Onboarding

New Partner Onboarding

Stage 1: Initiation

Start your journey to becoming an Optum Assured Partner by contacting our partner team at uk.partnerenquiries@optum.com. A team member will promptly respond to discuss integration opportunities and your interoperability needs.

Register online: Optum Help Centre Interoperability Portal

After reaching out, you’ll receive an invitation to register on the Optum Help Centre Interoperability Portal using your Optum CDB number, provided by our partner team. During registration, you’ll agree to our Terms of Use, including a nondisclosure agreement.

The portal supports you through onboarding and assurance, offering resources and technical specifications for available interoperability interfaces. We recommend reviewing these specifications to find the best fit for your needs.

Once you’ve selected the interface(s) that best suit your requirements, log into the portal to submit a new assurance request. Complete the required questions to ensure all requirements are captured. After submission, you’ll move to the next stage: Integration.

Stage 1 checklist

• Contact the partner team
• Complete the initial meeting
• Register on the Optum Help Centre Interoperability Portal
• Review the technical specifications
• Submit a new assurance request

Stage 2: Integration call

Our assurance team will review your assurance request within 5 working days and schedule an integration call. After successfully completing the preliminary questions, you will be prompted on the Optum Help Centre Interoperability Portal to fill out additional surveys before proceeding to a witness test. We recommend completing these surveys alongside your development work, which will be explained in Stage 3.

What to expect during the integration call

During the call, our assurance team will review your solution in detail. If you have a demonstration, it’s helpful to share it. We’ll ensure the selected interface(s) meet your requirements and outline the assurance process, including timelines and any questions you have.

After the call, if both parties agree, we’ll send an invoice for access to the test environment. Once payment is received, you’ll move to the next stage: Development.

Stage 2 check list

• Review new assurance request
• Complete all surveys
• Successfully complete the integration call
• Demonstrate the system
• Complete payment

Stage 3: Development

Our assurance team will provide details on accessing the test environment and any specific requirements for your chosen interface.

You can opt for either an HSCN or internet-facing test environment, which will be discussed before access is granted. Upon agreement, you’ll have 10 weeks to develop your integrated solution.

To keep you on course, we’ll reach out for a progress update 6-8 weeks into development. If you require extended access, you can discuss this with your assigned Partner Account Executive at that point.

Development completion

Once development is complete, you must complete and finalise the surveys on the Optum Help Centre Interoperability Portal. Ensure all changes made during development are reflected to avoid witness test failure. This must be done before scheduling the witness test.

The assurance team will review the information, set a date for the witness test, and provide an agenda.

Meanwhile, your Partner Account Executive will prepare the commercial agreement for product sign-off.

Stage 3 check list

• Gain access to the test environment
• Begin the 10-week development period
• Complete development
• Finalise and complete all surveys on the portal
• Schedule the witness test

Stage 4: Witness test

During the witness test, you must demonstrate your release-ready solution, ensuring it is clinically safe and secure.

The witness test will align with the completed product pack, so it’s crucial that the pack is accurate and up-to-date. The demonstration should cover all aspects outlined in the product pack, including how audit logs are maintained and how errors are handled.

After the test, our assurance team will assess the solution and provide a witness test report within 5 working days for internal review.

Stage 4 check list

• Complete witness test
• Receive the test report
• Finalise the comparison criteria

Stage 5: Internal Stakeholder review

Throughout the witness test, it’s crucial to verify that the developed product aligns with the provided information, capturing all required functionality.

The witness test report will be submitted to our internal Optum teams for review. If the solution doesn’t meet the criteria or raises concerns about information governance or clinical safety, our assurance team will guide you through necessary adjustments. In such cases, a subsequent witness test may be required, accompanied by further updates to the surveys. This iterative process will persist until the assurance team is confident that the criteria have been successfully met.

Stage 5 check list

• Respond to any queries that come from the internal stakeholder review (if applicable)

Stage 6: Go Live

After the sign-off, the team will issue you with an Assurance Certificate, confirming that the solution has undergone all necessary checks by Optum.

Additionally, you’ll receive an invoice for the remaining assurance fee, as well as a copy of the commercial agreement from our contracts team. Once you’re satisfied with the schedule, please sign and return the agreement.

Upon receipt of the signed contract and payment, our assurance team will issue a Plan to Connect document outlining the live setup process. Depending on the interface, additional information may be required from you.

Upon receiving the necessary details from you as outlined in the ‘Plan to Connect,’ the assurance team will initiate internal processes to set up your solution in our live environment. The specific process varies based on the interface(s) you select.

Stage 6 check list

• Assurance certificate issued
• Commercial agreement signed and returned
• Assurance fee payment completed
• Plan to connect document received
• Plan to connect returned to Optum

Ongoing support

Upon the completion of the go-live process, your Partner Account Executive will arrange a call to:

• Provide details of Optum documentation for placing orders (where applicable)

• Collect relevant contact details from your organisation, including partner account, technical, and finance contacts

• Share contact information for relevant Optum departments, such as support and customer fulfilment

• Provide an online form to capture marketing information for use on the Optum website

• Issue an assurance badge for the relevant solution

• Offer an overview of the Optum Help Centre

Your Partner Account Executive will be your main contact at Optum, connecting with you regularly through quarterly follow-up calls to keep things running smoothly, and providing you with ongoing support throughout our partnership.

Existing Partner Re-assurance & Further Functionality

Our team will be in touch to advise when a re-assurance is required (which is every 3 years at a minimum). If you decide to assure for further functionality at any other time, you will be offered the opportunity to do a full reassurance at the same time should you wish to, this means you will be assured for a further 3 years and not need to complete re-assurance during this time. The steps involved in a re-assurance and further functionality are outlined below.

Stage 1: New Assurance Request

On the Optum Help Centre, submit an assurance request, select re-assurance or further functionality. Complete the required questions to ensure all requirements are captured. Decide if you wish to request assurance for any further functionality (for example, more calls, new settings such as EMIS Web Clinical Services and Community, or territories such as Wales). After submission, you’ll move to the next stage.

Stage 1 check list

• Submit a new assurance request - select re-assurance or further functionality
• Complete surveys
• Decide if you wish to request assurance for any further functionality.

Stage 2: Complete surveys

After successfully completing the preliminary questions, you will be prompted (on the Optum Help Centre Interoperability Portal) to fill out additional surveys before proceeding to a witness test. Once completed, you’re ready to schedule a witness test.

Stage 2 check list

• Complete surveys
• Schedule a witness test

Stage 3: Witness Test

During the witness test, you must demonstrate your release-ready solution, ensuring it is clinically safe and secure. The witness test will align with the completed product pack, so it’s crucial that the pack is accurate and up-to-date. The demonstration should cover all aspects outlined in the product pack, including how audit logs are maintained and how errors are handled. After the test, our assurance team will assess the solution and provide a witness test report within 5 working days for internal review.

Stage 3 check list

• Complete witness test
• Receive the test report
• Finalise the comparison criteria

Stage 4: Internal Stakeholder Review

Throughout the witness test, it’s crucial to verify that the developed product aligns with the provided information, capturing all required functionality. The witness test report will be submitted to our internal Optum teams for review. If the solution doesn’t meet the criteria or raises concerns about information governance or clinical safety, our assurance team will guide you through necessary adjustments. In such cases, a subsequent witness test may be required, accompanied by further updates to the surveys. This iterative process will persist until the assurance team is confident that the criteria have been successfully met.

Stage 4 check list

• Respond to any queries that come from the internal stakeholder review (if applicable)

Stage 5: Re-assurance/further functionality assurance complete

After the sign-off, the team will issue you with an Assurance Certificate, confirming that the solution has undergone all necessary checks by Optum. There may be changes to the commercial agreement (for any further functionality, version number changes etc), if so we’ll prepare a variation to your agreement for signature. Once you’re satisfied with the variation, please sign and return the agreement. Fees may also apply which will be noted in the variation, and if so you’ll receive an invoice for payment.

Stage 5 check list

• Assurance certificate issued If applicable:
• Commercial agreement signed and returned
• Payment completed

Stage 6: Go live – applicable only for further functionality

If you have assured for any new settings (e.g. EMIS Web Community) or territories (e.g. Wales) then the assurance team will arrange for deployment. Upon receipt of the signed contract and payment, our assurance team will issue a Plan to Connect document outlining the live setup process. Depending on the interface, additional information may be required from you. Upon receiving the necessary details as outlined in the ‘Plan to Connect,’ the assurance team will initiate internal processes to set up your solution in our live environment. The specific process varies based on the interface(s) you select.

Stage 6 check list

• Commercial agreement signed and returned
• Plan to connect document received
• Plan to connect returned to Optum