Wrong kind of networking

Patients who pay for out-of-network benefits should have the right to use those benefits, the Texas Medical Association believes. But TMA fears that a new CIGNA policy is designed to discourage enrollees from using their out-of-network benefits and will create huge administrative hassles for physicians who refer patients to out-of-network providers. TMA officials say the policy requires physicians to document that they told patients that they are being referred to out-of-network providers and to keep the documentation in their records indefinitely.