August 2, 2010

Internal audit transformation at UnitedHealth Group

By Nancy Hala, KnowledgeLeader contributing writer

UnitedHealth Group (UHG), ranked 21 in the 2007 FORTUNE 500, is the largest single health carrier in the United States, and a recognized leader in the health and well-being industry. In this profile, Christopher Paulison, the general auditor at UHG, describes internal audit’s role in helping the company make substantial improvements to a broad range of corporate controls and governance practices, including risk management. Paulison also notes that, during this process, it became important to bring a more traditional auditing approach to UHG, which aligned to the quarterly risk assessment and calls for increased substantive testing in key operational areas.