There may be times when you have an urgent need to appeal a coverage denial or partial coverage denial for your patient, and receive a decision very quickly to speed the start of treatment. In these situations, you may be able to request an expedited appeal, but only if services have not been performed and meet the criteria below.

You may file an expedited appeal when:

• The patient is currently hospitalized, a decision was made to discharge the patient earlier than the provider requested, and the patient is awaiting continued care, or
• The patient is in severe pain that cannot be adequately managed without the treatment requested, or
• A delay in treatment may jeopardize the patient’s life, health, or ability to regain maximum functionality.

How to request an expedited appeal

If your pre-service appeal meets one or more of the scenarios described above, fax the appeal to: Cigna Healthcare National Appeals Organization, Attn: Expedited Appeals, Fax: 860.731.3452

Clearly note “Expedited Appeal” on the first page of your submission.

Please also include the following information:

• Patient name
• Date of birth
• Cigna Healthcare ID #
• Denied Authorization Number (if applicable)
• All supporting clinical information

It is essential to submit complete information on an expedited appeal.

This will help us to: 

• Quickly notify enrollees of their additional appeals rights (when applicable), and
• Improve our response times.