Unitedhealth Group : UnitedHealth Group Advances Health Care Transparency, Continues Expansion of Quality Information on Physicians and Hospitals
05/09/2007| 10:30am US/Eastern
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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.
© Business Wire 2007
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