UnitedHealthcare and Novu Launch Online Portal That Enables Medicare Beneficiaries to Create Their Own Personalized Wellness Programs
UnitedHealthcare and Novu are launching an innovative online portal, www.uhc.novu.com,
that enables people enrolled in UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage and
Prescription Drug plans to create their own health-improvement and
wellness programs.
The UnitedHealthcare-Novu program is available at no charge now to
UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug plan members
in New Jersey, Wisconsin and Washington state. This expanded pilot
builds on the company’s successful initial test of the program, which
started in October 2012 and included about 90,000 members in Texas,
Ohio, Arizona and Colorado.
The UnitedHealthcare-Novu platform enables UnitedHealthcare Medicare
plan members to create a personalized wellness program by registering
and completing a confidential holistic health evaluation that helps them
measure their fitness, nutrition and overall life balance. Based on
their responses, a tailored health and wellness program is recommended
that features customized coaching, nutrition and fitness goals that can
be achieved in specific, manageable steps. Each program is two weeks in
length and focuses on attainable goals to success.
All of the content is designed to help Medicare consumers feel supported
and motivated to achieve their personal goals. As members reach
milestones, they receive daily program activities and incentives such as
reward points that can be used to purchase raffle tickets and receive
discounts on local services and health and wellness products. In
addition, members have the option to join or create social groups in
which they can gauge each other’s activity, encourage their peers and
give advice about healthy living.
The website is secure, and no personal health information can be shared
with anyone. Participation in the UnitedHealthcare-Novu program will not
affect any member’s Medicare eligibility or costs.
“We believe this easy-to-use online program will empower people to take
a more active role in their daily health routines by enabling them to
tailor personal wellness programs based on their own unique health
needs,” said Tom Wicka, president of Novu. “We partnered with
UnitedHealthcare to create this platform because both companies share a
commitment to developing innovative technologies that help people
improve their health and wellness.”
“This new platform will help Medicare beneficiaries enhance their health
and quality of life by combining a holistic program that values the
member, rewards their efforts, celebrates their victories and supports
them on a personal level,” said Jeff Shoemate, vice president of
innovation and business development at UnitedHealthcare Medicare &
Retirement.
NOTE: Media interested in viewing a demonstration of the new site
may email mark_drake@uhc.com.
About Novu
Novu is a
Minneapolis-based innovative health technology company with the sole
purpose of changing the way health and wellness are delivered and
impacting the daily healthy lifestyle habits of the population. For more
information please visit www.novu.com
or contact us at (952) 378-1421.
About UnitedHealthcare
UnitedHealthcare
(www.uhc.com)
is dedicated to helping people nationwide live healthier lives by
simplifying the health care experience, meeting consumer health and
wellness needs, and sustaining trusted relationships with care
providers. The company offers the full spectrum of health benefit
programs for individuals, employers and Medicare and Medicaid
beneficiaries, and contracts directly with 780,000 physicians and other
care professionals and 5,900 hospitals and other care facilities
nationwide. UnitedHealthcare serves more than 40 million people and is
one of the businesses of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), a diversified
Fortune 50 health and well-being company.
The products and services described above are neither offered nor
guaranteed under UnitedHealthcare’s contract with the Medicare program.
In addition, they are not subject to the Medicare appeals process. Any
disputes regarding these products and services may be subject to the
UnitedHealthcare’s or NOVU’s grievance process, depending on the nature
of the dispute.
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