UnitedHealthcare launches generative AI ‘companion’ for patient care coordination
UnitedHealthcare is the latest company to launch an artificial intelligence application to provide its members with a “simpler, more coordinated healthcare experience.” The generative AI tool, called “Avery,” was announced this week.
The new AI “companion” will be onboarded into the existing UnitedHealthcare app and through myuhc.com, the insurer’s patient portal. The company said Avery will help with everything from describing benefits to scheduling appointments, up to and including providing reimbursement updates on pending claims.
UnitedHealthcare aims to use Avery to provide its members with knowledge of in-network care options near them, to help them not only find a provider for services but also map out a plan for complicated encounters, such as the ongoing treatment of a chronic illness or preparing for an elective surgery.
The application is designed to be “self-service” and ideally should "learn" from a user's interactions, UnitedHealthcare said. Avery is the type of model that will adapt to each individual member over time, offering a “personalized experience based on the individual’s specific benefits and demographics,” while serving up information in real-time.
“People want health care to be easier to use and tailored to their personal needs,” Dan Kueter, CEO for UnitedHealthcare’s commercial business, said in a press release. “Avery is one way we are responding to consumer demand for a more coordinated and simpler experience and enabling our members to focus on what matters most: getting and staying well.”
Eligible members should have access to the AI immediately. Those people include 6.5 million with employer-sponsored health plans through UnitedHealthcare, as well as 160,000 Medicare Advantage patients.
The insurer confirmed that Avery’s reach will continue to expand. By the end of 2026, it’s promised that Avery will reach 20.5 million people, including those on Medicaid.
Over 1,000 uses for AI
The project is part of a larger push for AI across UnitedHealth Group, the parent company of UnitedHealthcare. Investments are expected to total $1.6 billion in 2026 alone, the company stated.
Avery is the latest. But to date, UnitedHealthcare said it’s deployed over 1,000 models and applications to support customers, members, providers and internal business operations.
The amount of data the insurer has access to means Avery was trained on “billions of digital transactions,” to be the best digital agent it can be. But if all else fails, patients can connect to human customer support directly through its interface, UnitedHealthcare said.
New features for the AI will roll out over time, it added.
Chad is an award-winning writer and editor with over 15 years of experience working in media. He has a decade-long professional background in healthcare, working as a writer and in public relations.