Health4Me Mobile App Now Provides Consumers With Personalized Care Updates to Help Them Make More Informed Health Decisions
August 31 2016 - 10:00AM
Business Wire
- Secure mobile app for iPhone and
Android devices automatically sends “care notifications” to
UnitedHealthcare plan participants if they are missing important
medical treatments or tests
- New capability designed to help
people better follow evidence-based treatment guidelines, enabling
them to get a notice, search for a health care provider and
schedule an appointment for treatment
- Other new Health4Me features include
fingerprint-enabled sign-in and medication management capabilities,
helping people check drug costs while at the doctor’s office and
refill prescriptions
UnitedHealthcare’s mobile app Health4Me™ now offers several new
features including personalized care notifications that
automatically alert UnitedHealthcare plan participants about
preventive services and if they are missing recommended medical
treatments or tests. The app provides a message alert if the user
or a covered dependent has missed a recommended medical service,
such as an immunization for a child or a blood-sugar test for a
diabetic, and enables people to search for health care providers
and then schedule appointments to obtain the necessary
treatment.
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The Health4Me app now offers personalized
care notifications that automatically alert UnitedHealthcare plan
participants about preventive services and if they are missing
recommended medical treatments or tests, helping people to get and
stay healthy (Photo: UnitedHealthcare).
The personalized care notifications are now providing preventive
alerts to select UnitedHealthcare plan participants nationwide,
including Medicaid beneficiaries in 17 states. Clinically focused
notifications based on personalized claims data, such as alerts for
prenatal care and support programs for people with back pain, will
be introduced later this year. The notifications are based on
evidence-based and medical specialty society standards.
As Americans head into open enrollment season, online and mobile
resources are becoming increasingly important to help people
navigate the health care system and simplify their health care
experience. Sixty-five percent of consumers are interested in using
a health plan’s website or app to access a physician, and 53
percent are interested in receiving symptom-based treatment
suggestions, according to research firm Forrester.
Health4Me is designed to help all consumers make more informed
decisions about their care, and anyone can access a guest version
of the app to identify local health care providers and comparison
shop for care based on quality and cost.
New Health4Me features for UnitedHealthcare plan participants
include:
- personalized care notifications that
automatically alert plan participants if they are missing
recommended medical services, including preventive care reminders,
lab tests and immunizations;
- medication management capabilities that
enable people to search for pharmacies and estimate drug costs
while still at the doctor’s office, refill medications, review
prescription claims; and
- several new features make it more
convenient for people to access and use their health benefits,
including fingerprint-enabled sign-in (TouchID), ApplePay to enable
people to pay medical bills, and a button on the app’s main page to
help users connect directly with a UnitedHealthcare customer
service representative.
“Health4Me helps me better use my health benefits and improve my
overall well-being,” said Kristina Barbuto, a Health4Me user in Oak
Ridge, Tenn. “The navigation is easy and streamlined, making it
simple for me to learn more about my treatment options and costs,
and make the most of my health benefits.”
The latest enhancements build on the success of Health4Me, which
is available to all consumers on iPhone® and Android® devices and
has been downloaded more than 2 million times since its
introduction in 2012. The app enables anyone to locate nearby
health care providers, and convenience care, urgent care and
emergency care facilities, as well as review market average prices
for more than 875 medical services across nearly 600 episodes of
care, providing a view of what consumers may expect throughout
their course of treatment. For UnitedHealthcare plan participants,
the estimates take into account a user’s real-time account
balances, when applicable, and are based on actual contracted rates
with care providers.
There are significant price variations for health care services
and procedures at hospitals and doctors’ offices nationwide, even
though there is little or no corresponding improvement in health
outcomes for services performed by higher-priced care providers.
For example, the total cost for an uncomplicated childbirth,
including prenatal and postnatal care, at hospitals in the New York
City area ranges between $9,699 and $29,076. For back surgery,
specifically lumbar fusion, the cost ranges from $59,090 to $77,390
at area health care facilities in San Francisco. Other cities show
similarly widespread variation by procedure.
“Health4Me helps consumers conveniently manage their care, more
easily navigate the health system and make more informed choices
while at home or on the go,” said Sam Ho, M.D., chief medical
officer, UnitedHealthcare. “By using technology to help people
understand their care options and notify them if they are missing
beneficial treatments or preventive care services, we are helping
people take charge of their health and make more informed decisions
about their care.”
Other features available on Health4Me include the ability to pay
medical bills with a credit card, debit card, bank account or
health savings account; access to a nurse or virtual physician
visits 24 hours a day; a digital identification card; and
wellness-related resources such as integration with wearable
devices.
Health4Me is available to UnitedHealthcare employer customers of
all sizes and their employees. The Medicaid version is available to
beneficiaries in 17 states1.
About
UnitedHealthcareUnitedHealthcare is dedicated to helping
people nationwide live healthier lives by simplifying the health
care experience, meeting consumer health and wellness needs, and
sustaining trusted relationships with care providers. The company
offers the full spectrum of health benefit programs for
individuals, employers, military service members, retirees and
their families, and Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, and
contracts directly with 1 million physicians and care
professionals, and 6,000 hospitals and other care facilities
nationwide. UnitedHealthcare is one of the businesses of
UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), a diversified Fortune 50 health and
well-being company. For more information, visit UnitedHealthcare at
www.uhc.com or follow @myUHC on Twitter.
1 The availability and applicability of features may vary based
on the member’s health plan.
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version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160831005155/en/
UnitedHealthcareWill Shanley,
714-204-8005will.shanley@uhc.com
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