CIGNA International Expands Regional Network to China and Macau
CIEB has expanded its network to a range of doctors, hospitals, and clinics that have met CIGNA International's quality standards in China and Macau, in addition to the health care facilities already available in Hong Kong.
Individuals covered by CIGNA International's CIGNALinks® program in the region (including Hong Kong, China, Macau and Taiwan) can now receive discounts when visiting United Family Hospitals in Beijing and Shanghai, as well as a selection of clinics in Macau. CIGNA International has selected a range of health care facilities to participate in its network to ensure that organizations with employees located in the area have access to appropriate health care resources. Since it is difficult to find health care facilities in the region that provide a standard of care that CIGNA International encourages, the CIGNALinks regional program previously provided access to doctors and hospitals only in Hong Kong.
United Family Hospitals are popular among expatriates in the region for their high quality care standards. Annie Kung, a CIGNALinks Relationship Manager located in Hong Kong, said, 'Specialists come from all over the world to practice at United Family Hospitals, and they are known for their excellent staff, a large percentage of which consists of multilingual, expatriate doctors. CIGNA International is glad to offer discounts to care at such popular health facilities that provide an international standard of health care in the region.'
United Family Hospitals already experience a high number of transactions with individuals covered by CIGNA International. The hospitals are full-fledged medical centers that have fully private rooms and include more than 18 specialties that range from oncology to maternity. The Beijing United Family Hospitals and Clinics recently earned accreditation from the Joint Commission International, the worldwide leader in improving the quality of health care.
CIGNA International continues to see a growth in expatriate population in Macau, where a large proportion of GDP is derived from the city's tourism and gambling industries. Through opening up the CIGNALinks network to several clinics and hospitals within the city, CIGNA International is providing more options and meeting expectations for the individuals it covers in the region.
If you are interested in receiving the benefits of becoming a contracted health care professional or facility with CIEB, contact CIEBProvider@cigna.com.
Meet the CIGNADirectSM Team: Geraldine Ramirez, Support Services, Provider Operations
CIEB's new dedicated Provider Operations Team was formed in March of this year. The continuing expansion of CIEB's provider base, through both contractual agreements with doctors, dentists and hospitals, as well as with CIGNALinks provider networks created the need for this dedicated team.
Geraldine Ramirez is CIEB's dedicated Provider Support Associate, handling requests that come in by email, such as EOBs, updated contact or banking information, and answering health care professional and facility's questions regarding billing or any other issues they may have.
'I am the 'middle man' between CIEB and our doctors and hospitals,' says Geraldine.
'The majority of my job is responding to doctors and hospitals via email. First, I research their request, which may involve contacting other departments within CIEB.'
'If something needs to be clarified with Claims, for instance, I take doctors' and hospitals' questions, have them answered by Claims as efficiently as possible, and then follow up to resolve the issue.'
Since CIEB health care professionals and facilities are literally in all corners of the globe, replying promptly to their inquiries has a special meaning for Geraldine.
'For most of these doctors and hospitals, I am their only contact with CIEB. It's very important that I respond in a timely manner, to help assure that they remain satisfied with our services to them.'
Geraldine has been with CIEB since mid-2007 in our Visalia, California International Service Center. Prior to becoming dedicated to Provider Operations, she had been an email service representative for CIEB, handling an array of requests from covered individuals, as well as health care professionals and facilities.
For health care professionals and facilities that need to reach CIEB, please contact Geraldine at ciebprovider@cigna.com. You can be sure your request will be handled with care ' and courtesy.
We're Always Here to Help
CIEB's Provider Contracting Team, CIGNADirect is here to make your experience with us positive and worthwhile. Please contact us with your questions, comments or concerns at any time:
CIEBprovider@CIGNA.com. You may also contact us by telephone by calling Cindy Gatanis at 302-797-3422.
If you're not yet a contracted health care professional or facility, we're always pleased to describe the advantages of establishing a contract with us, such as direct pay agreements, a listing in our International Provider Directory on our website for covered individuals, and perhaps most important, assurance of prompt, accurate payment in more than 100 currencies.
DISCLAIMER: 'CIGNA' refers to any one of the underwriting companies owned directly or indirectly by CIGNA Corporation and/or its subsidiaries and affiliates. Products and services are provided by these subsidiaries, affiliates and other contracted companies and not by CIGNA Corporation. 'CIGNA' is a registered service mark. 'CIGNA International,' 'CIGNA International HealthCare Benefits,' and 'CIGNA International Expatriate Benefits' are also service marks. Any reference to other organizations or companies and/or their products or services, including their Internet sites, is not an endorsement or warranty of the services, information, or products provided by them, nor should a reference to other organizations be construed as their endorsement or warranty of CIEB's products or services. All trademarks (registered and unregistered) and service marks are the property of their respective owners.
This is not a contract. This announcement is for informational purposes only. The information provided herein is believed accurate as of the date of publication, and is subject to change. Products and services may not be available in all jurisdictions and are expressly excluded where prohibited by applicable law.
Any reference to other organizations or companies and/or their products or services, including their Internet sites, is not an endorsement or warranty of the services, information, or products provided by them, nor should a reference to other organizations be construed as their endorsement or warranty of CIEB's products or services. All trademarks (registered and unregistered) and service marks are the property of their respective owners.
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