Cigna Europe and Infermedica extend their alliance on Symptom Checker pilot program

Cigna®, a global health service company, and Infermedica with its AI-powered care coordination platform formed a partnership to improve user experience in Cigna's existing digital applications. Today, after six months of cooperation, we are happy to announce that the pilot program for the Symptom Checker has been successful and will be extended across Cigna’s European businesses (“Cigna Europe”).

Infermedica’s Symptom Checker, a white-labeled solution for patient symptom assessment and triage with 93% engine accuracy, was integrated into the application developed by Cigna Europe to communicate and coordinate health services among its customers. The goal was to support them with existing and new medical conditions, guide them through initial symptom checks, propose the most probable conditions, and recommend specialists, as well as telemedicine services.

Bart Jordens, Global Head of Innovation at Cigna International Markets says: “The Whole Health and peace of mind of our customers is our top priority, and it’s been hugely important during this time to deliver healthcare innovations that connect people with the best care possible. Working with Infermedica has strengthened our preliminary care offering, and offers our customers a seamless user experience, and a fast route to an outcome.”

Bart Jordens added: “There is a growing demand for virtual care. Our recent Cigna 360 Well-Being Survey revealed 51% of people in Europe have used virtual health services before and during the pandemic. Convenience and the ability to access support anytime are essential benefits of telehealth and virtual health services, and in fact we have seen a 500% increase in demand over the past year.”

The pilot program, initially launched for a six-month period, was available via the Cigna Wellbeing® app. Its reception and feedback from Cigna Europe’s customers was incredibly positive; that is why the company decided to prolong the pilot and expand it with the Cigna Envoy® member portal to let more people access the program.

The solution is available in English, Spanish, and German to a selection of Cigna customers across Europe. It helps to ensure that patients who need to see a doctor receive advice and are guided to the right care and specialist.

“We’re continually challenging ourselves to deliver innovative, market-leading solutions that not only improve access and enhance the patient experience but also transform healthcare delivery,” Bart Jordens added. The innovations initiated by Cigna Europe are also confirmed by the company’s Whole Health strategy, which explicitly addresses the complex ecosystem that makes up someone’s health, incorporating all the factors that make up a person’s Whole Health, not just physical and mental health.

“The first part of the pilot proved that Infermedica’s technology both fits and complements Cigna Europe’s services well, and that there is an increasing need for similar solutions on the end-users side,” explains Ewa Ruka, Business Implementation Specialist at Infermedica. “Adding Symptom Checker to Cigna Europe’s solutions will allow us to create a digital front door, an entrance that supports customers with initial health information and navigates them towards the recommended services. This scheme can also be easily scaled up to other services offered by Cigna Europe,” she adds.

What’s more, a joint project between Cigna Europe and Infermedica proved that cooperation between enterprise companies and fast-growing startups is possible, and allows for the creation of seamless user experiences.

The implemented Symptom Checker is now available in a pilot program for a selection of customers using Cigna’s Wellbeing® app or via Cigna Envoy®.

BL/EN/2021/07/22/2