UnitedHealthcare bolsters access to consumer health information on cardiac facilities, citing recent New England Journal of Medicine study.

MINNEAPOLIS – (March 21, 2007) – In light of a recent study published by the New England Journal of Medicine¹ documenting a need for more “round-the-clock” access to quality urgent cardiac care, UnitedHealthcare, a UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) company, is providing consumers with access to information that can help them make more informed decisions regarding their choice of cardiac-care facilities.

UnitedHealthcare is the first national insurer to recognize hospitals nationwide that meet specific requirements for emergency cardiac treatment as part of its UnitedHealth Premium® program.

The New England Journal of Medicine study, titled “Weekend versus Weekday Admission and Mortality from Myocardial Infarction,” revealed higher mortality rates for patients admitted for heart attacks on weekends vs. weekdays and that variation in hospital staffing and capacity may be factors.  The study concluded that “better access to care on weekends could improve the outcome for patients with acute myocardial infarctions.”

“Patients are encouraged to take advantage of the latest scientific evidence of best quality when choosing hospitals and other health care facilities,” said Lewis Sandy, M.D., executive vice president of clinical strategies and policy for UnitedHealthcare.  “The New England Journal of Medicine study underscores the importance of evaluating the timeliness of a hospital’s response to cardiac emergencies.  Patients and referring physicians should know which hospitals have 24/7 capacity for emergency cardiac care.  Consumers will have added peace of mind knowing they have access to the tools and resources they need to identify the facilities and physicians that have met strict industry standards and are delivering quality cardiac care.”

Nearly 300 hospitals nationwide have been selected as UnitedHealth Premium cardiac specialty centers.  The designation is granted to facilities that deliver consistent quality cardiac care in line with criteria based on nationally recognized medical standards established by leading clinical societies and expert physician advice.  For example, designated cardiac specialty centers ensure that cardiac specialists are available within 30 minutes after a patient is admitted in order to provide timely care.  View the list. 

Additional guidelines for UnitedHealthcare’s cardiac specialty centers include parameters such as those outlined in the “Door to Balloon (D2B)” campaign recently initiated by the American College of Cardiology and supported by 33 partnering organizations including the American Heart Association.  The campaign aims to improve the interval between a patient’s arrival at the hospital and the opening of a blocked artery with an angioplasty balloon.  UnitedHealthcare’s specialty cardiac centers are measured on door-to-balloon time as a part of their UnitedHealth Premium designation quality measurement.

According to Harlan M. Krumholz, M.D., S.M., F.A.C.C., chair of both the D2B Work Group and  UnitedHealthcare’s Cardiac Scientific Advisory Board: “Increasingly, medical evidence is showing that patients who receive prompt treatment are more likely to survive the effects of a heart attack, and the recent New England Journal of Medicine study further underscores the need to provide timely care.  UnitedHealthcare has taken a leadership position in ensuring quality and consistency in cardiac care by identifying those facilities – and physicians – who achieve faster response times and help save lives.”

About UnitedHealthcare 
UnitedHealthcare provides a full spectrum of consumer-oriented health benefit plans and services.  The company organizes access to quality, affordable health care services on behalf of more than 28 million individual consumers, contracting directly with more than 520,000 physicians and care professionals and 4,700 hospitals nationwide to offer consumers broad, convenient access to services nationwide.  UnitedHealthcare is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), a diversified Fortune 50 health and well-being company. 

The New England Journal of Medicine. 356;11. March 15, 2007.