UnitedHealthcare launches AI chatbot for member care navigation

UnitedHealthcare has launched Avery, a consumer-facing AI chatbot intended to support the member experience through round-the-clock care navigation services, the company announced today.

The tool, which has been rolled out to 6.5 million members with UnitedHealthcare employer-sponsored coverage and 160,000 Medicare Advantage members, is designed to provide around-the-clock support to members seeking certain care navigation services about the following:

• Coverage and personal benefits.
• Appointment scheduling.
• Cost estimates and plan balances.
• Rewards opportunities and wellness programs.
• ID cards and over-the-counter benefits.
• Provider search.
• Claim approval status.
• Explanation of benefits.

The launch comes as AI chatbots continue to alter the consumer experience across the care continuum. In the payer space, GenAI tools show promise in streamlining care navigation and answering member questions about benefits, among other things.

"People want healthcare 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."

UnitedHealthcare said its AI chatbot can pull information across various sources to provide users with the answers they need. For example, the tool's agentic functions can call in-network primary care providers to book appointments. Avery can also summarize covered benefits, which UnitedHealthcare said could help members capitalize on those benefits.

Notably, the chatbot is designed to lessen the load for UnitedHealthcare's customer advocates, who are typically tasked with care navigation. Avery should offload simpler patient navigation tasks, while referring users to customer advocates when needed or requested.

The payer also said that Avery can provide summaries to customer advocates and offer real-time administrative support, such as member histories, to advocates.

UnitedHealthcare joins its competitor, Humana, in launching an AI tool designed to support member navigation. Earlier this year, Humana unveiled a partnership with Google Cloud's agentic AI designed to help member experience advocates manage high call volumes.

The Humana tool, dubbed Agent Assist, is staff-facing, meaning it's not intended for members to use. The payer said it will work in tandem with its 20,000 member advocates already tasked with member navigation by summarizing call conversations, anticipate members needs and surface key member information.

Sara Heath has reported news related to patient engagement and health equity since 2015.