- Enhanced “DocGPS 2.0” mobile application includes UnitedHealthcare’s Premium designated physicians in search results
- Users can also search for local, in-network urgent care facilities
MINNETONKA, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- UnitedHealthcare has released its newly enhanced DocGPS application, putting its vast network of doctors, hospitals, urgent care centers and other health care services in the hands of even more consumers.
DocGPS 2.0 is now compatible with select BlackBerry devices, Android smart phones and iPhones, including the new iPhone 4.
DocGPS enables users to locate an in-network doctor or hospital within UnitedHealthcare’s nationwide care provider network of more than 600,000 physicians and care professionals and 5,000 hospitals. It can then show the care provider’s location on a map, give detailed directions and enable the user to call the medical professional or facility by simply tapping on the search result.
DocGPS 2.0 offers several enhancements:
- Search results now indicate UnitedHealthcare’s Premium® designation of doctors and health care facilities, helping plan participants find physicians and health care facilities that provide higher-quality, cost-effective care.
- Users can specifically search for urgent care centers, making it easier for individuals and families traveling on vacation, or professionals on business trips, to locate an alternative to the local emergency room for routine illnesses or injuries.
- Users can limit their searches to a specific mile radius from their current location based on the GPS signal, or by zip code.
“In today’s world, it’s critical that we continually improve and innovate with technologies that increase consumers’ access to high-quality, affordable health care,” said Dawn Owens, CEO of OptumHealth, a UnitedHealth Group company that helped develop DocGPS.
UnitedHealthcare first launched DocGPS for Apple Inc.’s iPhone in December 2009, becoming one of the first health companies to utilize GPS functionality in mobile devices to help consumers locate nearby doctors and health care facilities that are in their health plan’s care provider network. So far, DocGPS has had nearly 20,000 downloads.
DocGPS 2.0 is available as a free download on iPhones, select BlackBerry devices (Curve 8900, Storm 9530 and Bold 9000) and smart phones powered by Google’s Android operating system v1.5 and later. DocGPS now covers the majority of smart phones currently on the market. In the first quarter of 2010, the three mobile platforms – Android, iPhone and BlackBerry devices – represented about 85 percent of smart-phone sales, according to The NPD Group, an industry research group.
According to an October 2009 study by CTIA-The Wireless Association, nearly 80 percent of Americans said they are interested in receiving health care services via their mobile devices.
About UnitedHealthcare
UnitedHealthcare (www.unitedhealthcare.com) provides a full spectrum of consumer-oriented health benefit plans and services to individuals, public sector employers and businesses of all sizes, including more than half of the Fortune 100 companies. The company organizes access to quality, affordable health care services on behalf of approximately 25 million individual consumers, contracting directly with more than 600,000 physicians and care professionals and 5,000 hospitals to offer them broad, convenient access to services nationwide. UnitedHealthcare is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH), a diversified Fortune 50 health and well-being company.
CONTACT:
UnitedHealthcare
Daryl Richard, 860-702-5795
[email protected]
KEYWORDS: United States North America Minnesota
INDUSTRY KEYWORDS: Other Consumer Technology Consumer Electronics Internet Software Telecommunications Health Hospitals Mobile/Wireless Professional Services Insurance Consumer General Health Managed Care
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