CIGNA Behavioral Health Expands Member Online Stress Assessment Tools

CIGNA Behavioral Health Expands Member Online Stress Assessment Tools

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn., Jan. 31, 2005 /PRNewswire/ -- Rising consumerism and the shift toward consumer empowerment has created added demands for online support services, particularly for behavioral health concerns. In response, CIGNA Behavioral Health (CBH) announced today that participants now have access to a more robust online member section that includes added support tools for a wide range of issues, including stress management.

Online self-assessment and help tools are gaining in use as it offers support to those individuals who are reluctant to speak face-to-face with a behavioral health expert. CBH members now have the unique capability to access customized online support for a variety of concerns, including stress, grief, marital problems, relationship issues, and depression. For instance, the stress management tool, offered in collaboration with Stress Directions, Inc., surveys members and provides customized feedback regarding an individual's stressors. Based on these results, members receive a customized action plan. For those who need extra support, the online tools also seamlessly connect individuals to a telephonic or face-to-face counselor as appropriate and needed.

"Online support and counseling programs help overcome barriers to treatment, encouraging members to seek early intervention for many behavioral health problems before they escalate into larger issues," states Keith Dixon, Ph.D., president and CEO of CBH. "As consumers take on additional responsibility for their health care, easy access to customized online support and, where needed, referrals for additional care enhance their ability to manage their behavioral health concerns and help them to better manage stress, anxiety, depression and other concerns."

CIGNA Behavioral Health (CBH) provides behavioral care benefit management, EAPs, and work / life programs to consumers through health plans offered by large U.S. employers, national and regional HMOs, Taft-Hartley trusts and disability insurers. CBH, with headquarters in Eden Prairie, Minn., operates five care management centers around the U.S. in support of a national network of more than 52,000 independent psychiatrists, psychologists and clinical social workers and more than 4,300 facilities and clinics. For more information, visit http://www.cignabehavioral.com/.


Source: CIGNA Behavioral Health

Contact: Gwyn Dilday, CIGNA Behavioral Health, +1-818-500-6370,
gwyn.dilday@cigna.com

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

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