02:57,300 6 weeks of daily radiation, 80 00:02:57,895 --> 00:03:00,314 followed by this summer I did a preventative 81 00:03:00,534 --> 00:03:01,034 oophorectomy 82 00:03:01,495 --> 00:03:02,395 and hysterectomy. 83 00:03:02,935 --> 00:03:05,275 And I'll be on maintenance medication for years. 84 00:03:05,735 --> 00:03:08,775 So this isn't something that is one and 85 00:03:08,775 --> 00:03:10,875 done. This is massive life 86 00:03:11,420 --> 00:03:12,639 altering. It's 87 00:03:12,939 --> 00:03:16,139 massively costly. It's traumatic and it's, again, something 88 00:03:16,139 --> 00:03:17,920 that's gonna be with me for life. 89 00:03:18,300 --> 00:03:18,800 And 90 00:03:19,260 --> 00:03:21,520 this was a big moment for me. 91 00:03:22,139 --> 00:03:24,460 What can after going through this, even while 92 00:03:24,460 --> 00:03:26,644 I was going through it, the entire time 93 00:03:26,644 --> 00:03:27,625 I was thinking, 94 00:03:28,245 --> 00:03:29,764 what can I do as a health care 95 00:03:29,764 --> 00:03:32,104 leader who oversees our oncology 96 00:03:32,405 --> 00:03:33,544 solutions and strategy 97 00:03:34,004 --> 00:03:35,224 that help others? 98 00:03:35,764 --> 00:03:37,604 How can I help them catch it early 99 00:03:37,604 --> 00:03:39,465 so they are not going through this traumatic 100 00:03:39,525 --> 00:03:41,979 and constant journey that I did? And if 101 00:03:41,979 --> 00:03:43,819 they do go through it, how can I 102 00:03:43,819 --> 00:03:45,819 share all of the tips and tricks and 103 00:03:45,819 --> 00:03:49,020 everything I learned to make this process less 104 00:03:49,020 --> 00:03:49,520 daunting? 105 00:03:50,780 --> 00:03:51,759 Wow. I mean, 106 00:03:52,139 --> 00:03:54,139 first, let me just say, Margo, thank you 107 00:03:54,139 --> 00:03:56,615 so much for coming on today to to 108 00:03:56,615 --> 00:03:59,014 share your story and your journey with us 109 00:03:59,014 --> 00:03:59,514 because 110 00:03:59,814 --> 00:04:00,715 it's so important, 111 00:04:01,094 --> 00:04:02,775 to to get your message out there about 112 00:04:02,775 --> 00:04:04,955 what you've experienced and what you've been through. 113 00:04:05,254 --> 00:04:08,075 And then, as you said, translate that into 114 00:04:08,375 --> 00:04:11,889 advocacy for better access to these services for 115 00:04:11,949 --> 00:04:12,449 everyone 116 00:04:12,750 --> 00:04:15,729 that Cigna serves. So so, again, thank you, 117 00:04:16,189 --> 00:04:17,790 for taking the time to do this and 118 00:04:17,790 --> 00:04:19,490 and to share your story with us. 119 00:04:19,790 --> 00:04:22,029 I think the natural question to to everything 120 00:04:22,029 --> 00:04:24,670 that you just shared, Margo, is why is 121 00:04:24,670 --> 00:04:27,125 there such a pressing need for more breast 122 00:04:27,125 --> 00:04:28,745 cancer screenings and support 123 00:04:29,285 --> 00:04:32,264 for for the individuals that Cigna serves? 124 00:04:32,805 --> 00:04:34,104 And has there been, 125 00:04:34,564 --> 00:04:37,444 specific strategies or initiatives that you all have 126 00:04:37,444 --> 00:04:40,485 found to be most effective in addressing these 127 00:04:40,485 --> 00:04:40,985 issues? 128 00:04:42,120 --> 00:04:42,620 Yes. 129 00:04:42,920 --> 00:04:43,420 Absolutely. 130 00:04:44,439 --> 00:04:45,660 When caught early, 131 00:04:46,040 --> 00:04:47,899 breast cancer has a 99% 132 00:04:48,759 --> 00:04:51,560 survival rate. The customer if a patient is 133 00:04:51,560 --> 00:04:54,120 looking at kind of a relatively minor surgery, 134 00:04:54,120 --> 00:04:54,779 a lumpectomy, 135 00:04:55,160 --> 00:04:56,620 maybe a little bit of radiation, 136 00:04:57,705 --> 00:05:00,605 versus everything I went through. When caught late, 137 00:05:00,904 --> 00:05:03,245 like at stage 3, you have an 80% 138 00:05:03,545 --> 00:05:06,504 survival rate. And when caught at stage 4, 139 00:05:06,504 --> 00:05:07,564 you have a 30% 140 00:05:08,024 --> 00:05:10,524 survival rate. So there is a massive 141 00:05:11,430 --> 00:05:14,230 value proposition in catching this early, I mean, 142 00:05:14,230 --> 00:05:15,449 patients can live. 143 00:05:15,990 --> 00:05:18,870 So as I reflected on my experience, there 144 00:05:18,870 --> 00:05:21,350 were 3 gaps that I really wanted to 145 00:05:21,350 --> 00:05:24,490 tackle to help drive early detection. 146 00:05:24,894 --> 00:05:26,574 And by the way, when you find cancer 147 00:05:26,574 --> 00:05:28,814 early at stage 1 versus stage 4, there 148 00:05:28,814 --> 00:05:29,794 is a 350% 149 00:05:31,375 --> 00:05:32,194 cost difference. 150 00:05:33,055 --> 00:05:35,375 So there's also a significant value prop for 151 00:05:35,375 --> 00:05:36,034 our client. 152 00:05:36,495 --> 00:05:38,654 So the first the first gap we wanna 153 00:05:38,654 --> 00:05:39,154 tackle 154 00:05:39,720 --> 00:05:41,560 was you could've heard this in the story 155 00:05:41,560 --> 00:05:44,039 probably, but there's a massive lack of public 156 00:05:44,039 --> 00:05:46,459 awareness about around breast health. 157 00:05:47,160 --> 00:05:47,660 So 158 00:05:48,120 --> 00:05:50,699 1 in 8 women will get breast cancer 159 00:05:51,160 --> 00:05:51,979 and 85% 160 00:05:53,474 --> 00:05:55,894 have no family and no genetic history. 161 00:05:56,354 --> 00:05:59,394 That stat is not out there. Most women 162 00:05:59,394 --> 00:06:01,154 think tune out. I don't have to worry 163 00:06:01,154 --> 00:06:02,754 about this. I don't have it in my 164 00:06:02,754 --> 00:06:05,074 family. I don't have to I don't have 165 00:06:05,074 --> 00:06:05,735 the gene. 166 00:06:06,279 --> 00:06:09,000 But every woman needs to tune in, and 167 00:06:09,000 --> 00:06:10,779 this is why getting your mammogram 168 00:06:11,160 --> 00:06:13,180 and continuing to get the mammogram 169 00:06:13,720 --> 00:06:16,839 are so important. So that simple stat is 170 00:06:16,839 --> 00:06:19,420 just critical to help raise public awareness. 171 00:06:19,795 --> 00:06:22,035 As women, we're taught that there's one side 172 00:06:22,035 --> 00:06:23,795 of breast cancer, that it's a bump on 173 00:06:23,795 --> 00:06:26,055 your breast. But actually, there's 174 00:06:26,435 --> 00:06:28,995 one side of breast cancer and the bump 175 00:06:28,995 --> 00:06:30,935 can be anywhere below your collarbone. 176 00:06:31,555 --> 00:06:34,514 And so at Cigna, we really wanna change 177 00:06:34,514 --> 00:06:37,449 this to help women understand the importance of 178 00:06:37,449 --> 00:06:39,949 getting their mammogram and of this breast health. 179 00:06:40,009 --> 00:06:41,930 So we actually launched a few initiatives here, 180 00:06:41,930 --> 00:06:44,330 Jacob. Some are small, some are bigger. So 181 00:06:44,330 --> 00:06:44,990 in October, 182 00:06:46,009 --> 00:06:48,330 this year, in light of breast cancer awareness 183 00:06:48,330 --> 00:06:50,764 month, we put a a cute little bra 184 00:06:50,764 --> 00:06:52,865 image with the message get your mammogram 185 00:06:53,405 --> 00:06:54,865 on the inside of PillCap. 186 00:06:55,245 --> 00:06:57,564 So every woman receiving a script from our 187 00:06:57,564 --> 00:07:00,685 select facility who is over 40 received this 188 00:07:00,685 --> 00:07:01,745 cute little mammogram. 189 00:07:02,220 --> 00:07:04,379 In October and this was available to all 190 00:07:04,379 --> 00:07:06,860 clients across the board at no cost. Also, 191 00:07:06,860 --> 00:07:09,680 in October, we launched a text messaging campaign 192 00:07:10,060 --> 00:07:12,460 targeting women over 40 who had not yet 193 00:07:12,460 --> 00:07:13,439 gotten their mammogram. 194 00:07:13,740 --> 00:07:15,920 This was done in partnership with our Evernorth 195 00:07:16,060 --> 00:07:16,560 partners. 196 00:07:17,774 --> 00:07:18,595 And lastly, 197 00:07:19,134 --> 00:07:21,935 we launched this October across the board available 198 00:07:21,935 --> 00:07:24,435 at no cost to all clients, a partnership 199 00:07:24,814 --> 00:07:26,995 with a company called Know Your Lemons. 200 00:07:27,694 --> 00:07:30,675 Know Your Lemons offers an award winning digital 201 00:07:30,735 --> 00:07:31,235 experience 202 00:07:31,790 --> 00:07:34,829 and educates patients on breath breast health, such 203 00:07:34,829 --> 00:07:37,310 as the twelve signs of breast cancer and 204 00:07:37,310 --> 00:07:38,990 that a lump can be anywhere below your 205 00:07:38,990 --> 00:07:39,490 collarbone, 206 00:07:39,949 --> 00:07:41,889 stuff that you don't hear anywhere else. 207 00:07:42,430 --> 00:07:44,430 And what's cool about it is they use 208 00:07:44,430 --> 00:07:47,285 lemon instead of breath. A lot of cultures 209 00:07:47,664 --> 00:07:48,485 or individuals 210 00:07:49,024 --> 00:07:51,845 don't feel comfortable looking or talking about breath. 211 00:07:52,144 --> 00:07:54,245 And so the visual use of a lemon 212 00:07:54,305 --> 00:07:56,464 is a way to help kind of break 213 00:07:56,464 --> 00:07:59,125 through those barriers and still provide education. 214 00:07:59,889 --> 00:08:01,569 And their visuals, if you go online and 215 00:08:01,569 --> 00:08:02,949 check them out, they're just captivating. 216 00:08:03,810 --> 00:08:05,569 And it's not just for women. So for 217 00:08:05,569 --> 00:08:07,650 men, it's gonna teach them what to look 218 00:08:07,650 --> 00:08:09,410 for. It's gonna teach them how to have 219 00:08:09,410 --> 00:08:12,389 conversations with their wives, their mothers, their daughters 220 00:08:12,770 --> 00:08:15,564 about the importance of breast health. And so, 221 00:08:15,564 --> 00:08:18,365 again, when caught early, breast cancer has a 222 00:08:18,365 --> 00:08:18,865 99% 223 00:08:19,324 --> 00:08:21,185 survival rate. All of this matters. 224 00:08:21,884 --> 00:08:22,384 And, 225 00:08:22,845 --> 00:08:25,185 know your lemons has some pretty compelling results. 226 00:08:25,404 --> 00:08:25,904 So 227 00:08:26,365 --> 00:08:28,925 when they found in their study, the customers 228 00:08:28,925 --> 00:08:30,444 who kind of go through the know your 229 00:08:30,444 --> 00:08:32,839 lemons experience, they have a 24% 230 00:08:33,539 --> 00:08:34,600 increase in mammogram 231 00:08:35,299 --> 00:08:36,200 and a 34 232 00:08:36,899 --> 00:08:39,240 percent reduction in stage 4 diagnosis. 233 00:08:39,779 --> 00:08:42,100 And so we're also launching so that's a 234 00:08:42,100 --> 00:08:42,839 free version, 235 00:08:43,404 --> 00:08:45,644 but we have a at work know your 236 00:08:45,644 --> 00:08:48,464 lemon solution. We're also launching 1 125 237 00:08:48,845 --> 00:08:50,605 that clients can buy up at a minimal 238 00:08:50,605 --> 00:08:52,684 cost, and that's for clients who really wanna 239 00:08:52,684 --> 00:08:55,585 lean in. If you want client specific reporting, 240 00:08:55,644 --> 00:08:56,144 gamification 241 00:08:56,524 --> 00:08:59,159 to help encourage more engagement on this app, 242 00:08:59,480 --> 00:09:02,600 That's what it does. It also provides every 243 00:09:02,600 --> 00:09:04,699 single breast cancer diagnosed 244 00:09:05,399 --> 00:09:07,259 customer with a box 245 00:09:07,559 --> 00:09:09,019 called the dandelion box. 246 00:09:09,399 --> 00:09:12,225 That box includes messages of hope. It teaches 247 00:09:12,225 --> 00:09:13,825 them kind of how to get through with 248 00:09:13,825 --> 00:09:16,804 tips and tricks. It explains the highly complex 249 00:09:16,865 --> 00:09:18,085 landscape of chemotherapies 250 00:09:18,465 --> 00:09:20,865 and lab results, etcetera, in easy to understand 251 00:09:20,865 --> 00:09:21,365 ways. 252 00:09:21,825 --> 00:09:24,299 So, again, the the first kind of that 253 00:09:24,299 --> 00:09:26,539 was a lot, but all of these breast 254 00:09:26,539 --> 00:09:27,840 health awareness programs 255 00:09:28,379 --> 00:09:31,120 are really focused on driving early detection, 256 00:09:31,660 --> 00:09:32,720 saving lives, 257 00:09:33,100 --> 00:09:35,580 and lowering cost. I said that that there 258 00:09:35,580 --> 00:09:37,574 were kind of 3, and so that was 259 00:09:37,574 --> 00:09:40,774 one big big area we tackled pretty aggressively 260 00:09:40,774 --> 00:09:43,914 here around breast health. But the second area 261 00:09:44,214 --> 00:09:44,714 was 262 00:09:45,095 --> 00:09:47,254 it's great to provide awareness. We need to 263 00:09:47,254 --> 00:09:50,889 do that. But there still exist some barriers 264 00:09:50,950 --> 00:09:53,129 for why women were not getting their mammogram 265 00:09:53,350 --> 00:09:54,809 or their preventive exam. 266 00:09:55,269 --> 00:09:57,350 So one barrier we hope to tackle here 267 00:09:57,350 --> 00:09:58,089 is financial. 268 00:09:58,389 --> 00:09:59,370 So come 1126, 269 00:10:00,389 --> 00:10:03,289 we're launching a new premier oncology benefit 270 00:10:03,834 --> 00:10:04,334 where 271 00:10:04,875 --> 00:10:06,794 if you need to get a breath 272 00:10:07,434 --> 00:10:08,174 a a mammogram, 273 00:10:08,554 --> 00:10:09,455 a colonoscopy, 274 00:10:09,995 --> 00:10:12,714 maybe an MRI or an ultrasound because you 275 00:10:12,714 --> 00:10:14,955 have dense breasts, maybe you need a mammogram 276 00:10:14,955 --> 00:10:17,455 but you're not 40 or 30 or 35, 277 00:10:17,514 --> 00:10:18,174 you know, 278 00:10:18,850 --> 00:10:21,509 patients are getting cancer younger and younger, specifically 279 00:10:21,649 --> 00:10:23,110 breast and colon cancer. 280 00:10:23,730 --> 00:10:26,049 If you have a diagnostic and clinical reason 281 00:10:26,049 --> 00:10:28,450 for needing to get these exams despite the 282 00:10:28,450 --> 00:10:28,950 age, 283 00:10:29,410 --> 00:10:31,669 this benefit will cover you with a $0 284 00:10:32,049 --> 00:10:32,950 cost there. 285 00:10:33,815 --> 00:10:36,394 So we're we're really excited about this benefit, 286 00:10:36,455 --> 00:10:39,735 again, targeted at removing any financial barrier for 287 00:10:39,735 --> 00:10:40,394 the customer. 288 00:10:41,174 --> 00:10:42,154 We also understand 289 00:10:42,535 --> 00:10:43,274 another barrier 290 00:10:43,735 --> 00:10:44,475 is scheduling, 291 00:10:44,855 --> 00:10:46,075 as simple as scheduling. 292 00:10:46,500 --> 00:10:49,059 So we're launching a solution 1 125 of 293 00:10:49,059 --> 00:10:50,580 this year just in a few months. It's 294 00:10:50,580 --> 00:10:52,759 called our preventative care outreach model. 295 00:10:53,460 --> 00:10:55,700 And this is going to if they buy 296 00:10:55,700 --> 00:10:58,500 up, it is going to proactively call targeted 297 00:10:58,500 --> 00:10:59,000 members 298 00:10:59,545 --> 00:11:01,485 reminding them to get their mammogram. 299 00:11:01,865 --> 00:11:04,205 It tells them why it's so important, but 300 00:11:04,264 --> 00:11:07,304 it will help them get it scheduled, which 301 00:11:07,304 --> 00:11:09,485 is we understand a significant barrier. 302 00:11:10,585 --> 00:11:11,085 And 303 00:11:11,759 --> 00:11:13,840 lastly, you know, we we can't stop we 304 00:11:13,840 --> 00:11:16,639 at Cigna, we can't stop women from getting 305 00:11:16,639 --> 00:11:18,639 diagnosed with breast cancer or any type of 306 00:11:18,639 --> 00:11:21,120 cancer. But we can and what you hear 307 00:11:21,120 --> 00:11:23,759 from me is we're encouraging and hoping to 308 00:11:23,759 --> 00:11:24,820 catch it early. 309 00:11:25,625 --> 00:11:27,945 But if it is caught late, like in 310 00:11:27,945 --> 00:11:28,764 my experience, 311 00:11:29,384 --> 00:11:31,384 and one of the things I learned is 312 00:11:31,384 --> 00:11:32,924 that what was most helpful 313 00:11:33,464 --> 00:11:36,684 was when I was getting breast cancer specific 314 00:11:36,825 --> 00:11:37,325 guidance 315 00:11:37,865 --> 00:11:40,524 from my oncology nurse advocate at Cigna. 316 00:11:41,070 --> 00:11:43,410 Because each cancer diagnosis 317 00:11:43,790 --> 00:11:44,450 is unique. 318 00:11:44,910 --> 00:11:46,750 It comes with their own drugs, their own 319 00:11:46,750 --> 00:11:49,070 side effects, their different tips and tricks to 320 00:11:49,070 --> 00:11:52,110 manage the side effects, there's different challenges and 321 00:11:52,110 --> 00:11:52,610 resources 322 00:11:53,149 --> 00:11:53,649 available. 323 00:11:54,544 --> 00:11:56,404 And so one of the shifts 324 00:11:56,865 --> 00:11:59,444 we've made at Cigna is we understand 325 00:11:59,745 --> 00:12:02,164 a one size fits all approach for oncology 326 00:12:02,704 --> 00:12:03,684 will not work. 327 00:12:04,225 --> 00:12:04,725 Instead, 328 00:12:05,105 --> 00:12:06,725 we're taking a differentiated 329 00:12:07,264 --> 00:12:07,764 approach. 330 00:12:08,065 --> 00:12:09,204 So we are connecting 331 00:12:10,049 --> 00:12:13,990 customers with personal oncology nurse advocates 332 00:12:14,370 --> 00:12:17,169 who are highly trained and qualified, not just 333 00:12:17,169 --> 00:12:17,909 in oncology, 334 00:12:18,450 --> 00:12:21,730 but they're offering condition specific tips, for example, 335 00:12:21,730 --> 00:12:22,710 in breast cancer. 336 00:12:23,115 --> 00:12:24,634 So here's some of the kind of tips 337 00:12:24,634 --> 00:12:26,575 and tricks they're gonna share with you, Jacob. 338 00:12:27,195 --> 00:12:28,654 When you're starting chemo, 339 00:12:29,034 --> 00:12:30,715 the last thing on your mind or a 340 00:12:30,715 --> 00:12:33,274 patient's mind is their eyelashes and their eyebrows. 341 00:12:33,274 --> 00:12:35,750 Right? Like, they feel like they're dying. And 342 00:12:35,750 --> 00:12:39,110 yet, getting some advice upfront before you start 343 00:12:39,110 --> 00:12:41,129 chemo to say, hey. Consider 344 00:12:41,669 --> 00:12:44,389 getting your eyebrows tattooed because you're gonna look 345 00:12:44,389 --> 00:12:46,070 like an eye you know, you're gonna look 346 00:12:46,070 --> 00:12:47,830 like a cancer patient not because you don't 347 00:12:47,830 --> 00:12:49,750 have hair, but because you have no eyebrows 348 00:12:49,750 --> 00:12:50,409 and eyelashes. 349 00:12:50,804 --> 00:12:53,065 So consider getting your eyebrows microbladed 350 00:12:53,524 --> 00:12:55,845 to tattoo that lasts 2 years. It's just 351 00:12:55,845 --> 00:12:57,865 a little tip that we share with patients. 352 00:12:58,164 --> 00:13:00,004 We also share if you're being treated with 353 00:13:00,004 --> 00:13:00,504 adreanmicin, 354 00:13:01,524 --> 00:13:04,184 that's on ice while you're receiving that infusion 355 00:13:04,245 --> 00:13:07,110 for 20 minutes because that can prevent these 356 00:13:07,110 --> 00:13:08,330 awful mouth sores. 357 00:13:08,789 --> 00:13:11,429 If you're getting treated for capsule infusions, it's 358 00:13:11,429 --> 00:13:14,309 about an hour long, consider wearing you can 359 00:13:14,309 --> 00:13:15,370 buy them off Amazon, 360 00:13:15,909 --> 00:13:17,610 ice mittens and booties. 361 00:13:18,254 --> 00:13:20,654 Doing this will help reduce and minimize the 362 00:13:20,654 --> 00:13:22,975 risk of developing neuropathy in your hands and 363 00:13:22,975 --> 00:13:24,754 feet, and that's for life. 364 00:13:25,535 --> 00:13:28,195 And so and they also understand Cigna's wig 365 00:13:28,335 --> 00:13:31,715 benefit and local resources for free bit wig, 366 00:13:31,855 --> 00:13:33,235 helping connect women 367 00:13:33,539 --> 00:13:36,120 through these resources to help them feel confident. 368 00:13:36,659 --> 00:13:38,980 And so this targeted condition support is unique 369 00:13:38,980 --> 00:13:40,120 in the health care industry, 370 00:13:40,579 --> 00:13:42,759 and this approach, you know, it provides holistic 371 00:13:42,820 --> 00:13:44,919 assistance to really address the customer's 372 00:13:45,459 --> 00:13:48,919 financial, medical, pharmaceutical, behavioral health needs 373 00:13:49,404 --> 00:13:50,865 throughout their entire journey. 374 00:13:51,964 --> 00:13:53,964 So as you just detailed, Margo, there is 375 00:13:53,964 --> 00:13:56,524 so much amazing work going on across the 376 00:13:56,524 --> 00:13:59,164 Cigna enterprise in terms of being aware of 377 00:13:59,164 --> 00:14:01,404 the signs and symptoms of breast cancer and 378 00:14:01,404 --> 00:14:02,544 then being proactive 379 00:14:03,085 --> 00:14:03,585 about 380 00:14:03,990 --> 00:14:04,490 breast 381 00:14:04,950 --> 00:14:06,090 health. Any other, 382 00:14:06,870 --> 00:14:07,370 innovations 383 00:14:07,830 --> 00:14:08,730 or approaches, 384 00:14:09,190 --> 00:14:11,269 from Cigna that you'd like to share about 385 00:14:11,269 --> 00:14:12,889 in terms of advancing support, 386 00:14:13,509 --> 00:14:16,090 for for breast cancer services, Margo? 387 00:14:17,644 --> 00:14:18,705 Yeah. So 388 00:14:19,325 --> 00:14:21,325 we've talked a lot about the programs that 389 00:14:21,325 --> 00:14:23,644 Cigna is due to support the customer and 390 00:14:23,644 --> 00:14:26,125 help us find it early, but we also 391 00:14:26,125 --> 00:14:28,764 understand for clients, oncology is still a major 392 00:14:28,764 --> 00:14:31,289 cost. In fact, when I look at our 393 00:14:31,289 --> 00:14:34,429 total spend across Cigna's entire book by condition, 394 00:14:34,889 --> 00:14:37,450 oncology is often the number 1 or number 395 00:14:37,450 --> 00:14:39,710 2 cost driver across all conditions. 396 00:14:40,490 --> 00:14:43,245 And what's interesting when you look at total 397 00:14:43,245 --> 00:14:45,965 oncology cost a little bit deeper, the number 398 00:14:45,965 --> 00:14:48,764 one driver of total oncology cost are medical 399 00:14:48,764 --> 00:14:50,785 specialty drugs, and they drive 35% 400 00:14:51,245 --> 00:14:53,965 of total cost. And so Cigna has an 401 00:14:53,965 --> 00:14:56,924 industry leading benefit in network to manage these 402 00:14:56,924 --> 00:14:58,384 costs called possible specialty. 403 00:14:58,740 --> 00:15:00,279 And clients can save 15% 404 00:15:00,740 --> 00:15:03,379 off their medical specialty drugs then. This is 405 00:15:03,379 --> 00:15:04,039 a significant 406 00:15:04,419 --> 00:15:04,919 program 407 00:15:05,299 --> 00:15:07,799 to move the needle in managing the cost. 408 00:15:08,179 --> 00:15:09,559 From the customer lens, 409 00:15:10,100 --> 00:15:12,120 customers are often redirected 410 00:15:12,815 --> 00:15:14,894 to their home. So they're giving the option 411 00:15:14,894 --> 00:15:17,534 of instead of receiving this infusion in a 412 00:15:17,534 --> 00:15:18,995 high cost hospital setting, 413 00:15:19,375 --> 00:15:21,615 you could instead not have to go anywhere 414 00:15:21,615 --> 00:15:23,774 and receive this infusion in the comfort and 415 00:15:23,774 --> 00:15:25,934 convenience of your own home. And in fact, 416 00:15:25,934 --> 00:15:28,549 50% of the time when we make these 417 00:15:28,549 --> 00:15:30,730 calls, customers elect to do that. 418 00:15:31,110 --> 00:15:33,690 And so we're launching a lot in 2024 419 00:15:33,990 --> 00:15:34,570 and 25, 420 00:15:35,350 --> 00:15:37,429 but we're not done. I mean, oncology, it 421 00:15:37,429 --> 00:15:39,049 remains a top priority, 422 00:15:39,350 --> 00:15:40,730 and I'm so grateful 423 00:15:41,045 --> 00:15:43,545 I can use my experience to help others. 424 00:15:44,004 --> 00:15:46,745 And that the Cigna enterprise has really embraced 425 00:15:47,125 --> 00:15:47,865 the advocacy 426 00:15:48,404 --> 00:15:49,144 of survivor 427 00:15:49,925 --> 00:15:50,985 to drive change. 428 00:15:52,004 --> 00:15:53,605 Absolutely. Well, it sounds like a lot of 429 00:15:53,605 --> 00:15:55,545 amazing things on the horizon, Margo. 430 00:15:55,929 --> 00:15:57,529 Before we go, you have a lot of 431 00:15:57,529 --> 00:16:00,009 other health plan leaders listening in from all 432 00:16:00,009 --> 00:16:00,910 over the country. 433 00:16:01,370 --> 00:16:03,929 Any final thoughts or bits of advice you'd 434 00:16:03,929 --> 00:16:06,110 like to share with them in terms of, 435 00:16:06,490 --> 00:16:09,610 helping better better manage their their members' breast 436 00:16:09,610 --> 00:16:12,394 health and and catching these issues early on. 437 00:16:14,294 --> 00:16:16,534 Yeah. The one thing we didn't talk about 438 00:16:16,534 --> 00:16:18,774 it, that it's almost the step one and 439 00:16:18,774 --> 00:16:22,134 gets often overlooked, Jacob, is when you are 440 00:16:22,134 --> 00:16:24,454 diagnosed with cancer, but you feel like you're 441 00:16:24,454 --> 00:16:26,190 dying. Literally, when you walk out the door 442 00:16:26,190 --> 00:16:27,870 of that doctor's office or you hang up 443 00:16:27,870 --> 00:16:30,110 the phone, you feel like you're dying. It's 444 00:16:30,110 --> 00:16:32,370 very difficult to comprehend basic information. 445 00:16:33,149 --> 00:16:36,509 You need significant behavioral health. And that's truly 446 00:16:36,509 --> 00:16:38,669 kind of the step one. In fact, many 447 00:16:38,669 --> 00:16:41,524 cancer patients as I talked as I connected 448 00:16:41,524 --> 00:16:44,264 with cancer patients in my journey, they cited 449 00:16:44,565 --> 00:16:45,865 the hardest part 450 00:16:46,245 --> 00:16:48,824 was that first part of moving from diagnosis 451 00:16:49,684 --> 00:16:52,725 to before starting treatment. And so Cigna offers 452 00:16:52,725 --> 00:16:56,580 247 behavioral health support, the program called confide, 453 00:16:56,960 --> 00:16:59,379 and it connects a customer to a licensed 454 00:16:59,440 --> 00:17:00,660 telephonic clinician. 455 00:17:01,279 --> 00:17:03,360 And this was one of the first calls 456 00:17:03,360 --> 00:17:04,100 I made. 457 00:17:04,480 --> 00:17:05,859 And this period, 458 00:17:06,320 --> 00:17:08,180 it's a massive mental health challenge. 459 00:17:08,865 --> 00:17:11,025 People cancer patients are haunted by the fact 460 00:17:11,025 --> 00:17:13,025 that the cancer is spreading. It's here. It's 461 00:17:13,025 --> 00:17:16,464 here. And that may very well manifest in 462 00:17:16,464 --> 00:17:16,964 unnecessary 463 00:17:17,345 --> 00:17:20,565 ER visits or additional high cost unnecessary 464 00:17:20,865 --> 00:17:21,365 imaging. 465 00:17:22,090 --> 00:17:24,570 And so being able to support these patients 466 00:17:24,570 --> 00:17:26,910 from a behavioral health standpoint immediately 467 00:17:27,529 --> 00:17:29,390 to manage this massive anxiety, 468 00:17:29,690 --> 00:17:32,269 maybe sleeping challenges, maybe depression 469 00:17:33,210 --> 00:17:34,509 can also significantly 470 00:17:34,809 --> 00:17:37,674 help, manage costs and avoid unnecessary 471 00:17:37,975 --> 00:17:38,795 medical treatment. 472 00:17:39,174 --> 00:17:39,914 And so, 473 00:17:40,375 --> 00:17:44,055 Cigna doesn't just offer and connect oncology patients 474 00:17:44,055 --> 00:17:45,195 with support immediately, 475 00:17:45,575 --> 00:17:48,154 but they can connect oncology patients with 476 00:17:48,455 --> 00:17:48,955 oncology 477 00:17:49,335 --> 00:17:49,835 specific 478 00:17:50,529 --> 00:17:51,509 behavioral therapists 479 00:17:51,890 --> 00:17:52,710 who understand 480 00:17:53,410 --> 00:17:55,410 what it feels like to feel like you're 481 00:17:55,410 --> 00:17:57,509 dying and facing a potentially 482 00:17:58,130 --> 00:17:59,910 years long treatment plan 483 00:18:00,289 --> 00:18:00,789 and 484 00:18:01,170 --> 00:18:04,470 the fear of cancer coming back for life. 485 00:18:04,875 --> 00:18:06,875 And this is really unique in the industry, 486 00:18:06,875 --> 00:18:10,474 offering oncology specific behavioral support that we feel 487 00:18:10,474 --> 00:18:11,695 it can make all the difference. 488 00:18:12,875 --> 00:18:16,095 Fantastic. Well, Margo, I thank you so much 489 00:18:16,154 --> 00:18:19,115 for sharing about your experience and your journey 490 00:18:19,115 --> 00:18:21,490 with us and our listeners, and thank you 491 00:18:21,490 --> 00:18:23,730 for sharing your insights on on how our 492 00:18:23,730 --> 00:18:27,750 listeners can can turn your experience into actionable 493 00:18:28,369 --> 00:18:28,869 actions 494 00:18:29,330 --> 00:18:31,650 for for their members. We we really truly 495 00:18:31,650 --> 00:18:32,549 appreciate it. 496 00:18:32,930 --> 00:18:34,664 Thank you again for having me, Jacob. 497 00:18:35,225 --> 00:18:37,244 If you'd like to listen to more podcasts 498 00:18:37,305 --> 00:18:39,465 from Becker's Health Care, you can visit beckers 499 00:18:39,465 --> 00:18:40,445 hospital review.com.