Health & Fitness
Health and Fitness
Health and Fitness
Tue, January 27, 2009 UnitedHealth Group?s Evercare Business Awarded for Innovation in Coordinated Care
MINNEAPOLIS--([ BUSINESS WIRE ])--UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) today announced that its Evercare unit has received the American Geriatrics Society Foundation for Health in Aging (FHA) Impact Award for its significant contribution to improving the health of older persons and their quality of life. The award reflects Evercare's leadership in the industry as a pioneer in health care coordination, a distinction established 22 years ago when Evercare, part of Ovations, UnitedHealth Group's health and well-being company for seniors, established its innovative Care Model.
"As the Congress and new administration take a hard look at how best to reform U.S. healthcare, UnitedHealth's Evercare offers two decades of real world experience of programs that can raise quality for Medicare beneficiaries while containing costs to taxpayers," said Simon Stevens, Chief Executive Officer of Ovations, UnitedHealth's seniors' health company that includes Evercare. "Future-proofing Medicare to make it more consumer-friendly and fiscally sustainable will require incorporating clinical programs like these that enhance prevention, primary care and care coordination" he continued.
"Evercare's advocacy for preventive care and commitment to a society that values older persons is an inspiration to all of us," said Linda Hiddemen Barondess, executive vice president, AGS Foundation for Health in Aging. "We applaud Evercare's pioneering Care Model for its focused, individualized care for nursing home residents, as well as those who live independently at home or have special needs, such as chronic illness or disability."
The FHA Impact Award reflects Evercare's Care Model, which is comprised of nurse practitioners and care managers who serve as trusted partners that guide patients through the health care system. These professionals work with physicians, other health care providers, members and their family caregivers to develop and orchestrate personalized care plans to facilitate access to treatments and support services that patients need. Previous Foundation honorees include former President Jimmy Carter and Mrs. Rosalynn Carter, Dr. Maya Angelou, and Sen. John Glenn and Mrs. Annie Glenn.
The Impact Award is the latest recent public accolade for Evercare's commitment to personalized caregiving. Additional recognition and achievements include:
- A national study sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation recognized Evercare as an innovative care model that can preserve and improve patient quality, safety and satisfaction while expanding access and lowering costs.
- The Institute of Medicine's "Retooling for an Aging America: Building the Health Care Workforce" identified Evercare as a new model of care to address the complex health needs of Americans over 65 years of age.
About UnitedHealth Group
UnitedHealth Group ([ www.unitedhealthgroup.com ]) is a diversified health and well-being company dedicated to making health care work better. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn., UnitedHealth Group offers a broad spectrum of products and services through six operating businesses: UnitedHealthcare, Ovations, AmeriChoice, OptumHealth, Ingenix, and Prescription Solutions. Through its family of businesses, UnitedHealth Group serves more than 70 million individuals nationwide.
About Evercare
Evercare is a unit of Ovations, a business of UnitedHealth Group, dedicated to the health care needs of Americans over age 50. Evercare is one of the nation's largest health care coordination programs for people who have long-term or advanced illness, are older or have disabilities. Founded in 1987, Evercare today serves more than 300,000 people nationwide through Medicare, Medicaid and programs and services – from health plans for people in community and skilled nursing settings, to caregiver support and hospice care.
About the AGS Foundation for Health in Aging
The AGS Foundation for Health in Aging (FHA) is a national non-profit organization established in 1999 by [ The American Geriatrics Society ]. We aim to build a bridge between the research and practice of [ Geriatrics ] and the Public, and to advocate on behalf of older adults and their special health care needs. For more information about the Foundation visit [ www.healthinaging.org ].
