OptumHealth Financial Services Expands Electronic Payment Solution to Dental Industry to Reduce Costs, Improve Efficiency

Expansion Has Potential to Reduce Administrative Costs by More Than $100 Million a Year

MINNETONKA, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--OptumHealth Financial Services announced today that it has expanded its OptumHealth Electronic Payment and Statements solution to the dental industry to help improve efficiency and reduce administrative costs.

“We have two doctors, we’re open six days a week, and they see 70 patients a day, so on many days we have 140 patients coming through”

OptumHealth Electronic Payments and Statements allows dentists and dental plans to conduct claims payment transactions and receive remittance advice electronically, doing away with the inefficient and expensive use of paper, printing and postage associated with the current claims settlement process.

Dental providers and insurers process almost 275 million claims a year using paper methods. OptumHealth Electronic Payments and Statements has the potential to save more than $100 million a year in administrative costs, according to OptumHealth estimates.

OptumHealth Electronic Payments and Statements is already used by more than 350,000 medical care providers – more than anyone else in the industry. It is one of the only products that combine electronic funds transfer and electronic remittance advice to provide a one-stop destination for electronic reconciliation and payment transactions.

“Bringing this capability to the dental industry helps streamline and simplify health-care finance for everyone in the system – individuals, employers, dental plans and dental care providers,” said Chad Wilkins, chief executive officer of OptumHealth Financial Services.

June Herman, the office manager for Mid-Nassau Pediatrics LLC in Westbury, N.Y., has been using OptumHealth Electronic Payments and Statements for more than a year to save time and receive payments more quickly.

“We have two doctors, we’re open six days a week, and they see 70 patients a day, so on many days we have 140 patients coming through,” said Herman. “If there’s one less thing for me to think about, I welcome it. I find OptumHealth Electronic Payments and Statements to be very easy to use, and very convenient.”

While the cost savings are paramount, there are also significant environmental benefits to eliminating paper billing, printing and mailing, Wilkins added. Based on an analysis conducted by OptumHealth Financial Services, if all dental payers in the United States went electronic, it would save two million pounds of paper and 24,000 trees of forest annually.

OptumHealth Financial Services is a business unit of Golden Valley, Minn-based OptumHealth, a consumer solutions company that makes the health care system easier to navigate and helps people live life to the fullest. OptumHealth Financial Services includes OptumHealth Bank, Member FDIC, one of the largest administrators of health savings accounts (HSAs) in the country, and Administration Resources Corp., a leading third-party benefits administrator.

About OptumHealth

OptumHealth helps individuals navigate the health care system, finance their health care needs and achieve their health and well-being goals. The company’s personalized health advocacy and engagement programs tap a unique combination of capabilities that encompass care solutions, behavioral solutions, specialty benefits and financial services. Serving more than 61 million people, OptumHealth is the nation’s largest health and wellness company. It is a business unit of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH). More information about OptumHealth can be found at www.OptumHealth.com.