Uncompromising pursuit of excellence, key to Optum Philippines’ success in global health care services

Filipinos have long been recognized for their talent in various fields, including outstanding healthcare services both locally and abroad. According to Managing Director Ivic Mueco, Optum Global Solutions, a member of the UnitedHealth Group, can attribute its success to the great work that its Filipino workforce has contributed. 

“As the largest global in-house center in the country, we’ve made it our goal to harness and nurture Filipino talent which has been recognized anywhere we go,” shares Mueco. “Aside from praises about the unparalleled quality of care and service we offer, the consistent feedback from our partners and clients always includes Filipino talent as innovative and agile workers. Whenever problems arise, however dire the situation or tight the deadline, Filipinos will always find creative solutions and deliver results.”

Mueco says that it is the dedication and performance-driven mindset of local talent that have enabled Optum’s success here in the past 10 years. As the only health services company in the country specializing in whole-person health, Optum is uniquely positioned to positively impact member experience in a more holistic way.

“The breadth and spread of our work allows us to touch on all aspects of health care, resulting in best-in-class customer service because of our consistent delivery of accurate and speedy resolutions for our members.”

Optum Philippines leaders with UHG President and COO Dirk McMahon and Managing Director for the Philippines, Puerto Rico and Colombia Ivic Mueco

Furthermore, in the clinical space, Optum’s people programs train and empower nurses to deliver value-based care, making a healthier life more accessible and more affordable to more people.

What initially started with 52 employees in its Quezon City operations in 2011 has now grown to a workforce of over 21,000, spread across five locations around the country. This growth has also propelled Optum’s revenue to P15 billion in 2022.

“We’ve seen that Filipinos have a lot of potential and we at Optum, would like to maximize this potential and encourage career growth by continuing to upskill our employees and provide them opportunities to expand their knowledge and nurture their talents. This way, we are able to give the best care to our clients while opening up more opportunities for our employees,” continues Mueco.  

In the last decade, Optum has reaped awards such as the Exceptional Story recognition from the Contact Center Association of the Philippines for its Virtual Reality-enabled learning program, an initiative that provides learning opportunities for nurses that will expand their knowledge and enhance the quality of clinical patient care they will provide.

Aside from the Virtual Reality-enabled learning program, Optum looks for more ways to elevate and bring forward Filipino talent. Through the USRN Academy, they are able to provide company-sponsored self-paced training, resources, and support to nurses preparing for the US licensure exams. Another program worth mentioning is the Certified Professional Coders Academy which enables team members from different fields to develop skills in medical coding.

By fostering great talent, the company has been able to maintain a double-digit growth rate in the last few years which allowed the company to bag PEZA’s Outstanding Exporter Award. The award reinforced the company’s success as it yielded results in export sales with an average 26.5% in growth from 2018 to 2020. 

Beyond the awards they’ve earned, Mueco stresses that successes aren’t just about achieving the bottom line. “At Optum, growing our company does not just mean expanding and meeting our targets. With the challenges that the country and the rest of the world have been facing, the importance of taking care of your team and keeping the community intact and happy have been even more apparent.” 

This commitment to putting employee welfare first goes beyond the compassionate and nurturing environment Optum has built in the workplace. It also manifests in how employees and their families are given support to weather any storm – whether it’s a global pandemic or a severe typhoon like Odette (international name: Rai) which affected many of its employees in Cebu late last year.

“The continued investment of the UHG enterprise in our Philippine business is a reinforcement of the confidence in our ability to deliver high-quality service to keep the healthcare ecosystem of Optum and UnitedHealthcare running smoothly and efficiently,” said Mueco. “Most recently, Optum was recognized by UnitedHealthcare as its Partner of the Year in 2022, for consistently providing excellent care to the members it serves and its significant contribution to the overall mission of the company.”

“Optum looks to further a culture of compassion and care for our employees, the clients we serve, and the communities we are a part of. Living our life’s best work means helping each other achieve shared goals and this means taking care of each other as we take care of the people we serve,” she added.

Optum has opened a new site in One Ayala, Makati City with UHG President and COO Dirk McMahon joining the festivities along with the local team. With the first of its new locations poised to provide accessibility, better workspaces, wellness services, and learning opportunities, Optum is even more prepared to take its employees to greater heights toward achieving life’s best work.

Visit Optum’s website for more information on Optum Global Solutions.  

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