UnitedHealthcare Offers $60,000 Prize as Part of Global Competition to Identify Solutions to Improve Peoples’ Health

-“Open innovation” challenge enables people to submit consumer technology ideas and solutions that can address chronic conditions, encourage prevention and enhance the health system
-Online submissions accepted now through April 8; winning submission eligible for $60,000 prize

LAS VEGAS – UnitedHealthcare announced at the 2013 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) an open innovation initiative that invites people around the world to submit new solutions that will enhance the health system and help people lead healthier lives.

The “Breakthrough Health Tech Challenge” aims to tap the creativity of innovators worldwide, both within and beyond the health care industry, to bring concepts and solutions that help address some of the greatest challenges facing the health system. This “crowdsourcing” challenge seeks ideas on how common consumer technologies or devices, including video game systems and mobile phones, can be used in new ways to serve people by helping them address their chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and obesity.

Details of the challenge and a submission form can be found at www.ceshealth.com. Ideas are being accepted through April 8, with the winning submission earning a $60,000 prize.

“We believe this groundbreaking challenge will inspire new ideas and concepts that could serve as breakthrough solutions to improving people’s health and the health care system,” said Gail Boudreaux, CEO of UnitedHealthcare, a UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) company. “By engaging people from around the globe, we will be able to identify new thinking that focuses on solutions that promote health, prevent disease and improve medical care.”

This contest is the latest in a series of open innovation challenges that UnitedHealth Group and its various businesses have launched since mid-2012. These challenges have generated an array of unique ideas and concepts for implementation.

“Innovative ideas can come from anywhere, including from people outside the health system,” said Boudreaux. “The world’s largest consumer technology trade show is an ideal venue to launch this unique opportunity for people worldwide to think creatively and help drive health care innovation.”

UnitedHealthcare has a deep history and commitment to developing innovative solutions that enhance the health system and help people live healthier lives, including:

-myHealthcare Cost Estimator – This online and mobile tool gives consumers the transparency they need to understand health care costs and quality for specific physicians and hospitals; enables them to compare costs and quality of alternative treatments; and provides personalized out-of-pocket cost estimates based on current benefits, applicable network discounts and health financing accounts.
-Health4Me – This powerful mobile app helps UnitedHealthcare plan participants on the go find in-network doctors, benefit information and claim status.
-Senior Digital Journey – By better understanding how individuals experience health care and insurance, UnitedHealthcare is are gaining insights in how to change its service delivery to fit the behavior, needs and desires of the people it serves.
-UnitedHealthcare Community Rewards™ – This program rewards children with points for healthy habits such as visiting their doctors regularly for checkups or brushing their teeth. Then they are able to redeem the points for valuable rewards such as a camera or a bicycle.

For more on UnitedHealthcare’s presence at CES and the company’s booth, fitness challenges and speaking engagements, visit www.ceshealth.com or follow @CESHealth on Twitter.

About UnitedHealthcare
UnitedHealthcare 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 more than 650,000 physicians and care professionals and 5,000 hospitals nationwide. UnitedHealthcare serves more than 38 million people and is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), a diversified Fortune 50 health and well-being company.