UnitedHealthcare launches Healthy Pregnancy mobile app

Following a phased rollout, UnitedHealthcare will launch a new app that helps women track their pregnancies and engage with their providers more effectively.

Through the app, UHC Healthy Pregnancy, women can call a registered nurse at any time; access the member portal for healthcare costs, plan benefit information and in-network providers; search for information about pregnancy symptoms and concerns; monitor and track weight and the baby’s movements; set reminders to take vitamins; and track appointments.

Apps.Bloomberg.jpg

Women also receive customized weekly updates that coincide with the baby’s gestational age and a health assessment that, through an algorithm, notifies a nurse if the pregnancy can become high risk.

“As the carrier and as the group that manages high-risk pregnancies, we certainly had that as a priority,” says Dr. Janice Huckaby, an OB-GYN and regional chief medical officer of UnitedHealthcare. “It is also in response to market need. People access information in a lot of different ways than they used to. We felt there was a need to change the method of delivery.”

See also: Fifth Third Bank offers maternity concierge program to help new moms

The educational component of the app is a major focus for UnitedHealthcare. The carrier found that only 20% of women correctly recognized that a full-term pregnancy occurs at 39 weeks; the majority of women thought full-term pregnancies were around 37 to 38 weeks.

“The app was configured to provide that information at their fingertips,” says Meena Pinnamaneni, product director of UnitedHealthcare.

The app, which UnitedHealthcare will roll out to employers with 5,000 employees and their dependents in December, is free to use and can be downloaded onto iOS and Android devices, Pinnamaneni says.

It integrates with UnitedHealthcare’s maternity care platform as another way to connect with maternity nurse support throughout the prenatal and postnatal phases, according to the company.

For reprint and licensing requests for this article, click here.
Healthcare innovations HR Technology Healthcare plans Healthcare delivery Healthcare benefits
MORE FROM EMPLOYEE BENEFIT NEWS