Clinical and disease management support programs
When you live with an ongoing health condition, support programs can be a helpful way to get guidance along the way. You can look to support programs to get you in touch with experts who are trained to help you find healthy ways to cope, help you learn to live a rewarding life and overcome challenges you may face.
Learn more about UnitedHealthcare’s clinical and disease management programs for conditions such as:
- Diabetes
- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
- Heart Disease
- Bariatric Services
- Transplant Services
- Kidney Disease
- Asthma
- Cancer Resource Services
With UnitedHealthcare disease and management support, you will never have to walk alone.
Learn about UnitedHealthcare support programs
Review the topics below to find programs geared toward helping with specific health care needs.
With diabetes, blood sugar — typically converted by your body’s cells to use as energy — stays in the bloodstream and may lead to serious health issues, including heart disease, kidney disease and vision loss.1 By 2030, 39.7 million adults are projected to have been diagnosed with diabetes.2 Managing blood glucose levels (blood sugar), blood pressure and cholesterol may help prevent health problems that can occur when you have diabetes.
The UnitedHealthcare Diabetes Disease Management support program provides a variety of helpful services to help you:
- Track your progress through a digital app
- Get health monitoring through biometric sensors (alerting you to potential issues before you recognize them on your own)
- Learn strategies to help manage your diabetes
- Ask questions of coaches
The ultimate goal? With this support, you may be able to effectively take charge of your condition, stay healthier, avoid unnecessary hospital and emergency room visits and feel better.
Sign in to your account or call the number on your member ID card for more information about the Diabetes Disease Management program.
When you’re suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), described by some as feeling like you’re breathing through a straw, every breath may feel like a chore. With COPD, the air sacs in the lungs can get damaged. When inflamed, airflow can become severely restricted. Symptoms may include coughing, wheezing, excessive mucus and shortness of breath.4 While some people suffering from COPD can also have asthma or a genetic mutation, the most significant risk factor is cigarette smoking. Approximately 85-90% of COPD cases are caused by smoking.5
The UnitedHealthcare COPD Management Program is designed to help you learn how to:
- Reduce or eliminate risk factors
- Follow medication and treatment plans
- Manage any co-morbidities (a condition that occurs with another condition in the same person, at the same time), including depression
- Maintain a healthier lifestyle
Sign in to your account or call the number on your member ID card for more information about the COPD Management program.
You might think about hearts on Valentine’s Day, but chances are you probably don’t give your heart much thought on a regular basis — unless you’ve been diagnosed with a type of heart condition, also referred to as heart disease or cardiovascular disease. Those facing a diagnosis are far from alone in their journeys — nearly half of American adults are affected by cardiovascular disease.6 There are many types of heart disease, including the following:
Coronary artery disease
One of the most common type of heart disease is coronary artery disease, or CAD, which is responsible for causing heart attacks. Starting in childhood and progressing over many decades, CAD occurs when plaque builds and builds inside the arteries. As a result of these narrowed arteries, oxygen-rich blood flow to the heart is restricted.7 Without healthy blood flow, the heart may not get the nutrients it needs—leading to chest pain, heart attack or heart failure.8 Thanks to earlier diagnosis, better treatments and lifestyle changes, you may live with CAD longer than ever before. Another helpful tool is the UnitedHealthcare CAD Management Program, offering individualized care plans, care management interventions and technology/digital support.
The CAD Management Program may help you:
- Make positive behavioral changes
- Develop a good rapport with the nurses who provide helpful information and follow-up care
- Feel supported when it comes to the emotional and physical aspects of managing your condition
Sign in to your account or call the number on your member ID card for more information about the CAD Management program.
Heart failure/congestive heart failure
The term "heart failure" doesn’t mean the heart has failed and can no longer function. It means your heart muscle doesn’t pump blood as well as it should, causing it to struggle with its workload.9 For some people, symptoms of heart failure include fatigue, shortness of breath, rapid or irregular heartbeat or persistent cough or wheezing.10 The latest statistics show that one in five Americans will develop heart failure.11 In recent years, there has been significant progress in understanding and treating heart failure — and with proper management — you may go on to live a long and meaningful life. Support may go a long way, too.
The Heart Failure Disease Management Program provides information and resources designed to help you:
- Prevent activities that aggravate your heart failure
- Recognize changes in symptoms
- Actively intervene in an effort to reduce unnecessary hospitalizations
Sign in to your account or call the number on your member ID card for more information about the Heart Failure Disease Management program.
Congenital heart disease
Every year in the United States, approximately 40,000 babies are born with a heart problem, also known as a congenital heart defect.12 Defects can vary from mild (a small hole in the heart) to severe (a missing or poorly formed part of the heart).13 When your perfect baby is born with a congenital heart defect, it can feel like the world is crashing down around you. One thing is certain: You are not alone.
UnitedHealthcare offers Congenital Heart Disease Resource Services (CHDRS) and a specialized Centers of Excellence (COE) network of the nation’s leading CHD facilities. As a member, you may receive ongoing and personalized support including:
- Finding the right care for your needs within the COE network
- Helping you achieve positive outcomes, with a shorter in-hospital stay and significant discounts
- Receiving support from a dedicated team
Sign in to your account or call the number on your member ID card for more information about CHDRS and the COE network of CHD facilities.
For many people struggling with obesity, gastric bypass surgery weight-loss procedure is the light at the end of the tunnel.14 Bariatric surgery is not just an operation — it’s the beginning of a new way of life, either performed when diet and exercise have not been successful, or when weight loss is deemed medically necessary to combat conditions occurring as a result of obesity. Whether you’re having gastric bypass, gastric sleeve, adjustable gastric bands (Lap Band or Realize Band), Duodenal Switch, Biliopancreatic Bypass or Vertical banded gastroplasty, support groups and counseling may be helpful to make you feel less isolated and alone during your weight loss journey.
The UnitedHealthcare Bariatric Resource Services (BRS) clinical team will work with you to help:
- Better understand how obesity affects your overall health
- Provide guidance through bariatric Centers of Excellence (COE)
- Offer personalized clinical case management and lifestyle management resources
Sign in to your account or call the number on your member ID card for more information about how to connect with the BRS clinical team.
There are nearly 114,00 people in the U.S. currently on the waiting list for an organ donor, with another name added every 10 minutes.15 Certain diseases, injuries or birth defects can lead to or cause organ failure, with organ transplantation a lifesaving treatment option. Even though you may recognize that an organ transplant, whether from a living or deceased donor, has the potential to greatly improve your quality of life — often eliminating the need for dialysis — the waiting game can spark a range of emotions. First, there’s stress and worry pre-transplant (wondering if you’ll find a match), then there’s relief, excitement and elation if you do find a donor, and last — postsurgery — there may be a fear of organ rejection or sickness. During this time, you need TLC and support.
Our Transplant Resource Services is designed to help provide you with the following:
- Reduced transplant risk, based on a network of Centers of Excellence (COE) programs (designed to meet high-quality criteria)
- Reduced costs
- Expert clinical support—informing patients of all possible options
- Travel and lodging assistance
Sign in to your account or call the number on your member ID card for more information about Transplant Resource Services.
Finding the right dialysis center can be one of the most important parts of managing kidney disease. Our program is designed to help members who have been diagnosed with end-stage renal disease and are preparing to start dialysis or those who are currently receiving dialysis treatments.
The UnitedHealthcare Kidney Resource Services (KRS) program includes:
- Consultation from a KRS clinical consultant to help you make informed decisions about your care.
- Access to some of the nation’s leading dialysis centers
- Continued consulting and monitoring of your care to answer questions about your health
Sign in to your account or call the number on your member ID card for more information about the KRS program.
You can’t cure asthma, but you can control it. For 1 of every 13 Americans16 living with asthma — a disease affecting the lungs — that’s promising news. In order to successfully manage asthma and avoid landing in the emergency room, it’s important to know the warning signs, steer clear of anything that could potentially trigger an attack and work with your doctor to develop an asthma plan.17
The Asthma Disease Management Program provides information and resources to help members:
- Avoid triggers and recognize the warning signs of an attack
- Reduce or eliminate risk factors
- Follow their medication regimen and treatment plan
- Effectively manage their condition and co-morbidities, including depression
Sign in to your account or call the number on your member ID card for more information about the Asthma Disease Management program.
When you hear the words “You have cancer,” you join a club you didn’t choose to join. It’s important to remember, though, that many of the members of that club are survivors.
Cancer starts when cells grow out of control and crowd out healthy cells in different parts of the body. Some cancers spread slowly; some quickly. Some cancers form a tumor or lump; others don’t. There are different stages of cancer and different treatment methods, depending on what’s best for each situation.
No matter what type of cancer you’ve been diagnosed with, the UnitedHealthcare Cancer Resource Services provides access to top-performing cancer centers across the country.
The cancer Centers of Excellence (COE) network comprises 37 leading cancer centers, each meeting strict evaluation criteria based on the following:
- A multidisciplinary approach to care
- Best-practice medicine
- Patient- and family-oriented programs and services
- Treatment planning and coordination
- Clinical research
- Patient safety
If you’re choosing where to receive treatment, the cancer COE network is intended to complement local hospital and physician care. Potential benefits include:
- Higher rates of accurate diagnoses and appropriate therapy
- Fewer complications
- Planned and coordinated care provided by a team of experts who specialize in many types of cancer, including rare cancers
- Higher survival rates, shorter stays and decreased costs
- Expanded treatment options
Sign in to your account or call the number on your member ID card for more information about the cancer COE network.
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