How does AI transform specialty pharmacy care?

Evernorth, the health services division of The Cigna Group, launched Pharmacy Forward on Tuesday, a new artificial intelligence (AI)-powered initiative designed to simplify specialty pharmacy care by accelerating prescription processing, improving patient engagement, and reducing administrative work for clinicians. The company said it will invest $100 million in the program through 2028.

The program will debut at Accredo Specialty Pharmacy, which serves patients with chronic and complex conditions through its Therapeutic Resource Centers. Evernorth said the investment is intended to help care teams spend more time with patients while shortening prescription processing timelines and improving service responsiveness.

"Patients navigating complex health conditions need comprehensive, expert support, often during some of the most difficult moments in their lives," Matt Perlberg, President of Evernorth Health Services' pharmacy and care delivery businesses and Executive Vice President of Customer Innovation at The Cigna Group, said. "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."

AI targets pharmacy operations and patient access

Pharmacy Forward applies AI across four operational areas: clinical care, prescription intake, administration, and medication fulfillment. Evernorth said the technology will combine clinical data, predictive analytics, and AI-generated summaries to help clinicians identify patients who may be at risk of discontinuing therapy or experiencing adverse events earlier in their treatment journey.

The company expects the initiative to reduce clinician documentation time by up to 50%, cut the time required to process specialty prescriptions in half, and increase the use of personalized digital patient pathways by 25%. It also aims to improve medication adherence beyond the industry benchmark of 80% by providing more proactive patient support. 

Evernorth also plans to strengthen Accredo's fulfillment network by expanding staffing and capabilities across its care facilities. The company said AI will help determine the most appropriate dispensing location based on patient location, delivery timing, and medication handling requirements, with the goal of placing 90% of patients within a same-day or one-day ground shipping radius.

Healthcare AI expands beyond clinical applications

The announcement illustrates a shift in healthcare AI, where organizations are increasingly applying the technology to operational and administrative workflows alongside research and drug development. Recent initiatives have focused on accelerating pharmaceutical research, while Evernorth's investment centers on reducing delays between prescription and treatment.

"AI is enabling us to fundamentally reimagine how we support each patient's journey," Katya Andresen, Chief Data, Digital and AI Officer at The Cigna Group, said. "By responsibly combining real-time data, advanced analytics and deep clinical expertise, we can deliver more personalized, proactive support, helping people access the care they need faster and achieve better health outcomes." 

Evernorth said Pharmacy Forward is expected to generate approximately $400 million in value by the end of 2028 and that many of its capabilities will later be extended to the company's other pharmacy operations. The move adds to a growing number of healthcare organizations deploying AI to improve operational efficiency across the care continuum.