An Overview Of United Health Group: Addressing Healthcare Requirements And Strategic Arrangements
Introduction to United Health Group as a Healthcare Company and its Divisions
United Health Group is a health care company that offers products related to health care and insurance services having its headquarters in Minnetonka, Minnesota and it holds sixth position in the United States on the Fortune 500. United Healthcare consist of four divisions- United Healthcare Employer and Individual, United Healthcare Community and State, United Healthcare Medicare and Retirement and United Healthcare Global. United Health Group has two different platforms to serve clients and consumers- United Healthcare delivers healthcare treatment and payback solutions and Optum delivers details and technology-permitted fitness solutions. The thesis statement of this essay is to provide readiness of the United Health Group in addressing the health care requirements of general public and their strategic arrangement dealing with issues of growth of system, nurse employment, resource administration, satisfaction of patients.
United Health care provides a vast series of programs with aim of helping people live in a better way to meet the need of health care of citizens in the next decade. They try to improve their performance of the health care method in improving the citizens’ health by increasing the way to excellence health care through giving proper information and instruction to create their individual health options in reasonable charges (Jee & Kim, 2013). According to the news letter of United Health care, their market developments facilitate guarantee on quality, reasonable and transportable coverage to all residents of United States (Sandy, Tuckson & Stevens, 2013). The organization tries to make medicines more affordable and more reachable to the people who need them.
The calculated plan to deal with the problems concerning to network development strategic arrangement is the method where organizations expand an idea, aim as well as certain tactics to attain the goal. Satisfaction of the patients and easy access of cost effectiveness of the citizens is permitted through the developed network system and technological improvement provided by the organization (Antheunis, Tates & Nieboer, 2013). United Healthcare has provided a magnetic stripe at the back of the cards that are offered to the customers. These cards help the doctors and hospital staffs to get actual time data on every patient that let them to know their information of eligibility, benefits of patients and claim history. This card system also helps organizations and hospitals save a lot of money. The doctors and other medical specialists can reach patients even when it is not possible to get the doctors with the help if tele-health system. The organization promotes electronic health record systems in the hospitals so that it helps in reduction of medical faults and this will finally assist in improving the safety and quality of patient’s life.
United Health Care: Products and Programs to Address Healthcare Requirements
The strategic plan that addresses issues pertaining to nurse staffing is the method which resolves certain issues like aging population, rising demand, aging nurse workforce, economic pressure, and unsatisfactory working conditions. United Health Group always tries to provide accessible, high featured, patient focused programs at lesser price. A nurse-led care management program since 2012 of its Medicare Advantage plans comprising AARP Medicare Complete has been a winner in HouseCalls (Hoadley et al., 2013). It has been seen that nurse practitioners has visited nearly 753000 times to United Healthcare members’ houses to provide physical exams to the patients (West et al., 2014). They have also taken medical and social histories, reviews of medicines along with providing counseling and education and coordinating with primary care providers of the members (Hairr et al., 2014). They also help in connecting patients with other services like nutritional or social programs to keep their members hale and hearty as well as independent. United Health Group has set the Centre for Nursing Advancement in 2008 to develop their way of employing, maintaining and functioning with nurses. The organization also participates in competition with others to employ and maintain the number one position of the primary care workforce. The organization has also provided professional improvement opportunities to train nurses as leaders in their platform. Executive leadership program has been also launched by the organization to help out nurses in increasing business expertise and other proficiency to progress in leadership programs, making well-built professional and industry partnerships.
The issues pertaining to patient satisfaction can be enhanced by renovation of the organization. Patients and physicians empowerment is the main priority of the organization. They can be more powerful with the help of innovative approach to worldwide exposure so that patients can get better medical attention and treatment as per their requirement. The quality of care can be improved by making primary care of the organization stronger and the organization is working on it. Inconsistency can be reduced, medicines can be advanced, and structure of payment can also be improved by making the primary care stronger. It can be also said that the management processes linked to unrelieved diseases and their end of life care can be improved with the help of making of stronger primary care. The prosperity and breakdown of the association is dependent on the value of care it offers. United Healthcare provides telemedicine equipments, mobile health centers, effortless contact of the records of health by means of health recording method operated through electricity, well designed market enticement to improve the health of the citizens from countryside (Mohammad Mosadeghrad, 2013). United Healthcare has also offered diabetes prevention and control program to people to help them in controlling diabetes by eating healthy and staying healthy. With the help of giving education to people about impediment of diseases, following diet to manage obesity along with emphasizing the necessity to exercise and workout, United Healthcare is trying really hard to avoid long term diseases. In case the people fall sick this awareness program would eventually help people save their time and money as they will try to get their treatment immediately without letting the disease progress. The affordable and easily accessible medicines and health care helps the citizens a lot to get a proper treatment.
Strategic Plan to Deal with Network Development Issues
The strategic plan that addresses issues pertaining to resource management is the method in which certain issues such as human resource management, financial management, services of healthcare can be resolved. The services of healthcare can be improved by including varieties and vast range of products like laboratory, radiology, cardiology and surgical services. The environment of hospitals should be properly maintained so that the patients feel safe and secured and they can communicate with the health professionals in a proper manner without any hesitation. The financial management can be well strategized by preparing departmental budgets, cost cutting, consolidation, conciliation and prioritization. The issue regarding human resource management can be solved by understanding the culture of their staff and their expectations, by employing skilled professional, training and development of staffs and proper recruitment selection and introduction.
United Healthcare and Singapore Airlines can be compared through the following matters. The workforce of Singapore Airlines mostly varies from the range of 18 to 25 years (Heracleous & Wirtz, 2014). The younger generation is preferred more than the older generation in airlines industry. United Health care does not have any age limitation. Both Singapore Airlines and United Health Group have highly professional and skilled members. The continuous strategy plan of development of workforce has improved the quality of service in Singapore Airlines as well as United Health care. Customer service and satisfaction are highly important for both the organizations. Therefore, it can be said through the comparison between Singapore Airlines and United Health care that the main goal of both the organizations is their customer service and quality.
Cultural issues that can influence health care are different types of cultures and values followed by the patients that affect health disproportion, communication between the doctor and patient, experience of sickness and result of health care. The interaction between doctor and patient is very important and here the barrier of language is an important factor. There are several cultural groups such as older generation has a different view regarding doctors or healthcare professionals. Cultural aptitude is another factor that can influence health care system. It is as important as the outcome of the patients.
Conclusion
It is to be concluded that United Health care is ranked as one of the top expanded health company which focuses on helping public to live in good health and building their health care to work in a better way by giving high value, affordable, simply reached health care. With the help of providing network services in tele-health, disease awareness program the organization tries to aware people in controlling chronic diseases. There are certain factors like integrity, teamwork, trust and dedication which have helped the organization in receiving great satisfaction scores and also several awards in giving high quality services.
References
Antheunis, M. L., Tates, K., & Nieboer, T. E. (2013). Patients’ and health professionals’ use of social media in health care: motives, barriers and expectations. Patient education and counseling, 92(3), 426-431.
Hairr, D. C., Salisbury, H., Johannsson, M., & Redfern-Vance, N. (2014). Nurse staffing and the relationship to job satisfaction and retention. Nursing Economics, 32(3), 142.
Heracleous, L., & Wirtz, J. (2014). Singapore Airlines: Achieving sustainable advantage through mastering paradox. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 50(2), 150-170.
Hoadley, J., Cubanski, J., Hargrave, E., & Summer, L. (2013). Medicare part D: a first look at plan offerings in 2014.
Jee, K., & Kim, G. H. (2013). Potentiality of big data in the medical sector: focus on how to reshape the healthcare system. Healthcare informatics research, 19(2), 79-85.
Mohammad Mosadeghrad, A. (2013). Healthcare service quality: Towards a broad definition. International journal of health care quality assurance, 26(3), 203-219.
Sandy, L. G., Tuckson, R. V., & Stevens, S. L. (2013). UnitedHealthcare experience illustrates how payers can enable patient engagement. Health Affairs, 32(8), 1440-1445.
West, E., Barron, D. N., Harrison, D., Rafferty, A. M., Rowan, K., & Sanderson, C. (2014). Nurse staffing, medical staffing and mortality in intensive care: an observational study. International journal of nursing studies, 51(5), 781-794.
