New UnitedHealthcare App Now Gives Millions of Plan Participants On-Demand Access to Virtual Visits
October 10 2019 - 9:00AM
Business Wire
- New mobile app gives 27 million Americans access to health
information 24/7 to help encourage a more simplified and convenient
health care experience
- Integrated Virtual Visits offer on-demand access to health
care professionals via a mobile device or computer
- The new app – available on Android® and Apple® devices –
will over time replace the existing Health4Me app for
UnitedHealthcare plan participants
Millions of Americans now have access to on-demand telemedicine
services 24/7 with the new UnitedHealthcare app.
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the full release here:
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Here's a look at how telemedicine is
changing the way Americans access health care, offering convenient,
cost-effective treatments for nonemergency medical conditions 24/7
via a smartphone, tablet or desktop computer. (Graphic: Business
Wire)
The UnitedHealthcare app provides health information for people
on the go, offering plan participants a single source to help
maintain and improve their well-being, access care and make the
most of their health benefits. Eligible plan participants can now
use the app to directly schedule and conduct a Virtual Visit with a
doctor, helping eliminate the need for multiple sign-ins or to
download a separate app.
The app is available now for download at no additional charge
for Android and Apple devices to more than 27 million people
enrolled in UnitedHealthcare health benefit plans.* People enrolled
in most UnitedHealthcare employer-sponsored plans have coverage for
virtual physician visits, giving plan participants secure, online
access to a physician via mobile phone, tablet or computer 24 hours
a day.
“Digital health resources are fundamentally changing how people
navigate the health system, making it possible to access care from
anywhere at any time and helping remove barriers to care,” said
Anne Docimo, M.D., UnitedHealthcare chief medical officer. “The new
app is part of UnitedHealth Group’s more than $3 billion annual
investment in data, technology and innovation, helping build a
health system that is more intuitive, affordable and
convenient.”
Implementing more virtual care solutions is a top priority for
many employers, with 51% of companies planning to do so, according
to a 2019 study by the National Business Group on Health. The
expansion is especially important for people with chronic
conditions and the 20% of the U.S. population that lives in rural
areas where access to health care, particularly specialty care, is
often lacking.1
About 25% of emergency room visits involve conditions that could
appropriately be addressed with a virtual visit.2 Virtual care
generally costs less than $50 per visit compared to an average of
$740 for an emergency room visit for a similar low-severity
condition3, and is designed to provide an alternative way to access
care when clinics and urgent care facilities are closed.
Virtual visits typically last about 20 minutes, and doctors can
diagnose a range of nonemergency medical conditions, including
allergies, flu, colds, pinkeye, fevers and rashes. If needed,
doctors can prescribe medications and send prescriptions to local
pharmacies for pickup.
The UnitedHealthcare app also enables people to:
- access their health plan ID card on their smartphone, and email
it directly from the mobile device to the plan participant’s
physician office or hospital;
- review and manage prescription medications;
- comparison shop for care based on quality and cost, including
the ability to review information for approximately 800 medical
services;
- save their favorite care providers within the UnitedHealthcare
network, and save claims and insert notes for follow-up;
- locate nearby physicians, hospitals, and urgent care centers
using a smartphone’s GPS functionality, which may make it easier
for consumers to find care providers when they are out of
town;
- schedule a call with a UnitedHealthcare customer service
advocate using the callback feature to address any questions about
claims and benefits**; and
- view information on the status of deductible and out-of-pocket
spending, and check account balances for health reimbursement,
flexible spending and health savings accounts.
* Additional out-of-pocket costs may be required for
telemedicine services depending on the plan and any applicable
state requirements. ** Most UnitedHealthcare employer-sponsored
plan participants have access to the callback feature.
About UnitedHealthcare
UnitedHealthcare is dedicated to helping people live healthier
lives and making the health system work better for everyone by
simplifying the health care experience, meeting consumer health and
wellness needs, and sustaining trusted relationships with care
providers. In the United States, UnitedHealthcare offers the full
spectrum of health benefit programs for individuals, employers, and
Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, and contracts directly with
more than 1.3 million physicians and care professionals, and 6,500
hospitals and other care facilities nationwide. The company also
provides health benefits and delivers care to people through owned
and operated health care facilities in South America.
UnitedHealthcare is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth Group
(NYSE: UNH), a diversified health care company. For more
information, visit UnitedHealthcare at www.uhc.com or follow @UHC
on Twitter.
1 U.S. Census Bureau
https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2017/08/rural-america.html 2
UnitedHealthcare data; Based on analysis of 2016 UnitedHealthcare
ER claim volumes, where ER visits are low acuity and could be
treated in a Virtual Visit, primary care physician or
urgent/convenient care setting. 3 UnitedHealthcare data; 2018
average allowed amounts charged by UnitedHealthcare Network
Providers for low-severity treatments.
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Will Shanley UnitedHealthcare (714) 204-8005
will.shanley@uhc.com
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