UnitedHealth Group, the nation’s health largest insurance company, continues to see the home as a key part of the healthcare continuum. During an investor conference Wednesday morning, it touted its commitment to delivering care in the home for its members and raised the stakes for continued growth in the coming years.
“This year we will complete more than 10 million home visits and deliver fully accountable care to more than a million dual and chronic special needs patients. That is twice as many as last year,” said Kristy Duffey, chief nursing officer at United’s subsidiary Optum, which provides healthcare, pharmacy services and financial services, during the conference. “You should expect strong growth in the years ahead as we continue to invest in and expand out home care capabilities to provide these critical services.”
Home care offerings are one way UnitedHealth seeks to broaden its value-based capabilities, company leaders noted. The firm’s long-term goal is to transition as many people as possible into value-based care, according to Brian Thompson, CEO of the UnitedHealthcare division. The company is using home care to advance this mission.
“We view home health as one of the new frontiers of value-based health care because it improves access while providing a more convenient experience for people, like special needs patients and those in rural areas who often have a very difficult time leaving their home to get care,” Duffey said in a statement.
The insurance giant, which bought LHC Group and is in the process of acquiring Amedisys, is part of a growing list of companies that are investing heavily in the home care market. Among its offerings, UnitedHealth has a HouseCalls program that grants some members a yearly health check-in by licensed health practitioners at no additional cost. Humana, another major insurer, owns CenterWell, which encompasses home health, primary care and pharmacy. CenterWell’s home care asset was previously known as Kindred at Home.
