“The quality, not the longevity, of one’s life, is what is important,” said Martin Luther King, Jr.

But when it comes to health care, you might agree that both quality and longevity are important! That is why the United Healthcare Insurance Company (UHIC) introduced the United Health Premium Program. Established in the year 2005, this program has been in existence for 13 years now and is one of the longest running of its kind in the insurance industry.

The effort is taken by UHIC to identify and support doctors from among 375,000 physicians chosen from a majority of states who meet the national standards of quality care and cost guidelines set by the American College of Cardiology, the Ambulatory Care Quality Alliance and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Physicians must meet the requirements of having an active UnitedHealthcare Commercial FFS contract, must practice in an area that has the UHIC Premium Program and must be a specialist in one or more of the 16 specialties included in the Program. In addition, this premium list of physicians is updated annually based on quality and cost-efficient methods.

UHIC also enlists consumers, the ultimate beneficiaries of the health insurance program, in the decision-making process. This is done with the intention of getting first-hand knowledge of end-user experience and whether they actually benefit from the various health insurance programs offered. Also, while insurance seekers make informed choices about the medical care they wish to receive, physicians too use the physician designations provided by the UnitedHealth Premium program to refer their patients to other physicians. Doctors who are part of the UnitedHealth Premium Program act in accordance with evidence-based care guidelines are acquainted with the latest research experiments, clinical trials, and their results.

The UnitedHealthcare Insurance Premium Program provides coverage in 164 markets in 44 of the 50 states. Check if it is available in your area because quality does not stop with the food we eat or the clothes we wear; it must definitely be extended to the healthcare program we choose.