UnitedHealthcare is seeking to improve care continuity in rural communities, including initiatives that could support community- and home-based care.
UnitedHealth Group’s (NYSE: UNH) insurance arm also reported decreases in skilled nursing facility (SNF) admissions and described efforts to reduce prior authorizations in its Q1 earnings call on Wednesday.
“We are intensifying our efforts to help independent rural health care providers,” Tim Noel, CEO of UnitedHealthcare, said on the earnings call. “We will accelerate payments in all lines of business by 50% for rural hospitals and exempt rural health care providers from most medical prior authorization requirements. We are building network partnerships between rural providers and leading regional health systems. Together, these initiatives will help lower costs and simplify processes for care providers and greatly enhance access to quality care for people in rural communities.”
The insurer is specifically partnering with health systems to support hub-and-spoke care models that connect regional clinical care with community-based access points, the company announced this week. These hub-and-spoke models may include mobile and virtual care, data interoperability and analytics, clinical decision support and home-based care.
These efforts to improve access to care in rural regions also include exempting rural care providers from most medical prior authorization requirements across all lines of business, according to the company.
On the earnings call, company leadership highlighted that inpatient nursing admissions were trending “sharply below historic levels,” with an approximate 35% reduction in SNF admissions.
While the company did not attribute the decline to any specific setting, research has found that in-home SNF-alternative care is less costly and preferred by patients. Additional studies have supported the conclusion that home health care interventions are cost-saving and as effective as hospital care interventions.
UnitedHealth leaders also specified that the insurance giant is investing in AI-enabled modernization and that the company is on track to invest nearly $1.5 billion in AI-related initiatives in 2026. Executives said these AI investments include tools designed to guide patients to the right care setting.
“We are rapidly scaling self-service digital scheduling, including AI-enabled tools that guide patients to the right appointment and the right setting at the right time for them,” Patrick Conway, the CEO of Optum, said on the call. “That is improving access, reducing friction, and expanding capacity without adding incremental clinical burden.”
In Q1, UnitedHealth Group reported revenues of $111.7 billion, a 2% increase year-over-year. It raised its full-year 2026 earnings outlook to $18.25 per share, up from $17.35 per share.
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