A 21st Century Health Plan
Western Pennsylvania is the proving ground for a new model of health insurance — a model in which the insurer serves as the front door to a wealth of renowned clinical services and delivers on the promise of using data to achieve better quality and lower costs. This new insurance model — UPMC Health Plan — pioneers programs to help employers engage their workforce in the pursuit of healthy lifestyles. It also helps employers address a broad array of health-related costs.
Founded in 1998 on the premise that providers armed with complete data and evidence-based guidelines could produce the best clinical outcomes, UPMC Health Plan has become one of the most innovative insurance plans in the nation. Since then, the insurer has been working with the region’s employers and providers to develop better ways to deliver superb health care. These efforts have paid off. UPMC Health Plan has designed programs and tools to help consumers manage their health on a day-to-day basis and has created programs for patients with chronic diseases like congestive heart failure, asthma, and diabetes. These programs — designed by medical experts, nurses, and educators using Health Plan information — have yielded positive results in clinical outcomes and saved millions of dollars through decreased hospital admissions and emergency room visits.