CIGNA International Launches Expert Second Opinion Services for Expat Benefits Members Around the Globe Through e-Cleveland Clinic

PHILADELPHIA, May 11 /PRNewswire/ -- CIGNA International Expatriate Benefits, a leading global health care provider, now offers Web-based expert second opinion services through the renowned Cleveland Clinic. With the announcement today of a formal agreement, CIGNA International Expatriate Benefits (CIEB) members will have access to physician specialists at the Cleveland Clinic via its Internet extension, e-Cleveland Clinic.

This new CIEB program ensures that medically eligible expatriate employees and their family members with CIEB health insurance have an expert second opinion service available to them - wherever they are located - if faced with a life-altering or life-threatening medical condition.

"We have made this covered benefit available to our members to provide added peace of mind and the ability to make informed decisions in what may be a stressful time of uncertainty," says Susan Haas, R.N., CIEB medical program manager.

"The value of this program for expatriates in particular is that it enables patients from a worldwide location to obtain an expert medical second opinion without the burden of travel," she adds. "The cost of the online expert second opinion service is covered, excluding co-insurance and plan deductibles."

The Cleveland Clinic is a CIGNA Preferred Provider in the U.S., and the cost of the on-site opinion and supporting services is a covered benefit.

How the Second Opinion Service Works

Using the latest technologies, e-Cleveland Clinic offers online diagnoses, telephonic and e-mail nursing support to answer patients' questions and offer assistance in complying with recommended treatment options. Members contact e-Cleveland Clinic through a link at the CIEB secure member Web site. They complete a condition-specific questionnaire and send pertinent protected medical records and original material, including X-rays, MRI scans and pathology slides, to the clinic.

A Cleveland Clinic specialist in the appropriate clinical field thoroughly reviews the medical history and tests before rendering an expert second opinion, usually in five to seven business days. Each confidential, unbiased second opinion adheres to the highest standards of medical practice. A nurse coordinator follows up with every patient by phone to ensure that the information provided is understood and that all questions are answered.

The second opinion is delivered directly to the patient, for complete privacy and autonomy. Patients have full online access to their second opinions 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Upon request with patient consent, a copy of the opinion is sent to the patient's primary care provider.

The Cleveland Clinic has been providing world-class medical care for more than 80 years and is one of foremost medical centers in the world, using the latest technologies to improve the lives of people everywhere.

CIGNA International Expatriate Benefits (CIEB) is a business unit of CIGNA International, the global business division of CIGNA Corporation (NYSE: CI). CIGNA International markets life, accident and employee benefits - including health care insurance - in selected markets around the world. CIEB is the world's largest provider of employer-sponsored insurance plans for expatriate employees and their insured family members. CIGNA refers to CIGNA Corporation and/or one or more of its subsidiaries. CIGNA International and CIGNA International Expatriate Benefits ("CIEB") refer to various operating subsidiaries of CIGNA Corporation. Products and services are provided by these subsidiaries, affiliates and other contracted companies and not by CIGNA Corporation.

Web site: http://www.cigna.com