Daily story published in The Plain Dealer Metro section (PDF).
Also published online at Cleveland.com: http://www.cleveland.com/healthfit/index.ssf/2012/06/unitedhealthcare_expands_focus.html
By Casey Capachi
CLEVELAND, Ohio — UnitedHealthcare, one of the largest health insurers in Northeast Ohio, talked about its program that provides incentives for healthcare providers and physicians who focus on preventive care Thursday at the InterContinental Hotel.
The program is part of a national movement away from the fee-for-service model to one that compensates physicians for improved clinical outcomes.
“Providers are rewarded for providing more volume, but we need to think about paying for performance,” said Mark A. DiCello, a regional vice president for UnitedHealthcare, speaking to a crowd of about 100 employers, insurance carriers and healthcare providers.
Long-term, effective preventive care will avoid costly visits to hospital emergency rooms and save money, said DiCello. “For every dollar spent,” he said, “we would expect $2 in return.”
UnitedHealthcare announced at the meeting that the Diabetes Prevention and Control Alliance (DPCA), a division of UnitedHealth Group Inc., is now working with health coaches and pharmacists at Rite Aids and YMCAs in Northern Ohio. They hope to focus on patients who have prediabetes before they develop Type 2 diabetes.
“All 26 million Americans diagnosed with adult diabetes in 2010 were at one point prediabetic,” said Lisa Chapman-Smith, senior vice pesident of DPCA. “And there was not a lot of conversation about it.”
Patricia Horvath, executive director of UnitedHealthcare in Northern Ohio, hopes more conversation will come out of the movement toward prevention.
“There are those people who are going to say, ‘I don’t want someone bugging me to get my annual physical,'” said Horvath. “But we all need that nudge.”
“Doctors are excited because they get to do what they’re trained to do.” said Horvath. “To get you well and keep you healthy.”