UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty said during a Forbes Annual Healthcare Summit discussion he is exploring how the company's payer and provider branches can work together more closely.
The initiative aims to provide government and employer customers with more comprehensive offerings, Mr. Witty said Dec. 2, according to Forbes.
Mr. Witty pointed to developing mental health strategies as one avenue for combined growth.
"How can we bring together behavioral to medical?" Mr. Witty asked during his presentation. "It's a slightly odd phenomena that the system treats the brain as if it's not connected to the body in terms of how we govern for it. How do we think about connecting the virtual to the physical?"
Moving forward, Mr. Witty said Optum's virtual offerings will serve as the "centerpiece" for its employer approach. He said the company intends to blend traditional physical networks with telehealth.