Duke Health and UnitedHealthcare have expanded their network relationship, giving approximately 15,000 North Carolinians enrolled in UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage plans access to Duke Health physicians and facilities beginning Jan. 1, 2019.

People enrolled in employer-sponsored and individual health plans currently have access to the Duke Health physicians and facilities.

This expanded relationship enables people enrolled in UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage plans to receive care from Duke Health’s physicians and care providers. Duke Health shares UnitedHealthcare’s commitment to improving access to quality care, enhancing clinical outcomes, lowering costs of care and creating an exceptional patient experience.

“By expanding our care provider network we can offer the people we serve greater choice and access to quality, cost-effective care,” said Thomas O’Connor, CEO, UnitedHealthcare Medicare & Retirement in North Carolina. “We value our relationship with Duke Health , and look forward to working with them to help our plan participants live healthier lives and get the care they need when they need it.”

In North Carolina, UnitedHealthcare serves nearly 1.4 million people enrolled in Medicare Advantage, employer-sponsored and individual health plans with a network of 142 hospitals, and more than 38,000 physicians and other care providers statewide.

About UnitedHealthcare

UnitedHealthcare is dedicated to helping people live healthier lives and making the health system work better for everyone by simplifying the health care experience, meeting consumer health and wellness needs, and sustaining trusted relationships with care providers. In the United States, UnitedHealthcare offers the full spectrum of health benefit programs for individuals, employers, and Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, and contracts directly with more than 1.2 million physicians and care professionals, and 6,500 hospitals and other care facilities nationwide. The company also provides health benefits and delivers care to people through owned and operated health care facilities in South America. UnitedHealthcare is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), a diversified health care company. For more information, visit UnitedHealthcare at www.uhc.com or follow @UHC on Twitter.