Little Clinic to accept CIGNA insurance

BLOOMFIELD, Conn. CIGNA announced this week that it added Little Clinic to its network, offering increased access to convenient care to members in Kentucky, Florida, Georgia, Ohio, Arizona and Tennessee.

The Little Clinic health care centers, located in select Kroger and Publix stores, are staffed by advanced nurse practitioners, who can write prescriptions, provide diagnosis and treatment of common ailments and minor injuries, and offer physicals, screenings and vaccinations to patients 12 months or older. Most visits are completed in less than a half hour.

“From the parent running from activity to activity to the working adult who has to cram a visit for minor illness care into a lunch hour, retail clinics offer the convenience and quality our members want,” said Dick Salmon, CIGNA medical officer. “The Little Clinic is an affordable and efficient option for members with a minor illness.”

The Little Clinic claims are processed at the same benefit level as a primary care physician office visit, CIGNA reported. “Many of our patients are CIGNA members,” said Tunde Sotunde, Little Clinic’s chief medical officer. “We’re pleased that we can now offer them access to our affordable, convenient, quality care under their health plans.”

The companies stress that the retail clinics should not replace the primary care physician. The Little Clinic encourages all patients to have a health care provider they see routinely for ongoing medical needs and routine exams. If patients do not have such a provider, Little Clinic practitioners can refer them to a local physician accepting CIGNA members. The primary care physician can then have access to information about a patient’s care at any Little Clinic locations.

CIGNA HealthCare has already incorporated other retail clinics into its network, including MinuteClinic, RediClinic, Take Care Health Systems and CIGNA Medical Group's CMG CareToday clinics—added over the past two years. “The addition of The Little Clinic,” the company stated, “underscores its commitment to expanding a broad suite of consumer-focused products and services designed to help members achieve their personal health goals.”