UnitedHealthcare announced that it has released an enhanced DocGPS application that will make available its network of doctors, hospitals, urgent care centers and other health care services to many more consumers.
According to company sources the DocGPS 2.0 is now compatible with select BlackBerry devices, Android smart phones and iPhones, including the new iPhone 4. Also the DocGPS helps 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.
The application can show the care provider’s location on a map and give detailed directions which will help the user to call the medical professional or facility by simply tapping on the search result.
The new version of DocGPS encompasses many new features which allow search results to indicate UnitedHealthcare’s Premium designation of doctors and health care facilities. This enables plan participants to find physicians and health care facilities that can provide higher-quality and cost-effective care.
Also users can specifically search for urgent care centers, enabling individuals and families who are traveling to locate an alternative to the local emergency room for routine illnesses or injuries. It also allows users to limit their searches to a specific mile radius from their current location based on the GPS signal, or by zip code.
Dawn Owens, CEO of OptumHealth, a UnitedHealth Group company that helped develop DocGPS commented, “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.”
Company officials added that UnitedHealthcare first launched DocGPS for Apple Inc.’s iPhone in December 2009. It leveraged 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.
DocGPS 2.0 is available as a free download on iPhones, select BlackBerry devices including the Curve 8900, Storm 9530 and Bold 9000 and other smart phones powered by Google’s Android operating system v1.5 and later.
CTIA-The Wireless Association conducted a survey in October 2009 which found that about 80 percent of Americans were interested in receiving health care services via their mobile devices.
UnitedHealthcare provides a full spectrum of consumer-oriented health benefit plans and services to individuals, public sector employers and businesses of all sizes. The company organizes access to 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.
Shamila Janakiraman is a contributing editor for HealthTechZone. To read more of Shamila’s articles, please visit her columnist page.Edited by
Ed Silverstein
