UnitedHealthcare has broadened access to its generative AI companion, Avery, extending the tool’s availability to 21 million members. The move represents a faster-than-expected rollout from the product’s initial launch earlier this year, when Avery was available to about 6.5 million people in employer plans and roughly 160,000 Medicare Advantage enrollees.
Craig Kurtzweil, UnitedHealthcare’s chief data and analytics officer, told Fierce Healthcare that early usage statistics and user feedback prompted the company to expand access. According to the insurer, Avery has successfully resolved about 90% of member interactions to date, and the remaining 10% can be transferred to a human advocate for further support.
UnitedHealthcare describes Avery as a generative AI companion built on top of what the company calls “ground truth systems.” Those internal data systems form the foundation for the AI’s responses and, the company says, improve the accuracy of information provided to members.
With that data layer, UnitedHealthcare reports Avery can explain plan features and administrative details such as deductibles, out-of-pocket maximums, provider networks, pricing and claims processing. Kurtzweil emphasized accuracy as a core focus for the tool, saying that making answers as correct as possible is “a big piece of gaining that trust with the consumers.”
The insurer is also adding new functions. One planned capability would let Avery call providers and schedule appointments on a member’s behalf. Kurtzweil framed that as a way to remove friction points that can deter people from seeking needed care.
Avery is part of a wider UnitedHealthcare effort to place more actionable information directly in members’ hands. The company pointed to plan designs such as Surest, which use variable copayments to give members greater flexibility to choose providers and services that match their preferences and budgets.
UnitedHealthcare positions Avery as a navigation aid that can help members understand the financial and network implications of those choices. By pairing a data-driven AI assistant with plan features intended to encourage consumer decision-making, the insurer aims to simplify steps that can otherwise be confusing—such as comparing costs, confirming network status or tracking claims.
The company’s reported resolution rate—about 90%—indicates that most member queries are handled within the AI interface. For the minority of interactions where Avery cannot fully resolve the issue, UnitedHealthcare says the system can hand off the case to a human advocate who can provide additional support.
Kurtzweil noted that user feedback and those early statistics were influential in the decision to expand. He linked improved accuracy, grounded in the insurer’s data systems, to higher member trust and uptake of the tool.
The source article did not include specifics on Avery’s privacy safeguards, data governance, or how UnitedHealthcare monitors for errors, bias or misinformation in the model’s outputs. The piece also did not report on the underlying model architecture, third-party vendors or regulatory approvals related to the tool.
UnitedHealthcare said it intends to keep building out access to Avery across its membership with the goal of eventually making the tool available to all enrollees. Kurtzweil said, “More and more people will be impacted by this, where we're going to start to reduce that friction and make life easier for those consumers.”
The insurer is actively developing additional features, such as appointment scheduling, that it expects will further lower barriers to care. Beyond functionality, UnitedHealthcare appears focused on the data layer that it believes will keep responses accurate and maintain member trust as usage scales.
The source did not provide comparisons with other insurers’ AI tools, market share implications, or financial metrics tied to the Avery rollout. It also did not include independent evaluations of Avery’s performance or member satisfaction scores beyond the company-reported resolution rate and internal statements from Kurtzweil.
UnitedHealthcare has significantly expanded access to Avery, a generative AI companion designed to help members navigate plan details and administrative tasks. The company reports a high in-system resolution rate and is building new capabilities while planning to extend availability to more enrollees. Specifics on privacy, oversight and third-party involvement were not reported in the source.
Personalise this feed
Your specialty. Your sources. Your digest.
All set up in under 2 minutes.
Personalise this feed
Your specialty. Your sources. Your digest.
All set up in under 2 minutes.