UnitedHealth Group Advances Health Care Transparency, Continues Expansion of Quality Information on Physicians and Hospitals
Posted on: Wednesday, 9 May 2007, 12:00 CDT
In an event today at the Department of Health and Human Services, Stephen J. Hemsley, president and chief executive officer of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH), celebrated the importance of, and reinforced his company's support for, trustworthy and actionable performance information to improve health decisions and care outcomes. Citing the company's extensive experience in advancing physician and hospital performance assessment through the UnitedHealth Premium Designation program, Mr. Hemsley observed that the benefits of performance transparency and consumer decision support have a tangible impact on improved quality and more appropriate use of health care assets.
"When information about quality is measured and communicated in ways that are meaningful to consumers and credible to physicians, better treatment decisions and care choices result," said Mr. Hemsley. "In a study of early Premium Designation program users, we have seen up to 22 percent of consumers change their hospital or physician selection as a result of having personally relevant information about care quality available to them."
Mr. Hemsley spoke today alongside other supporters of the value-driven health care initiative at an event hosted by Secretary Michael Leavitt, Department of Health and Human Services. UnitedHealth Group was one of the original supporters of the initiative when it was first introduced six months ago and has long believed that a value-driven system must be based on national standards for performance measurement and cost-effective methods of data collection. Additionally, Mr. Hemsley emphasized the importance of physician involvement at every level of the process. "Physician expertise is essential in the design and implementation of these programs and I applaud the Secretary for his efforts to reach out and include clinical experts in this important work."
The UnitedHealth Premium Designation Program provides quality and cost information on physicians and hospitals nationwide and is currently available to more than 16 million UnitedHealthcare members. Physician information will expand to 100 markets covering 21 specialties by the end of the year, while the hospital program today covers 150 markets and 54 procedures.
About UnitedHealth Group
UnitedHealth Group is a diversified health and well-being company dedicated to making health care work better. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn., UnitedHealth Group offers a broad spectrum of products and services through six operating businesses: UnitedHealthcare, Ovations, AmeriChoice, Uniprise, Specialized Care Services and Ingenix. Through its family of businesses, UnitedHealth Group serves more than 70 million individuals nationwide.
Source: Business Wire
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