The first ether anesthetic for surgery was administered by Crawford W. Long, M.D. on March 30, 1842 — marking the first Doctors Day. National Doctors Day still takes place on March 30th each year. It’s an excellent opportunity to show our appreciation for physicians but saying “thank you” is only one small part.

At Optum, a part of UnitedHealth Group (UHG), we believe we must prioritize patient and provider satisfaction. And our mission is bold: to help people live healthier lives and help make health care work better for everyone. By focusing on the Quadruple Aim, Optum is creating meaningful change for physicians and patients.

Together, we’re creating a standard for the best quality and value in health care.

The UHG/Optum partnership uses its strengths as a payer, a tech and data company, and a care delivery organization to remain at the forefront of health care innovation. Holistic patient care works best when payers and providers communicate and share data, but UHG doesn’t govern what physicians do. Our combined businesses are working to improve quality of care by providing essential point-of-care insights, integrated with evidence-based medical standards, within the physician’s workflow. And when physicians work better, patient care takes precedence over paperwork.

Arsalan Salamat, Director of the Breast Care Program at Optum in Las Vegas, Nevada, took his role at Optum because it enables him to make a difference in patients’ lives. “It gave me a chance to be part of the organization that continually wants to improve the services we provide,” says Dr. Salamat. “We take care of breast cancer patients at a very vulnerable time in their lives, so we develop a relationship and trust that allow them to seek our help whenever they need it as they go through treatment and for several years after, when patients become survivors.”

Leveraging technology to improve delivery of patient care.

Health care has changed dramatically over the decades thanks to technological developments. Optum has consistently invested in and advocated for emerging technologies to advance health care. Digital technologies offer fresh perspectives, streamlined experiences and solutions that enhance mobility and convenience. It also enables us to be laser-focused on bringing solutions to market that help physicians be more productive — and help people live healthier lives.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is also playing a huge role in transforming comprehensive value-based care at Optum. It can help us leverage data to identify patients and members best suited for value-based care models. There is a spectrum of data-driven insights that help us to better understand which patients may benefit most from various types of interventions and types of care plans. That ends up getting broken down in multiple ways, including disease prevention, surveillance, integrating telehealth, virtual encounters and care modalities.

“It’s an exciting time to be in health care,” says Stephen Goldberg, M.D., Chairman of Cardiology in Internal Medicine at Optum Long Island, New York.

“The evolution of Optum and UnitedHealthcare has given us a chance to have a cutting-edge advantage in terms of quality and value,” says Dr. Goldberg. “I personally have the chance to participate by empowering clinicians to build affordability in health care that can improve the quality and outcome for our patients. We even get a little time for ourselves.” Dr. Goldberg relies on this work/life balance to sail and enjoy walking through the beautiful parks in Long Island.

Physicians who are considering joining Optum should know that Optum’s UHG partnership offers a distinct advantage over health care systems.

“As a comprehensive health care system, we go beyond what hospitals can provide with our Quadruple Aim, giving us something far more valuable than just joining a hospital system,” says Dr. Goldberg. “They also empower physicians to lead locally and create long-term, meaningful change.”

This National Doctors Day (and every day), we at Optum and UHG express our heartfelt thanks for your dedication. We honor the extraordinary contributions you make to health care. If you’re ready to thrive in a growing value-based care environment that truly values you, join us. View open Optum opportunities now.