Do I need Microsoft Authenticator for One Healthcare ID?

No. Optum’s instructions use Microsoft Authenticator as the example, but the code is a standard time-based one-time password — six digits, new every 30 seconds — and any authenticator produces it. The Authenticator extension generates it in Chrome on your computer and reads the QR code straight off the screen.

Is One Healthcare ID the same as Optum ID?

Yes. Optum ID was renamed One Healthcare ID in 2021; usernames and passwords carried over. Patients and health plan members usually have a different account, HealthSafe ID.

What if I lose access to my authenticator?

On the Authenticator Code screen, select “Reset Authenticator” and verify your identity by text message, phone call or your recovery code. Then set the authenticator up again with the new QR code. Restoring the extension’s automatic backups on a new computer keeps the old codes working without a reset.

Can I sign in with the authenticator code instead of my password?

Optum describes the authenticator as a password-less way to sign in as well as a second step, so you may be offered the code in place of your password. Either way, keep the password and a second method — a phone number or a passkey — on the account.

One Healthcare ID (Optum ID) Authenticator App

One Healthcare ID opens the UnitedHealthcare Provider Portal and Optum’s professional applications — eligibility, claims and patient information for your practice. Optum has moved it off email codes as the second step: besides the password, it asks for a phone, a passkey or an authenticator app. An authenticator keeps working offline, and one in the browser on the front-desk computer spares staff a personal phone.

Set up the authenticator for One Healthcare ID

This is the sign-in for providers, their staff and users of Optum’s applications. Patients and health plan members usually sign in with HealthSafe ID instead, which this guide does not cover. If your screens look different, Optum says another layout of the same options works as well.

Open the One Healthcare ID sign-in page on your computer and select “Manage My One Healthcare ID”.
Enter your One Healthcare ID or email address and select “Continue”, then your password and “Continue”. If One Healthcare ID sends an access code to your email, enter it and select “Continue”.
If a page offers faster and more secure sign-in methods, select “Set up” next to Authenticator. Otherwise select “Manage Authentication”, enter your password, select “Authenticate”, and set up the Authenticator there.
When One Healthcare ID shows a QR code, leave that page open and add it to the extension as described below. Then select “Continue”, enter the six-digit code from the extension as the Authenticator Code, and select “Verify & Complete Setup”.

One Healthcare ID’s own instructions

Add One Healthcare ID to Authenticator

Install 2FA Authenticator from the Chrome Web Store and pin it to the toolbar, so its icon is one click away.
Leave the One Healthcare ID page with the QR code open. Click the Authenticator icon, then “Add Account” → “QR Code” → “Scan QR from screen”.
The account appears in the list with a six-digit code that changes every 30 seconds. Rename it if you like — the name is only for you.
Go back to One Healthcare ID and type the current code into the confirmation field. If it is about to expire, wait for the next one.
One Healthcare ID confirms that two-factor authentication is on. From now on it will ask for a code when you sign in — click the extension icon and copy it.

No QR code, or it will not scan? Look for the option to enter a key manually on One Healthcare ID’s setup screen, copy the key, and add it in the extension with “Add Account” → “Manual” → “Secret Key”.

Get 2FA Authenticator for Chrome — free

Generate your One Healthcare ID recovery code

On the Manage My One Healthcare ID page, go to Account Settings and select “Generate Recovery Code”, confirm with your password and select “Generate code”. Copy or download the 20-character code and keep it away from this computer. It lets you reset the authenticator if you lose it — so does a verified phone number, by text or call. One Healthcare ID warns that without a recovery code or a working method you can be locked out for good and have to create a new account.

The code is not accepted?

Most often the QR code changed: the website makes a new one each time its setup page is reloaded or opened again, so the account you added first no longer matches. Start the setup again, add the QR code that is on the screen now and type its code in straight away. Two entries for the same website? Use the newest. Other reasons: why codes are refused.

Typed the key in by hand? Paste it into the TOTP code generator and compare the code with the one in the extension. If they differ, the key was copied wrong — add the account again.

Questions

Do I need Microsoft Authenticator for One Healthcare ID?: No. Optum’s instructions use Microsoft Authenticator as the example, but the code is a standard time-based one-time password — six digits, new every 30 seconds — and any authenticator produces it. The Authenticator extension generates it in Chrome on your computer and reads the QR code straight off the screen.
Is One Healthcare ID the same as Optum ID?: Yes. Optum ID was renamed One Healthcare ID in 2021; usernames and passwords carried over. Patients and health plan members usually have a different account, HealthSafe ID.
What if I lose access to my authenticator?: On the Authenticator Code screen, select “Reset Authenticator” and verify your identity by text message, phone call or your recovery code. Then set the authenticator up again with the new QR code. Restoring the extension’s automatic backups on a new computer keeps the old codes working without a reset.
Can I sign in with the authenticator code instead of my password?: Optum describes the authenticator as a password-less way to sign in as well as a second step, so you may be offered the code in place of your password. Either way, keep the password and a second method — a phone number or a passkey — on the account.

Your codes, one click from the login page

Authenticator keeps your 2FA codes in the browser, on your device only — free to use, open source, no account and no phone needed. Local backups and optional password protection come built in.