UnitedHealth Pledges to Reimburse Value-Based Care

In a push for value-based care, UnitedHealth is pledging to double its provider payment in relation to quality and cost efficiency by up to $50 billion within the next 5 years. Sam Ho, UnitedHealth's chief clinical officer, said this initiative was a large step for the organization. However, it is seen as a necessary step in moving forward for healthcare reform. Fierce Health Payer reports:

Putting its money where its mouth is, UnitedHealth is promising to more than double its provider payments--to $50 billion--tied to quality and cost efficiency measures within the next five years, the company announced Wednesday.

UnitedHealth currently spends $20 billion on such accountable care provider contracts, which already have slowed the increase of medical costs and dropped emergency room visits by 17 percent.

With this decision, the country's largest health insurer will likely be accelerating efforts among insurers to move away from fee-for-service payments toward a value-based model, particularly because of its size and existing accountable care contracts, Forbes reported.

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