In most industries, physicians and digital leaders rarely work in close partnership. In health care, that collaboration isn’t just helpful, it’s essential. Improving the health care experience for patients requires both deep clinical understanding and the ability to translate complex systems into clearer, more personalized experiences.

That belief has guided actions taken over the past year in support of The Cigna Group’s Commitments to Better. When we publicly committed to taking tangible actions to reduce friction and improve transparency, we took responsibility for our role in a system that plays a critical part in people’s lives. From the beginning, we understood that progress would require listening closely, acting with intention, and holding ourselves accountable.

In practical terms, this work is showing up as fewer administrative hurdles, clearer information at critical moments, and easier access to human support when people need it most.

In this Q&A, Katya Andresen, chief digital and analytics officer, and Dr. Amy Flaster, chief medical officer at The Cigna Group, reflect on what we’ve delivered after one year, what patients need most during critical moments, and how technology and human support are working together to improve experiences and outcomes, and build trust. Their reflections reinforce an important truth: that progress is real, but the work continues.

What do you think matters most to patients in critical moments in health care?

Patients want to feel supported, understood, and confident that the system around them is working on their behalf. As a physician, I’ve seen firsthand how overwhelming health care can feel for people facing a serious diagnosis, making time‑sensitive decisions, or caring for a loved one. In those moments, what matters most is clarity in understanding what’s happening, what comes next, and where to turn for help.

Patients also want reassurance that their care is grounded in clinical expertise and guided by their individual needs. That means access to the right information at the right time, seamless coordination across care teams, and support that recognizes the emotional weight of these experiences.

Ultimately, critical moments are when trust matters most. People want to know they’re not navigating the system alone and that the health care organizations supporting them are focused on reducing confusion, anticipating needs, and making the experience as straightforward and human as possible. That perspective is central to how we think about improving the health care experience and why transparency and support remain so important as we continue this work.

In the last year, we have expanded personalized, proactive support for patients facing the most challenging or complex health conditions, and we have made changes to our processes to better support customers. For example, the Cigna Healthcare My Personal Champion program earned a 98% customer satisfaction rating, and tools like Accredo Smart Path helped identify patients who needed additional support earlier. Since we launched Smart Path, Accredo customer service escalations have been reduced by 16%. Additionally, Cigna Healthcare has enhanced its processes to honor eligible prior authorizations from prior carriers, helping customers maintain uninterrupted access to care.

Switching health plans can be overwhelming, especially for people in ongoing treatment. Can you give an example of how our work to honor prior authorizations is helping customers feel supported and stay focused on their health?

In one recent instance, our customer service team received a frantic call from a new customer about their family member’s scheduled surgery in early January. The customer learned that the provider’s office was closing early for the holidays, and unless we were able to validate and honor the prior insurer’s authorization before the doctor closed at 2pm, the surgery would need to be postponed.

Based on the details provided on the call, our customer service teams were able to validate the existing prior authorization with the customer’s prior insurance carrier and notified both the provider and customer of the new plan authorization so the surgery could be performed as planned.

Being able to step in, remove uncertainty, and help a family in that moment – when stress is high and time is of the essence – is exactly why this work matters. This is just one example of how we’re eliminating friction and creating a seamless experience during important moments in their health journey. Patients should be able to focus on recovery and supporting their loved ones, while we manage the administrative details behind the scenes.

Katya, as consumer expectations around health care experiences continue to evolve, what are people increasingly looking for and how is technology helping us respond to those expectations?

People increasingly expect health care to feel intuitive, responsive, personal, and more like the experiences they have in other parts of their lives. They want clear information, fewer surprises, and confidence that the system understands who they are and what they need, without asking them to untangle unnecessary complexity.

Technology can help us meet those expectations when we use it thoughtfully. Data, analytics, and AI can help us to better anticipate needs, share information more clearly and quickly, and connect people to support when it matters most. Sometimes that looks like turning complex health information into plain language. Sometimes it’s more personalized digital guidance. Sometimes it’s simply helping someone understand what’s next without having to make multiple calls or hunt for answers.

To be clear: this isn’t about replacing human care. It’s about strengthening it. Used responsibly, these tools can reduce friction behind the scenes and create more room for human interactions that feel clearer, more supportive, and more responsive. As expectations continue to rise, our focus is on using technology to make the health care experience feel more coordinated, more transparent, and ultimately more centered on the individual.

One year into our Commitments to Better, where have we made real progress, and where do we still have work to do?

I see progress in how we are supporting patients through some of the most challenging moments in their care. We’ve focused on making the experience easier to navigate and more personal, especially for people managing complex or serious conditions. That includes strengthening high-touch clinical support for patients living with chronic diseases, improving how we guide individuals across different parts of the health care system, and making information clearer and readily available so patients better understand what’s happening and what to expect next. These changes may seem incremental, but for patients, they can make a real difference in overwhelming moments.

For example, The Cigna Group removed prior authorization requirements for 345 tests, procedures, and services this year. This change decreased the volume of medical prior authorizations by approximately 15%. For customers navigating complex situations, including difficult prior authorization decisions or high cost, post-care claims, the company expanded high-touch prior authorization support and formed a new post-care claims advocacy team, which supported approximately 155,000 customers in 2025.

At the same time, we’re realistic about the work ahead. Health care is complex and deeply interconnected, and improving the experience takes ongoing effort. We still have more to do to reduce fragmentation, ensure support feels seamless across a patient’s entire journey, and to meet people where they are both clinically and emotionally.

Our Commitments to Better were always intended to be a multi‑year effort. This first year has helped establish a foundation and better understand where progress is taking hold and where continued focus is needed. From a physician’s perspective, staying anchored in the lived experience of patients – particularly during moments of vulnerability – will remain our most important north star as this work continues.

Dr. Flaster, you mentioned transparency, and there’s a big push at The Cigna Group around greater openness about how health care works. Why does that resonate with you as a practicing physician?

I believe patients deserve a clearer understanding of the systems supporting their care. Health care can be complex, and when people don’t understand how different parts of the system work together, it can create frustration and mistrust even when the care itself is clinically sound.

Transparency is also about respect. Patients are active participants in their health, and providing straightforward, accessible information recognizes that role. For me, this focus closely aligns with how I was trained as a physician and how I practice today – by explaining concepts clearly, guiding patients, and ensuring they have the information they need to engage confidently in their care.

Katya, uncertainty can be one of the most stressful parts of the health care journey. How can digital tools help create greater clarity and confidence?

One of the most important principles guiding our work is being very intentional about how we use technology. We start by listening closely to where people feel confused, frustrated, or stuck in their health care experience, and then we work backward to determine what technology can be leveraged to genuinely help.

Sometimes the right solution is simple – it can be clearer information, faster connections to the right resource, or making it easier to understand what’s happening and what comes next.

A good example is the medical prior authorization status tracker we launched for Cigna Healthcare in June 2025. It provides timely updates, answers to common questions, and clear information on decisions and next steps. It’s available to every Cigna Healthcare customer through myCigna, our digital app and web platform that’s used by 79% of customers.

In other cases, more advanced data, analytics, or AI capabilities can help anticipate needs or bring together information that previously felt fragmented. What matters most is that the solution fits the problem, not the other way around.

This intentional approach allows us to create experiences that feel grounded and more trustworthy. When technology is applied thoughtfully, it helps to reduce friction, provide clearer guidance, and helps people feel more confident as they move through their care journey. And, just as importantly, it ensures that when someone does need human support, those interactions are better informed and more meaningful. That’s how we think about reducing uncertainty – by focusing on real challenges and choosing the right solutions to make the experience better in practical, human ways.

How are the experiences of our network providers evolving?

As technology advances, we’re seeing great progress in our ability to support network providers in ways that make our interactions simpler and more intuitive. For example, starting in the fourth quarter of 2025, we enhanced our provider web portal to allow for nearly all medical prior authorization requests to be submitted online. Providers can now digitally check PA requirements, submit requests, view updated PA status, and add supporting documents as needed. This update is designed to reduce phone calls, cut down on rework, and help providers get answers and decisions faster – so care can move forward with less delay. This is just one example of how administrative complexity is being reduced.

Katya, what excites you most about the progress being made to transform health care for our customers?

What excites me most is that we’re finally making progress on problems that have long made health care feel fragmented, frustrating, and out of step with how people actually live and make decisions. We’re reducing fragmented navigation by making it easier for customers to get clear answers, understand next steps, and connect directly to support when issues can’t be resolved digitally.

One example is our virtual assistant, which launched last year to give people clear, conversational answers in moments that are often stressful or confusing. It helps customers understand benefits, claims, and care options in plain language, upload documents they don’t recognize, and get guidance on what to do next. And when a question can’t be resolved digitally, it seamlessly connects them to a service advocate – without starting over, ensuring human support is always part of the experience. The goal is to reduce searching, waiting, and uncertainty, so customers can make more confident decisions and feel supported, not overwhelmed.

We’re also seeing how AI and analytics can connect experiences across digital, voice, and human touchpoints, so people don’t have to repeat themselves or struggle to get answers. Technology works quietly in the background to reduce complexity and surface the right help at the right time, while keeping humans at the center of care.

What’s most encouraging is how intentional this progress has been. We’re grounding innovation in real customer journeys, focusing on solving root causes rather than layering on point solutions, and holding ourselves accountable to outcomes, not just functionality. Whether it’s making conversations feel more natural, helping advocates spend less time searching and more time supporting, or using insights to anticipate needs earlier, the goal is the same: to make health care feel more connected, personal, and predictable. That shift – from reacting to problems to proactively supporting people – marks a real change for customers.

And we’re clear about the work ahead. Health care is complex, and trust is earned over time. While we’re proud of the progress we’ve made, we know there are still gaps to close, experiences to improve, and moments where we need to do better. That’s why we remain focused on testing, learning, listening closely to feedback, and continuously raising the bar. The 2025 Customer Transparency Report marks an important milestone – capturing what’s changed so far and reinforcing our commitment to continued transparency and progress in the years ahead.