The UnitedHealth Group Physician Experience Council exists to represent the collective voice of employed UHG physicians and to facilitate the development of an invigorated, distinctive UHG health workforce. We are excited to provide quarterly updates for our UHG clinicians!
Representing all business areas with a significant presence of M2, M3, and M4 physicians, this body will connect UHG physician communities, creating a network that will reduce professional and operational silos; promote cross-business collaboration and innovation; and foster a UHG physician culture that is fulfilling and sustainable, independent of role, title, and aspiration.
Happy New Year UHG Physicians! Welcome to our 4th Quarter Newsletter.
I want to congratulate you all for collectively leaning in and helping to drive a successful year for our enterprise. From patient care, to advocacy and policy, to utilization management, and in other key areas, your efforts, talent, and expertise have enabled improved patient and community health.
In this quarter’s newsletter, you’ll find a summation of the topics addressed by the Physician Experience Council this year, learn about how UHC Community & State is highlighting physicians, and get an update on the UHG PALs initiative. Additionally, “Off the Chart” continues with features of our physicians and the excellent work they are involved in.
Remember that the council remains committed to supporting our clinicians and pursing excellence in all we do for the company and our communities. I wish all of you a warm and wonderful holiday season and New Year with hopes of an outstanding 2025.
Welcome to Off the Chart, where we introduce you to UHG’s nationwide family of dedicated physicians by highlighting their human side. This is a fantastic start to highlighting our valued physicians from across the enterprise.
Each future quarterly newsletter will allow us to learn more about our highly respected physicians. On the chart for this installment are Sarah Brady and Michael Kennedy.
Many if not most of the physicians across the enterprise have heard about PALs (Physician Advisory Leaders), which brings together physicians across all UHG business segments within defined geographic markets. PALs started in 2023 in Houston and expanded to Chicago and Los Angeles later that fall. In 2024 PALs communities were established in New York, Washington DC, South Florida, Dallas, and Portland.
Efforts are underway to foster engagement within all 8 established communities in 2025 and use best practices to expand to additional markets. Additionally, adding some structure and potential governance to the existing framework in order to augment physician voice and agency is planned for 2025. Currently, Dr. Jerson Cardenas from UHC E&I represents PALs community leaders on the enterprise Physician Experience Council.
If you and/or your local colleagues have some interest in establishing a new PALs community in 2025, please send inquiries to Dr. Kenneth Poole at kenneth.poole@uhg.com.
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The Enterprise Physician Experience Council was formed in 2023 to represent the collective voice of employed UHG physicians and to facilitate the development of an invigorated, distinctive UHG health workforce. In the inaugural year, the group developed a monthly cadence and immediately sought to lean in on a variety of topics that affect the experience of our enterprise physicians. This year, more comprehensive representation from the UHG businesses was obtained, and the group became more interactive and functional.
Meeting presentations and topics included the following:
The council looks forward to continuing to support our physicians and providers in coordination with our UHG business partners into 2025 and beyond.