UnitedHealthcare Launches Avery Generative AI Companion for 6.5 Million Members
UnitedHealthcare has launched Avery, a generative AI companion designed to improve care coordination for approximately 6.5 million employer-sponsored members and 160,000 Medicare Advantage members.
Key Points
- Avery serves 6.5 million employer-sponsored members and 160,000 Medicare Advantage members
- Part of UnitedHealth Group's $1.6 billion planned AI investment in 2026
- 90% of users haven't requested additional assistance during initial rollout
- AI was trained using advocate conversations and voice call patterns
Full Details
UnitedHealthcare announced the launch of Avery, a generative AI companion aimed at improving care coordination for its members. The AI patterns were created using advocate conversations and voice calls, with bots then fine-tuned until questions using digital data are correctly answered. During the rollout, 90% of users have not requested additional assistance, indicating strong initial adoption. Dan Kueter, UnitedHealthcare commercial business CEO, said, 'People want health care to be easier to use and tailored to their personal needs.' Avery is currently available to approximately 6.5 million employer-sponsored health plan members and 160,000 Medicare Advantage members. The companion is part of UnitedHealth Group's planned $1.6 billion AI investment in 2026.
Why It Matters
This represents one of the largest deployments of generative AI in healthcare benefits, potentially setting a new standard for member engagement and could significantly reduce administrative costs while improving patient experience.
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