“The health care system is just so complicated.”
I’ve been hearing that complaint a lot these days, and I
admit that I agree. Part of improving
the health of our nation involves making the health care system simpler to
understand.
That’s why UnitedHealthcare is constantly at work on new
innovations that simplify the health care experience. For example, our “Health Information
Chauffer” program helps schools keep track of children’s medical records. Instead of keeping children’s important
medical information stored in a file cabinet or putting the burden on the
school nurse, the “chauffer” program keeps a digital record of children’s
medical information. Parents enter their
children’s information only one time, and then update as needed. The method allows for improved medication
tracking and dispensing and better monitoring of chronic conditions such as
allergies, asthma and diabetes.
Part of a partnership between UnitedHealthcare and Force for
Health Foundation, the pilot program is taking place for the first time in a
Pennsylvania school district.
We are also testing a new flexible health insurance product
called Wrks4Me that aims to bring simplicity, flexibility and affordability to
employers and employees at large corporations.
Wrks4Me helps employees choose from multiple health plans to
find the one that best fits the needs of their families. The Wrks4Me website portal allows employees
to see the benefit choices available to them, use decision tools to help them
understand the option that fits their financial and health situation, and
enroll online. This also helps employers
cut down on the cost and administrative tasks associated with health plan
administration.
The pilot program is currently being tested by a few large
employers, but we expect positive returns for both employees and employers.
While these programs are still in early stages of testing
and development, they are great examples of some of the most innovative ideas
to help simplify our health care system.
For more on the latest UnitedHealthcare innovations, check
out our innovation news.
