Cigna's Evernorth is investing $100 million through 2028 in specialty pharmacy care.
The AI program called Pharmacy Forward is expected to generate approximately $400 million in value by the end of 2028, according to Evernorth.
The program will launch first with Accredo Specialty Pharmacy, which serves more than 1 million patients with chronic and complex specialty conditions each year through Therapeutic Resource Centers.
Evernorth said it expects to extend many of these capabilities to its other pharmacies' operations in the coming years.
WHY THIS MATTERS
Evernorth is investing in a growing chronic and specialty care market as demographics show an aging population in this country.
Americans' median age – the age at which half the population is younger and half is older – continues to rise, climbing from 39.2 in 2024 to 39.4 in 2025, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
"Patients navigating complex health conditions need comprehensive, expert support, often during some of the most difficult moments in their lives," said Matt Perlberg, president of the Evernorth Health Services pharmacy and care delivery businesses, including Accredo, and executive vice president of customer innovation for The Cigna Group. "Pharmacy Forward reflects our commitment to meet patients where they are – delivering an even faster, more seamless experience while ensuring they receive the personalized support and clinical care they deserve."
Pharmacy Forward's AI program is expected to reduce prescription processing times, cutting in half the time it takes for patients to receive their medication.
It is expected to improve medication adherence beyond the industry standard of 80%, Evernorth said.
The program is expected to reduce clinician documentation time by up to 50%.
It will integrate clinical data and insights, AI-generated summaries and predictive analytics for more connected, informed support. This enables clinicians to identify patients at risk of falling off therapy or experiencing adverse events, the company said.
AI is being used to improve the completeness of prior authorization submissions and identify copay assistance eligibility.
Patients get more personalized support through Accredo AI-enabled scheduling. Accredo anticipates a 25% increase in use of personalized patient digital pathways.
Pharmacy Forward will enhance Accredo's ability to ship complex specialty medications from sites as close to a patient's home as possible, ensuring that 90% of patients are within a one-day or same-day ground shipping radius.
To enable this, Accredo is expanding capacity, staffing and capabilities at many of its nearly 40 care facilities to reduce the need for longer ground or air shipments, which are more susceptible to delays from adverse events such as weather.
AI technology will continuously analyze factors, such as patient location, delivery timing and medication handling requirements to determine the most effective dispensing location.
Together, these capabilities represent the next evolution of specialty pharmacy – combining AI, clinical expertise and operational scale to create a more connected and responsive care experience, Evernorth said.
THE LARGER TREND
The global chronic disease management market is growing. It was valued at $6.2 billion in 2024 and is expected to grow from $6.9 billion in 2025 to $18.8 billion in 2034, according to GMI Insights.
The market growth – driven primarily by the increasing incidence of chronic diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and hypertension – emphasizes the need for effective disease management solutions, the report said.
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