UnitedHealth gave doctors bonuses and praise for Medicare Advantage visits

TThe emails from UnitedHealth Group executives were full of exclamation points and jokes about the weather. But the underlying message to doctors at the end of 2020 was persistent and urgent: meet your goals to see more patients. We need to raise more money.

At the time, deaths from Covid-19 were increasing and no vaccine was available. But within one UnitedHealth practice, the “#1 PRIORITY” became documenting older patients’ chronic illnesses to generate more federal government revenue, the emails show.

One email read: “EXTRA BONUSES!!” for doctors who scheduled more appointments, encouraging them to meet with older patients on weekends. “We need to complete ALL of our Medicare Advantage visits,” one manager stated. The company even started a program where it enticed Medicare Advantage patients with $75 gift cards if they completed a checkup.