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OptumHealth Receives 'HIP' NCQA Quality Certification

Posted on: Thursday, 26 June 2008, 18:01 CDT

OptumHealth today announced that three of its offerings - Health Risk Appraisals, Interactive Consumer Health Tools and Health Information Line - received Health Information Products (HIP) certification from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).

"Earning NCQA's HIP Certification demonstrates that an organization has expertise in gathering and disseminating health care information for health plan members," said NCQA's Kathleen C. Mudd, vice president of product delivery. "OptumHealth is to be commended for being one of the first organizations in the nation to be reviewed and certified for these services."

The certification process is rigorous and involves an off-site evaluation conducted by physicians, if appropriate, and experts in the product being evaluated. A review oversight committee of physicians analyzes the team's findings and assigns a certification level based on the organization's performance against NCQA's standards.

"We appreciate receiving HIP certification because it is independent, external validation of how effectively we manage aspects of our data collection and systems operation," said Scott Heimes, senior vice president of OptumHealth's Consumer Solutions business. "This certification also reflects our ongoing commitment to deliver best-in-class programs and care management services that enhance clinical outcomes, reduce costs for our customers and help consumers receive the right care at the right time in the right place."

Health Risk Appraisals, Interactive Consumer Health Tools, Health Information Line and other OptumHealth interactive health management programs are delivered via personalized web experiences to consumers. OptumHealth's solutions empower consumers to address their health and wellness needs through lifestyle modification programs, evidence-based health content, an easy to use personal health record, and interactive tools, trackers and quizzes.

About OptumHealth

As one of the nation's largest consumer health services companies, OptumHealth makes health care easier and better for employers, health plans, public sector entities and the 61 million people with access to its services. The Company's goal is to optimize health, well-being and financial security, while lowering benefit costs and helping consumers make informed decisions about their health through standalone or integrated services. OptumHealth is a company of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH). More information about OptumHealth can be found at www.OptumHealth.com.

About NCQA

NCQA is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. NCQA accredits and certifies a wide range of health care organizations and recognizes physicians in key clinical areas. NCQA's Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS(R)) is the most widely used performance measurement tool in health care. NCQA is committed to providing health care quality information through the Web, media and data licensing agreements in order to help consumers, employers and others make more informed health care choices. For more information, visit http://www.ncqa.org/.

(HEDIS is a registered trademark of the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).)

Source: Business Wire

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