The 15 cost-containment options are divided into four categories — incentivizing beneficiaries to use high-quality care providers, reducing avoidable and inappropriate care, supporting and incentivizing physicians to deliver high-quality appropriate care and applying evidence-based standards to reimbursement policies.
The report projects that over the next 10 years approximately $55 billion could be saved by reducing seniors’ avoidable readmissions to hospitals partly by providing transitional care support. In addition, $37 billion could be saved through voluntary programs that help seniors choose to receive care from high-quality and efficient care providers.
UnitedHealth plans to share the report with members of Congress and senior administration officials.
Read the UnitedHealth press release on the cost savings study.
Read the entire report, titled Federal Health Care Cost Containment – How in Practice Can it be Done? (pdf).
