UnitedHealth's Data Analysis Unit Reports GrowthUnitedHealth's Data Analysis Unit Reports Growth

Ingenix, a provider of health care data analysis and related services, helped boost parent company UnitedHealth's financial numbers in the first quarter, UnitedHealth reported Thursday.

Revenue from the Ingenix unit rose 16 percent to $140 million over the same period last year, yielding earnings from operations of $19 million. UnitedHealth credited Ingenix's revenue growth in part to sales of BI software to enterprise customers. Ingenix is the smallest of four business units at UnitedHealth, whose primary business is the management of health care plans.

"In the first quarter, four Fortune 200 companies purchased business intelligence software application packages that analyze key cost trends and drivers across the spectrum of health and related employee benefits on an enterprise basis," UnitedHealth said in its earnings release.

As a combined business, UnitedHealth's first quarter sales rose 17% to $8 billion over last year. Earnings hit $554 million, an improvement of 37 percent.