As a nurse practitioner Katie Arneson has witnessed numerous family members and patients who have had to battle with COVID-19, including her own dad who died because of the virus. Handling loss is never easy, but it is a part of a job that many of our health care workers face every day on a […]
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In ordinary times, we see Optum clients all across the country going to great lengths to serve their communities and their employees. These are not ordinary times. Over the past few months, we have seen them do extraordinary things — pivoting operations to serve new needs — even as they themselves, like all of us, […]
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As states reopen and shelter-in-place orders are eased, more people are beginning to visit family members, shop and dine out. Another important activity taking place again: People are reengaging with the health system for routine care, elective surgery and emergencies. “Almost 80% of patients surveyed told us that if they were experiencing symptoms of a […]
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Anne Thicke is an account manager with the OptumServe Reserve Health Readiness Program. She’s one part of a group of teams that swoops into armories to rapidly assemble health screening stations and ensure Army Reserve and National Guard soldiers are ready for deployment. With “readiness” in the program title, these teams must be prepared. It’s […]
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“Things really are moving fast,” says Bill Dreitlein, senior director of OptumRx Pipeline and Drug Surveillance. “This type of speed is unheard of in vaccine development.” To give you an idea how fast things are moving, consider this: The genetic sequence of the virus was published on January 11. By the end of April, scientists […]
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When client Southwest Airlines reached out with an urgent request for nurses and medical supplies to help them avoid a catastrophic shutdown at the start of the COVID-19 crisis, the Optum Workers’ Comp and Auto No-fault (OWCA) ancillary team stepped up to the challenge. Read more to learn about the outstanding efforts put forth by […]
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It’s Debra Coughlin’s job to help patients like Percy* understand and follow their doctors’ advice. Coughlin is an Optum performance and quality specialist who works with Percy’s Medicare Advantage Insurance plan. When the plan realized Percy wasn’t refilling his medications on schedule, Coughlin went into action to figure out what was going on. She called […]
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Scientists are working around the clock all over the world to figure out ways to fight COVID-19. “There is a truly impressive effort underway by governments, universities, pharmaceutical companies and nonprofits to tackle the COVID-19 challenge. The scale of the effort is gigantic,” says Bill Dreitlein, senior director of OptumRx Pipeline and Drug Surveillance. While […]
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At home due to COVID-19 and a little bored, Brandy Ward decided she wouldn’t screen her calls as she usually does. Her decision led to the important discovery that she was taking the wrong medication. Brandy found out about the issue, thanks to the thorough work of an OptumRx pharmacist. Pharmacists from the OptumRx Medication […]
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Making every health care dollar count is important in the best of times. In a pandemic, you want to pay even closer attention to your health care spending. Faced with uncertainty, our customers are raising questions about how they can use dollars set aside for medical, dental and vision expenses. Employers and employees are asking […]
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