UnitedHealthcare, New York Attorney General Reach Agreement on Transparency and Disclosure

By: Legal - Law News

UnitedHealthcare, a UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) company, has entered into an agreement with the Attorney General of the State of New York regarding core transparency and disclosure principles for its UnitedHealth Premium® designation program.

The Premium designation program, which is already in place in 122 markets, will be launched in New York within the next month.

“We applaud the Attorney General’s commitment in this area. Our Premium designation program is consistent with the underlying principles of the agreement, including the importance of transparency of information to consumers, physicians and employers. We believe physician performance assessment programs play a key role in improving health care quality and cost-efficiency,” said Reed V. Tuckson, M.D., executive vice president and chief of medical affairs, UnitedHealth Group. “This is good news for consumers who need information tools to help guide them through the health system and for physicians who deserve useful and accurate feedback.”

“We are thrilled that UnitedHealthcare is launching a program that provides the transparency that both consumers and doctors want,” said Debra Ness, president of the National Partnership for Women and Families, based in Washington, D.C.

“Employers and purchasers of health care have long supported efforts like UnitedHealthcare’s Premium designation program,” said Peter V. Lee, CEO of San Francisco-based Pacific Business Group on Health, “which is just the kind of program we need to change health care in the country.”

Currently accessible to more than 12 million consumers across 122 markets, the UnitedHealth Premium designation program adheres to the core principles highlighted in the agreement, such as accuracy and transparency, and uses well-accepted quality-of-care and cost-efficiency measures to evaluate doctors in select specialties. Only physicians earning a quality designation are then reviewed for cost-efficiency measures.

Using evidence-based medicine guidelines and input from respected medical organizations, such as the American College of Physicians, the American Academy of Family Physicians and national, state and specialty advisory committees, the program identifies physicians who have met or exceeded quality or quality and cost-efficiency standards.

UnitedHealthcare believes that the principles of this agreement can serve as a foundation for physician performance-measurement programs throughout the country and will help support a consistent, transparent approach to physician profiles that benefits consumers, physicians, purchasers and health plans.

About UnitedHealthcare

UnitedHealthcare (www.unitedhealthcare.com) provides a full spectrum of consumer-oriented health benefit plans and services. The company organizes access to quality, affordable health care services on behalf of more than 26 million individual consumers, contracting directly with more than 535,000 physicians and care professionals and 4,700 hospitals nationwide to offer consumers broad, convenient access to services nationwide. UnitedHealthcare is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), a diversified Fortune 50 health and well-being company.