GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. (Jan. 7, 2009) – ECHO Health Inc. has selected OptumHealth Inc.’s Electronic Payments and Statements solution to enhance ECHO’s medical claims and settlement services and reduce associated customer costs.

OptumHealth Electronic Payments and Statements improves efficiency and reduces waste by enabling health plans, third-party payers and their customers to pay claims and send remittance advices electronically to physicians and other health care professionals. OptumHealth’s product is used by more than 366,000 health care professionals – more health care users than any other electronic payments and statements solution in the industry, according to a company marketplace study. ECHO Health will use OptumHealth Electronic Payments and Statements in conjunction with its Simplicity suite of products and services for its insurance and third-party administrator customers.

“We selected OptumHealth Electronic Payments and Statements because it can be easily integrated with the payment and reporting processes we use with our third-party administration clients and their employer groups,” said William Davis, chairman and chief executive officer of ECHO Health. “Our selection was also based on the fact that OptumHealth Financial ServicesSM has built the industry’s largest network of health care professionals already receiving electronic payments and remittance information.

“We think that payers will find OptumHealth Electronic Payments and Statements an important tool for reducing claims payment expenses. Our third-party administrator clients have demonstrated their readiness and desire to leverage our companies’ combined capabilities to drive down cost and to improve overall service to their clients and members, and to health care providers.”

An estimated 2.7 billion claims are reimbursed each year in the health care industry. An independent study conducted for OptumHealth Financial Services showed that the average payer can save up to $5 million in administrative expenses over five years by converting from paper-based processing to OptumHealth Electronic Payments and Statements. 

“Payers, physicians and other health care professionals are looking for solutions to cut expenses and paperwork,” said Chad Wilkins, chief executive officer of OptumHealth Financial Services. “We are pleased that we can provide ECHO Health a solution that will help their customers save time and reduce overall operating costs.”

Wilkins also added, “While the cost savings are paramount, there are also significant environmental benefits to eliminating paper billing, printing and mailing.” Based on an analysis conducted by OptumHealth Financial Services, if all payers in the United States adopted electronic billing and payment systems, the change would save 20 million pounds of paper annually.

OptumHealth Financial Services, a division of OptumHealth Inc., provides integrated electronic claims settlement solutions for health plans, third-party administrators and other payer groups; tax-advantaged accounts for health care savings and spending; innovative medical and debit card technology; and benefits administration services. It includes OptumHealth Bank^SM, Member FDIC, and Administration Resources Corp., a leading third-party benefits administrator.

About OptumHealth
OptumHealth Inc. 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 60 million people, OptumHealth is one of the nation’s largest health and wellness companies. It is a business unit of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH). More information about OptumHealth can be found at www.optumhealth.com.

About ECHO Health
ECHO Health Inc., an Ohio corporation, provides financial services to insurance and third-party administrators to dramatically reduce their fulfillment and customer services costs through electronic settlement and through consolidation of provider payments and employee communications. Through its Simplicity suite of electronic client settlement and reporting services, ECHO has consolidated and electronically settled over $3 billion dollars for administrators of health plans throughout the United States since 1997. More information about ECHO Health can be found at www.echohealthinc.com.

Download a copy of this news release in PDF format.

For more information, contact:
Brad Lotterman
Senior Manager, External Communications
OptumHealth
714-445-0453
brad.lotterman@optumhealth.com

Roy Mordhorst 
Director of Marketing  
ECHO Health
843-693-2323
RoyMordhorst@echohealthinc.com