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Designation Reflects NCQA Confidence in OptumHealth’s Expertise to Serve 25 Million Americans Living with Chronic Conditions — the Leading Causes of Death and Disability in the United States1
GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn., March 21, 2009 — OptumHealth Inc. today announced it has been awarded Full Disease Management Accreditation for its Kidney Resource Services (KRS) and Cancer Support Program(s) (CSP) from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), one of the most widely recognized accreditation and certification health care quality organizations in the country. The accreditations are in addition to those achieved previously for coronary artery disease, diabetes, asthma, heart failure and chronic pulmonary obstructive disorder.
“By offering the kinds of products and solutions for the optimal management of diseases for the more than one in ten people living with chronic conditions, OptumHealth is dramatically impacting the quality of life for millions of people,” said executive vice president for NCQA, Gregory Pawlson, M.D., MPH.
“The end result of these programs is reduced absenteeism, increased productivity, cost control and improved clinical outcomes — supported by the NCQA, which is a reliable indicator of our ongoing commitment to delivering high quality health care to our members during a time when health care costs are on the rise,” said Chris Pricco, chief operating officer of OptumHealth Complex Medical Conditions.
According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the United States will have spent an estimated $2.2 trillion on health care in 2008 — with 75 percent of the health care budget spent largely on preventable chronic disease conditions.2
The OptumHealth KRS and CSP programs focus on the most at-risk individuals living with
kidney failure and cancer. The programs are designed to reduce medical complications
associated with these conditions through nurses who provide education regarding treatment
decisions, financial and provider options at top dialysis centers and Cancer Centers of Excellence
networks. Once the individual is identified, nurses with expertise — specific to the condition —
will assess and address gaps in care, screen for co-morbidities and risk factors, and provide
information on meaningful solutions for individuals to improve health.
About OptumHealth
OptumHealth Inc. helps individuals navigate the health care system, finance their health care needs and achieve their health and well-being goals. The company’s personalized health advocacy and engagement programs tap a unique combination of capabilities that encompass care solutions, behavioral solutions, specialty benefits and financial services. Serving nearly 60 million people, OptumHealth is one of the nation’s largest health and wellness businesses, and is a UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) company. More information about OptumHealth can be found at www.optumhealth.com.
About NCQA
NCQA is a private, nonprofit 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®) 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 www.ncqa.org.
Contact:
Molly McMillen
Senior Manager, External Communications
(763) 797-4559
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