The emails from UnitedHealth Group managers were filled with exclamation marks and pleasantries about the weather. But the underlying message to doctors in late 2020 was persistent and urgent: Hit your targets to see more patients. We need to bring in more money. At the time, deaths from COVID-19 were surging, and no vaccine was available. But inside a UnitedHealth practice, the '#1 PRIORITY' became documenting older patients' chronic illnesses to generate more revenue from the federal government, the emails show.
