Effective May 1, 2017, providers will no longer be able to access Cigna patients through the Connection Dental umbrella.

If you would like to maintain your in-network status as a Cigna provider, you can either contract directly with Cigna as an Advantage provider, or if you are in network with a different umbrella that allows access to Cigna members, you can utilize that relationship.

Because the Connection Dental umbrella had included access to Cigna’s Advantage and DPPO members, in order to maintain your in-network status with ALL Cigna patients, you would have to enroll as an Advantage provider if contracting direct. Although the fees are higher, contracting as DPPO would exclude you from seeing Advantage members as an in-network provider.

This may be an excellent opportunity to evaluate the fees from Cigna Advantage direct as opposed to the fees from an alternative umbrella network.