UnitedHealthcare's Premium(SM) Designation Program Adds New Recognition Component to Promote Quality and Professional Development by the Nation's Largest Medical Specialty Board.

MINNEAPOLIS -- UnitedHealthcare's National Performance Assessment and Improvement Program Rewards Board-Certified Internists with Enhanced Recognition and Visibility

UnitedHealthcare, a UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) company, announced today that physicians certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) who participate in the Board's Practice Improvement Module and Maintenance of Certification programs will receive special credit under the UnitedHealth Premium(SM) designation program, a national performance assessment and consumer decision-support program.

Utilizing science-based, industry-standard criteria, along with guidance from medical specialty societies and expert physicians, the UnitedHealth Premium designation program evaluates care delivery by physicians across 19 medical specialties including several internal medicine disciplines. In addition, the Premium program's performance feedback provides physicians with the opportunity for continuous professional development and improvement, and provides consumers with relevant information to enhance the quality of their health care outcomes.

This advancement in the UnitedHealth Premium program means that internal medicine specialists will receive special recognition and credit for participating in ABIM's Maintenance of Certification and Practice Improvement Module programs. Upon completion, physicians can submit appropriate information to UnitedHealthcare for inclusion in the Premium designation evaluation. Additionally, performance data from UnitedHealthcare can be utilized by internists to support their participation in the ABIM's Practice Improvement programs.

"UnitedHealth Group recognizes and celebrates the leadership of the American Board of Internal Medicine in implementing this meaningful enhancement to the traditional process of board certification, which will improve both the quality and cost effectiveness of clinical care delivery," said Reed V. Tuckson, M.D., UnitedHealth Group's senior vice president of Consumer Health and Medical Care Advancement. "As specialty boards such as the ABIM advance physician leadership that encourages, supports and evaluates continuous professional development, new opportunities become available for collaboration to achieve our common goal of providing high-quality, affordable health care for consumers. As such, we take this opportunity to urge all eligible physicians to participate in the maintenance of certification programs offered by their specialty boards."

"UnitedHealthcare is deeply committed to supporting physicians who demonstrate their professionalism through board certification, practice measurement and continuous quality improvement," said Lewis Sandy, M.D., UnitedHealthcare's executive vice president for Clinical Strategies and Policy. "We are confident that physicians who participate in the ABIM Maintenance of Certification and Performance Improvement Module programs are meaningfully enhancing quality and appropriateness of clinical care delivery and should be recognized in our Premium designation program. Patients and healthcare purchasers deserve to know about the quality of care delivered, and physicians who demonstrate a commitment to quality through ongoing engagement with their specialty boards should be highlighted and recognized."

About UnitedHealthcare

UnitedHealthcare (www.unitedhealthcare.com) provides a full spectrum of consumer-oriented health benefit plans and services, helping approximately 25 million individual consumers nationwide achieve improved health and well-being through various health service systems. UnitedHealthcare arranges access to quality, affordable care with more than 500,000 physicians and care professionals and 4,600 hospitals across America. UnitedHealthcare is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH), a diversified Fortune 50 health and well-being company.