On January 1, 2026, Cigna Healthcare^® Medicare Advantage becomes HealthSpring^SM.

Effective March 1, 2026, HealthSpring will manage prior authorizations for durable medical equipment (DME) services, as well as orthotic and prosthetic codes.  

EviCore by Evernorth® (EviCore) will continue to manage prior authorizations for DME services through February 28, 2026.

What this means to you through February 28, 2026:

• Submit prior authorization requests with dates of service before March 1, 2026, to EviCore as usual.
• Continue to refer to EviCore for the most updated prior authorization code lists.
• There are no changes to the claims submission or appeals processes

Key changes effective March 1, 2026:

• Submit prior authorization requests to the HealthSpring clinical team for dates of services beginning March 1, 2026. Request prior authorization through Availity Essentials™, our provider portal.
• DME providers will submit prior authorization requests directly to the HealthSpring clinical team.
• A list of procedural codes requiring prior authorization will be available at HealthSpring.com/Providers on January 1, 2026.

How to request prior authorization beginning March 1, 2026:

Request prior authorization via Availity Essentials, our provider portal. Refer to Availity for instructions on setting up an account and navigating the portal.

HealthSpring will continue to use Availity Essentials as its provider portal. The Cigna Healthcare Medicare Advantage payer space will be renamed HealthSpring Medicare Advantage in January.

Questions?

If you have any questions regarding these changes, please contact your Provider Performance Enablement representative.

Cigna Healthcare Medicare Advantage is becoming HealthSpring.Our new benefit plans will be rolled out under the HealthSpring name during the 2025 annual enrollment period. Starting in January 2026, you will begin seeing patients with HealthSpring benefit coverage. Learn more.