Responsible business practices
Our management structure and responsible business practices provide the foundation for our work and outline specific behaviors and responsibilities. These practices help ensure our actions and decisions are consistent and aligned with our values and the values of society at large.
Board composition
We believe an effective board consists of a diverse group of individuals who bring a variety of complementary skills and a range of both personal and business experiences to their positions. The board’s diversity is considered in the director nomination process and assessed annually when the board evaluates its overall effectiveness. The board’s ongoing review of its composition and succession planning has resulted in substantial refreshment of its members in recent years, including an increase in their diversity of skills, attributes and perspectives.
- 30% female independent directors on our board.*
- 30% racially/ethnically diverse independent directors.*
Responsible use of artificial intelligence and machine learning
The use of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) continues to evolve within the health care industry. Our approach to the responsible use of AI is centered around a comprehensive governance structure to help ensure solutions are designed and used fairly, ethically and safely.
Our governance structure — consisting of clinical, technology, privacy and legal experts across UnitedHealth Group, Optum and UnitedHealthcare — provides oversight on our strategic development and investments in AI/ML. This governance structure extends from the board of directors down through operational groups in our technology and legal and compliance teams and is advised by both internal and external bodies of multidisciplinary experts.
Supplier diversity
Supporting diverse suppliers is an integral part of our sourcing and procurement approach. We are committed to driving income and job creation in underserved communities through an inclusive supply chain.
- $5.4B spent with diverse suppliers over the past decade.
In 2023, our supplier diversity program supported:
- ~9K local community jobs.
- $665M in employee wages.
Integrating and advancing sustainable practices across our supply chain
We work with our suppliers to support healthier communities and advance sustainable practices across our supply chain. Our suppliers are held to standards that affirm our values and mission. All suppliers are expected to comply with our Supplier Code of Conduct, which was updated in 2023 to include additional requirements reflecting our climate ambition and our commitment to inclusion and human rights.
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Reporting and data
Our data provides an additional level of detail to fully describe UnitedHealth Group’s sustainability performance.
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