GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. (Feb 25, 2010) – OptumHealth, a UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) company, today announced it has acquired Wellness Inc., a leading worksite wellness company that provides health services through more than 1,000 employers nationwide. OptumHealth will expand its wellness programs to include innovative Wellness Inc. solutions, including worksite-based biometric screenings that help identify risk factors and detect disease in early stages.
With Wellness Inc., OptumHealth broadens its support for those employers who want more comprehensive and convenient ways to help employees manage their health. Wellness Inc. brings to OptumHealth its biometric screenings – which utilize a blood panel of 36 medical tests to detect disease – seasonal and H1N1 flu vaccination services and interactive health assessments, which help identify lifestyle-related health risks.
OptumHealth will integrate Wellness Inc.’s worksite-delivered solutions into its existing wellness programs, including its proprietary eSync PlatformSM. The eSync Platform collects and synchronizes a person’s health data to provide timely, accurate information used by care providers and individuals to create personalized health management plans. Information from worksite health events will support the eSync Platform’s ability to provide a real-time, holistic view of each person’s health.
“Combining the industry-leading worksite health screenings with our integrated solutions and innovative health information technology will create a wellness offering that we believe is unmatched in the marketplace,” said Rob Webb chief executive officer for OptumHealth Care Solutions. “Our programs will help ensure that people not only understand their health status and risk factors, but can also proactively use that information to develop a plan that puts them on the path to a healthier lifestyle. Also, employers will see the benefits of having healthier, more productive employees.”
According to a recent study from the National Business Group on Health and Towers Watson, companies that invested in effective health and wellness programs experienced fewer missed days by employees, more productive employees on the job, lower medical costs and less frequent employee turnover. Additionally, companies that offered health risk assessments and effectively engaged employees in their health care management were three times more likely to report a reduction in health risks among their employees
“For 23 years, our mission has been to engage and educate individuals on their current health status, while providing customized roadmaps for achieving a healthier lifestyle in the future,” said Gary Fine, chief executive officer of Wellness Inc. “The complement of solutions and services between OptumHealth and Wellness Inc. will give our customers and their employees best-in-class options for creating a culture of health within their organizations.”
OptumHealth Care Solutions provides personalized health management support and services for more than 40 million Americans that enable them to stay healthy, get healthy, or live with health conditions. Services include holistic wellness and discount programs, customized portal options, decision support, disease solutions, complex medical condition support, case and utilization management programs, and physical health programs. Additionally, Care Solutions manages private health and wellness Internet portals that provide industry-leading content and online tools.
