The Optum Serve commitment to supporting transformational changes that enable readiness

Enhancing Service Member and unit readiness is at the core of how Optum Serve is supporting transformational readiness. Our foundational capability is centered on supporting the health of Service Members in the areas of Medical Readiness Event Services, Occupational Health and Medical Surveillance, Care Coordination, Behavioral Health Outreach and Suicide Prevention, Preparedness and Emergency Response. Optum Serve offers unmatched medical, dental and behavioral health network coverage and mobile health care infrastructure that enable superior geographic proximity and convenience for the National Guard. Our custom-built network is enhanced by ready access to the UnitedHealth Group (UHG) nationwide network. With over two decades of experience, Optum Serve (formerly LHI) understands the unique needs and challenges in delivering health care to our Armed Forces.  We have served approximately 430,000 Reservists, Guardsmen and their families worldwide

“We have the foundational experience, having provided support to the National Guard and Reserves through mass mobilization events like those preceding Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF),” said Courtney Morisson, Director of Program Management, Optum Serve. “Pair that with our enterprise-wide capabilities and network, and that’s a combination that can’t be found anywhere else.” 

The technological investments made by Optum Serve have proved crucial in the lead-up to OEF and OIF, enabling Guardsmen and Reservists to undergo testing and access results on the same day. Mark Swofford, CEO and Senior Vice President, Optum Serve Health Services emphasized that these investments aligned with the core mission, vision and values of Optum Serve. 

Our focus is on providing quality service when supporting medical readiness events. We ensure our personnel are properly trained and our equipment is mission ready to render the highest quality product and services for our customers. We can scale seamless to support multiple events and ensure all Service Members are mission ready.

Technology investments to support readiness today and beyond

Over the past few years, technological capabilities from Optum Serve have expanded through research and investment. As program requirements evolve, Optum Serve remains committed to helping Unit Commanders enhance medical readiness. For instance, recent investments in cloud computing have enabled Optum Serve to build a streamlined solution for tracking individual medical readiness (IMR) standards and providing real-time Unit readiness information. This feature now allows Unit Commanders to have a better understanding of who is ready to deploy when the call comes. 

Beyond enhancing insight into a unit’s medical readiness, Optum Serve invests in systems and solutions that support streamlined user experiences; crafting digital access portals that empower individual users to address medical readiness independently. 

“We give them access to schedule appointments for themselves through a simple, easy-to-use self-scheduling interface, and we also provide them with their own IMR status,” said Swofford. 

As tensions rise in the Indo-Pacific and Middle East, meeting IMR standards will become increasingly crucial. For Optum Serve, supporting this need means being a responsive partner to the Department of Defense (DoD) and investing in solutions that help enable each service member to manage their health and meet tomorrow’s threats with a sound body, mind and spirit. 

Anticipating and meeting future readiness needs

“All of my effort, energy and skills go to supporting the improvement of medical readiness and the quality of RHRP because our Nation’s Service Members are the best among us, and they deserve the best,” explained Peder Swanson, vice president of business and market development for Optum Serve. Service members receive a simple and transparent experience in the delivery of readiness and deployment services. An evolution in the digital experience is here – personalized, interoperable and empowering.

With threats continuing to evolve, achieving decisive overmatch will require modernization and a diverse range of approaches — from events-based services to distributed, smaller clinic-based interactions across a network. 

“As we continue to innovate around our current solutions, we’re taking into account the difference between what the program historically required and bridging the gap between what our client needs so that we’re setting ourselves up for success by providing them with solutions that meet their needs, not just what’s part of the contract,” said Morrison. This investment goes beyond RHRP as Optum invests $8.6B+ annually on technology development and innovation to improve clinical information that is essential to care, coverage and quality.

Readiness success is dependent on active collaboration between program partners. For Optum Serve, gathering feedback to inform the evolution of readiness is central to enhancing and increasing the core capabilities that support the readiness continuum

Incorporating defined client needs into ongoing technological innovation and proven logistical capabilities set Optum Serve apart as standing ready to support the National Guard and Reserves for large scale mobilization operations. Combining efficient administrative support services and reduced operational cost, Optum Serve is prepared to improve Unit and service member readiness with high quality, on-time service delivery.