UnitedHealth Group Weekly Dose Podcast

Technology has transformed and streamlined the way Americans access the care they need. However, for many Americans – especially those in historically underserved communities – the health system feels fragmented and disjointed.In the final episode of our three-part podcast deep dive into A Path Forward, Dr. Carolyn Brooks, Vice President of Quality, Strategy, Innovation and Experience at UnitedHealthcare Medicare and Retirement, and Dr. Wyatt Decker, CEO of Optum Health, discuss policy solutions that can help address health disparities, advance health equity and improve the health care experience for both consumers and providers.Click here for more information on A Path Forward. 

UnitedHealth Group is committed to a future where every person has access to high-quality, affordable health care and a modern, high-performing health system that reduces disparities, improves outcomes and lessens the burden of disease.This is the second episode in a three-part deep dive into A Path Forward, UnitedHealth Group's policy solutions that offer a refreshed perspective for how to modernize the health system to:Achieve universal coverage by building on and strengthening the current system.Make health care affordable by accelerating value-based care, using high-value sites of service, reforming prescription drug pricing and eliminating wasteful spending.Transform the health care experience by focusing on equity and addressing disparities, expanding and diversifying the health care workforce and empowering consumers and clinicians with actionable information.The second episode of our three-part series features Dirk McMahon, President and Chief Operating Officer at UnitedHealth Group and Heather Cianfrocco, CEO at Optum Rx, discussing ways to make the health system more affordable for consumers, employers and governments. Click here for more information on A Path Forward. 

UnitedHealth Group is committed to a future where every person has access to high-quality, affordable health care and a modern, high-performing health system that reduces disparities, improves outcomes and lessens the burden of disease.This is the first episode in a three-part deep dive into A Path Forward, UnitedHealth Group's policy solutions that offer a refreshed perspective for how to modernize the health system to:Achieve universal coverage by building on and strengthening the current system.Make health care affordable by accelerating value-based care, using high-value sites of service, reforming prescription drug pricing and eliminating wasteful spending.Transform the health care experience by focusing on equity and addressing disparities, expanding and diversifying the health care workforce and empowering consumers and clinicians with actionable information.The first episode in our three-part series features Brian Thompson, CEO of UnitedHealthcare, and Kristi Henderson, CEO of Optum Everycare, who discuss how to expand access to coverage and care in the U.S., including through innovative coverage and virtual capabilities.Click here for more information on A Path Forward. 

The pandemic has taken a huge toll on children across the nation. This increase in need for mental health support has led more children and adolescents to seek behavioral health care.In this week's episode, Dr. Yusra Benhalim, Senior National Medical Director at Optum Behavioral Health discusses: How the pandemic has impacted children and adolescents.Innovative ways that Optum has been approaching youth mental health. Resources parents can access to support their children.

UnitedHealthcare's Center for Advanced Analytics aims to improve well-being by engaging with clinical-intervention programs. These programs work to address social determinants of health for people in employer-sponsored benefit plans. In this week's episode, Craig Kurtzweil, leader of UnitedHealthcare's Center for Advanced Analytics, discusses: What the five costliest conditions are.The significant drivers behind those conditions. How preventive care can assist in lowering costs. Read the full report here. 

One of the most common reasons for emergency room visits are oral health needs. In fact, many people visit their dentist more frequently than their primary care provider. Earlier this year, UnitedHealthcare launched a virtual dental benefit. Patients can now seek virtual care for acute needs, triage before an in-person appointment and receive post-op follow-up care. In this episode, Colleen Van Ham, CEO of UnitedHealthcare Dental, discusses:How virtual dentistry works.The benefits virtual dentistry can provide.How virtual dentistry can improve access to preventive care.

Telehealth and telemedicine are just the beginning of a new future of serving patients where they need it most. Optum's Office for Provider Advancement embodies it's three pillars of research, excellence and partnership to better the provider and patient experience. In this episode, Dr. Amy Nguyen Howell from Optum's Office for Provider Advancement, discusses:How the patient and provider experience has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.What the Office does to meet patient and provider needs.Upcoming research and projects from the Office. 

Clinician burnout has long been a concern for health care workers, but the pandemic has shed new light on the issue and related workforce concerns. The Center for Clinician Advancement at UnitedHealth Group focuses on improving clinician engagement and retention, including ways to address burnout. In this episode, UHG's Mary Jo Jerde, explains: How the Center works to address clinician burnout. The importance of a healthy work-life balance. Why there's optimism for the future of the workforce. 

As the FDA went about the critical work of evaluating the safety of COVID-19 vaccines, the agency tapped Optum Scientific Consulting, with a 25-year history of evaluating drugs and vaccines. In this episode, Optum's Chief Scientific Officer John Seeger explains: Optum Scientific Consulting's history of evaluating drugs and vaccines.The group's partnership with the FDA to evaluate COVID-19 vaccines for kids ages 5 to 11. The broader impact and promise of data on drug and vaccine safety. 

Health care has long suffered from too much friction, which adds billions of dollars in costs to the system and creates more challenges for both consumers and providers. In this episode, Optum Insight's Shea Helmle discusses the biggest friction points in health care and how companies are using data to identifying and eliminate friction to improve patient care. 

Following a significant rise in virtual care during the pandemic, insurers see new opportunities to connect members with virtual first health plans that can expand access to care and help providers manage chronic disease. New offerings – including UnitedHealthcare's NavigateNOW – are providing 24/7 access to primary, behavioral and urgent care in a way that can help patients easily navigate the health system. Karen Silgen, vice president of virtual care at UnitedHealthcare, joins the Weekly Dose podcast to discuss the growing interest in virtual first health plans and the impact they can have for providers and consumers. 

Instead of pursuing traditional mergers and acquisitions, more hospitals are seeking external partnerships that can help them improve revenue cycle management and build new capabilities at scale. Optum Insight's Nick Howell discusses several recent health system partnerships and what it means for the health care industry moving forward.

The use of biosimilar drugs – which mimic existing biologic drugs – could reduce U.S. drug costs by more than $100 billion over the next five years. However, there are still challenges in getting these lower-cost medications into the hands of patients. Savitha Vivian, Senior Vice President, Clinical and Formulary Services at Optum Rx, discusses the pipeline of biosimilar drugs – including a highly-anticipated 2023 launch – and how broader use of biosimilars could improve prescription drug affordability for patients.

Children have suffered tremendous mental stress during the pandemic. A new partnership between Sesame Workshop and UnitedHealthcare, the nation's largest private insurer, aims to teach kids how to be more resilient to help them weather the COVID-19 storm. 

The 2021 America's Health Rankings report paints a complex and nuanced picture of America's health during the COVID-19 pandemic, including reversals of longer term trends across several measures. Some figures in the report appear at first glance to be quite alarming, while others appear surprisingly strong. Dr. Rhonda Randall, Chief Medical Officer of UnitedHealthcare E&I, breaks down the findings with host Ira Apfel.

No area of the health care industry is more competitive than the Direct-to-Consumer market. Startups have emerged, promising to sell generic drugs inexpensively online. Legacy providers are offering telehealth and prescription drugs as well. And now there's big retailers, including Amazon, getting in on the act as well. Here to discuss the trend with host Ira Apfel is Faiz Ahmad, CEO of Optum Direct-to-Consumer.

It's been an incredible year in health care, so we thought this was a good time to look back at where we started, and try to get an idea of where health care is headed for 2022. COVID-19 dominated health care news, of course, but there were many other critical topics, including the expansion of the Affordable Care Act, health equity and disparities, the IPO boom, drug pricing, artificial intelligence, gene therapy, and more. 

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic and protests following the death of George Floyd exposed long-standing equity issues in health care. Patients of all races, genders and religions sought more equitable care while health care workers asked for more inclusiveness and respect in the workplace. In the meantime, a business case for health equity began to emerge. According to one study, the U.S. economic output would increase by $2.7 trillion annually if race-based disparities within the health care system were addressed. Health care leaders have taken notice of the need to improve health equity. But it's an enormous challenge and prioritizing measures is no easy task. So how much has changed regarding health equity in the last 18 months? Here to explain what's happening is Joy Fitzgerald, Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer with UnitedHealth Group.

One of the most important pieces of health care legislation was signed into law last December. The No Surprises Act was designed to protect consumers from surprise medical bills, those medical bills that come unexpectedly and often with high price tags. But heading into 2022, hospitals and insurers are still trying to determine how to implement the legislation's requirements. So what's at stake with the legislation? And how does it  affect patients, hospitals and insurers? Lisa McDonnel of UnitedHealthcare and Michael Wentzien of Naviguard explain in this week's episode. 

It's been more than 20 years since scientists completed the first draft of the human genome. Decoding the human genetic blueprint held so much promise that it was even lauded by President Clinton. Yet, genomics has yielded surprisingly little by way of health care innovation -- until now? Dr. Jill Hagenkord of Optum Genomics joins Weekly Dose Podcast host Ira Apfel to discuss a potential new advancement in the field of genomics. 

It's Open Enrollment season, that time of year when millions of Americans choose their health care provider. And with more options than ever before, Open Enrollment can be a bit daunting. So we thought it would be a good idea to bring in an expert to help listeners make an informed decision -- Rebecca Madsen of UnitedHealthcare. 

Many diseases are so rare that they are often misdiagnosed -- and, even if diagnosed properly, some therapies only treat the symptoms, not the underlying disease. But there's new hope for those who suffer from a rare disease, and the health care field is certainly looking at new approaches to treating them. Erin Satterwhite, President & GM of Optum Frontier Therapies, offers her insights.

Sometimes health care is all about location, location, location: Patients can save money by using ambulatory surgery centers instead of hospital outpatient departments, according to new UnitedHealth Group research. It's the latest in a series of research findings that show ambulatory surgery centers can provide high quality care at a lower cost. Protima Advani, Senior Vice President with UnitedHealth Group, explain why. 

New research from UnitedHealth Group shows people who live in communities with lower health literacy levels are at greater risk for poor health outcomes and high costs. The impact is substantial: Improving health literacy could prevent nearly 1 million hospital visits and save over $25 billion a year. To  help  explain health literacy, Lambert van der Walde, SVP & Executive Director, Center for Health Care Research at UnitedHealth Group, joins the podcast. 

You don't have to search too long to read or hear a story about the crisis in nursing today. And it's easy to understand why: Nurses are on the front line of the coronavirus pandemic, and they are bearing the brunt of the impact. Burnout is a real issue. Attrition rates are rising and retention rates are falling. But nurses are also part of the solution, especially in addressing long term primary care shortages that are predicted to come. Kristy Duffey, Chief Nursing Officer with Optum, explains why she is optimistic about the future of nursing.

Fully 80% of an individual's health is determined by what happens outside a doctor's office. So if it really takes a community to raise a healthy person, what is the best way forward for the health care industry? Catherine Anderson, Senior Vice President of Policy & Strategy with UnitedHealthcare Community & State, joins the podcast to explain how the health care industry is working on a community level.

Nearly 800,000 Americans have irreversible kidney failure and need dialysis or a kidney transplant to survive, and more than half a million of these patients receive dialysis to replace kidney function. In this episode of the Weekly Dose Podcast, Dr. David Cook, Senior Vice President and Senior Research Fellow at UnitedHealth Group's OptumLabs, explains the crisis in kidney care as well as the possible solutions.

Artificial intelligence has long been on health care's radar, and the industry is seeing historic investment this year. At the same time, health care  is wrestling with challenges, such as negating unintentional bias. Joining the podcast to explain the latest AI developments in health care is Srinivas Sridhara, VP of Enterprise Data Strategy and Data Science at Optum.

The inaugural America's Health Rankings Health Disparities Report focuses on the inequalities in health care by race and ethnicity, gender, age, education and other measures. The report revealed an urgent need to address maternal mortality, mental and behavioral health and food insecurity in the United States. Why are health disparities so stark right now? Dr. Rhonda Randall, Chief Medical Officer of UnitedHealthcare E&I joins the podcast to explain.

The mortality rate for expectant Black mothers is more than twice the rate for white mothers, according to the new America's Health Rankings Health Disparities Report. Additionally, between 2005 and 2019, the maternal mortality rate for Black mothers increased 22%. What's driving these maternal health disparities? Dr. Janice Huckaby, Chief Medical Officer Maternal Child Health for Optum Population Health Services, shares her thoughts.

Initial public offerings reached record highs in this year, both in volume and the amount of money raised. No less than 365 companies went public in the first quarter alone, a 677% increase compared to the prior year. Many of these public offerings are driven by SPACs, or special purpose acquisition corporations set up for the sole purpose of raising capital to acquire a company and take it public. So why are so many companies opting to go public now? Zack Sopcak, Vice President of Investor Relations at UnitedHealth Group, offers his insights. 

Some people remain unvaccinated against COVID-19 because they are hesitant or hard to reach. People suffering from behavioral health issues are especially challenging to vaccinate -- and the Delta Variant makes vaccinations more critical than ever. In this episode, Natasha Hennessey, Chief Pharmacy Officer Clinical Services with Genoa Healthcare, details her organization's efforts to vaccinate people who suffer from behavioral health issues.

With the FDA's  recent approval of a new drug to treat people suffering from Alzheimer's disease, the approval could be a nightmare drug spending scenario -- an extremely expensive product that millions of desperate patients could be eligible for. What factors went into that decision? And what can be done to lower the out-of-pocket cost of prescription drugs for consumers? Matt Vesledahl, a Senior Vice President with  UnitedHealthcare, offers his perspective.

In the last of a two-part interview, OptumInsight CEO Rick Hardy, discusses the evolution of the health care analytics industry, including growing interest from health care companies and technology companies alike -- as well as the biggest opportunities to use analytics and algorithms to streamline healthcare.

OptumInsight is one of many health care  and technology companies using analytics and algorithms to streamline health care. In the first of a two-part interview, OptumInsight CEO Rick Hardy joins the Weekly Dose Podcast to discuss talk about the growth of technology and analytics in the health care sector.

Last February, an unprecedented cold-snap hit Texas  – an event that was particularly impactful for vulnerable populations, including UnitedHealthcare members who were unable to evacuate their homes or access needed medical services. Marian Cabanillas, CEO of UnitedHealthcare Texas, looks back and offers lessons learned.

This week we're profiling another UnitedHealth Group employee playing a critical role in the quest to improve health care. Ava Jones is a Director of Quality Management – but what does that mean? And why is the role so important to the future of health care?

This week we're taking a closer look at recent changes to the ACA individual exchanges and what impact that is having on uninsured Americans. 1 million Americans have signed up for covers through the federal exchange during the first 10 weeks of a special enrollment period opened up by the Biden administration on February 15. Nearly half of those new enrollees purchase coverage after Congress passed legislation, adding billions in subsidies that reduced the average monthly premium from $117 to 86. The Biden administration has extended that special enrollment period until August 15, and is advocating to permanently extend those premium subsidies. 

This week, we're focusing on the impact of COVID-19 globally, including Latin America, where the virus has researched in recent weeks, impacting health systems in a number of countries including Brazil, Chile, Peru and Colombia, where UnitedHealthcare operates. 2020 was particularly challenging for Latin America.

COVID-19 has had an outsized influence on the health plan Americans intend to select during open enrollment, according to the new UHC Consumer Sentiment Survey. Meanwhile, the majority of Americans surveyed say they are interested in using a smartphone or laptop to access medical services.The fifth-annual UnitedHealthcare Consumer Sentiment Survey examines Americans' attitudes and opinions about multiple areas of health care, including open enrollment preparedness, technology trends and health plan preferences.By the numbers:44% said COVID-19 has influenced – or will influence – their preferred health plan choice. Gen-Z were the most likely to be influenced (68%), compared to Baby Boomers (29%).  A survey-record 56% said they are interested in using digital devices, such as smartphones, tablets or laptops, to access care. 55% said they had used the internet or mobile apps to comparison shop for health care during the past year. One-quarter use online or mobile resources as the first option to evaluate health issues or symptoms.  When it comes to specialty benefits, most respondents (84%) said it was important to have vision and dental coverage options during open enrollment.