MINNEAPOLIS (Jan. 29, 2008) – UnitedHealth Group’s (NYSE: UNH) Personal Health Messages are encouraging more consumer-driven health (CDH) plan enrollees to get the recommended preventive screenings they need for early detection of cancer and other illnesses.

Sent electronically to an individual’s myuhc.com account, the customized messages draw upon data from claims activity, age, gender, and nationally established evidence-based care guidelines, to deliver a personalized call to action encouraging preventive screenings that are relevant to that individual.

According to a review of the messages sent in 2006, enrollees in UnitedHealth Group’s CDH plans who access their private, password-protected accounts via www.myuhc.com and open their customized Personal Health Messages are significantly more likely to receive clinically recommended screenings for breast and cervical cancer, high blood pressure and cholesterol.

For example, women who opened their messages were 68-percent more likely to get a mammogram and 63-percent more likely to get a cervical cancer screening. The study compares CDH plan participants who accessed their online health messages throughout 2006 with those who were sent messages but did not open them.

Also, enrollees approaching their 50th birthday received a special message reminding them of a series of recommended preventive tests for their age group. Data show that members who opened this message were:

• 82-percent more likely to get a cervical cancer screening;
• 31-percent more likely to get a cholesterol screening;
• 71-percent more likely to have an office visit in which their blood pressure is checked.

Personal Health Messages are available to individuals enrolled in any of UnitedHealth Group’s CDH plans, including those connected to a health savings account (HSA) or health reimbursement account (HRA), as well as to employees of large businesses. UnitedHealth Group delivers the messages to each participant’s www.myuhc.com account, and reinforces them in the participant’s monthly health statements and over the telephone if they call customer service.

“Many people today often can’t fit preventive health care into their busy schedules, while others may be unaware of the screenings they should be receiving,” said Meredith Baratz, vice president of marketing for Definity Health, a UnitedHealth Group company and pioneer in consumer-driven health care. “This analysis shows that by personalizing the support we provide our enrollees, we can make a positive impact on the preventive care they receive, which ultimately will lead to better care decisions and improved health.”

The Personal Health Messages program reflects the consumer-driven expertise Definity Health has offered across UnitedHealth Group’s businesses. First launched by Definity in 2003, Personal Health Messages are delivered to more than 8 million enrollees and will be available broadly to UnitedHealth Group health plan participants in the coming year. 

About UnitedHealth Group
UnitedHealth Group 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 seven operating businesses: UnitedHealthcare, Ovations, AmeriChoice, Uniprise, OptumHealth, Ingenix and Prescription Solutions. Through its family of businesses, UnitedHealth Group serves approximately 70 million individuals nationwide.