Eliminating Social Barriers to Health Care

As chief medical officer for the $23 billion UnitedHealthcare Community & State, Dr. Ana Fuentevilla focuses on the delivery of quality care to nearly 5.8 million members, including 2.8 million children, across the county.

Community & State is the Medicaid division of UnitedHealth Group, which is a diversified Fortune 50 health and well-being company. Fuentevilla is responsible for the clinical functions, including overall quality and affordability results, Model of Care programs, as well as shared responsibilities with the health plan CEOs for medical director leadership and performance.

As she works toward transforming the health care system to improve patient experience, outcomes, and affordability, a good portion of her work consists of addressing social barriers to heath care. Her colleagues say she is passionate about delivering affordable, quality health care to diverse populations in a culturally sensitive way and, in particular, to seniors and people with disabilities.

Her work focuses on building health plans that serve diverse populations, seniors, those with disabilities, mothers and children, and adults with chronic conditions. She is known for addressing patients basic needs first, such as transportation or hunger issues, so a patient can access the appropriate care at the right time for their individual needs. “Many people we serve live every day facing challenges in getting the care they need to live healthy lives,” she said.

She lives by the words “live with integrity – every day.” With integrity as a core value at UnitedHealthcare, she says that means doing what you say you will do. “By living with integrity, we build trust and deeper relationships with health care providers and the people we serve,” she said.

Before taking her current position, Fuentevilla was the Central and West Region CMO for United Clinical Services in which she was similarly focused on quality of care for the commercial and Medicare population. In that role, she led a shift to a value-based relationship with health care providers so they are focused on patient care and quality outcomes.

She is on the board of the Arizona Medicare Directors Association, and a member of the Arizona Geriatric Society, American Geriatric Society, National Hispanic Medical Association and the Arizona Medical Association. She also volunteers with the United Health Foundation, serving as its spokesperson on preventive care.

Fuentevilla earned her medical degree at the University of Arizona and completed her residency in internal medicine. As a Flinn Foundation Scholar, she subsequently completed a fellowship in geriatrics. Earlier this year, she completed her masters in healthcare delivery science at Dartmouth.