UnitedHealth Group's Optum, parent company of ASC chain SCA Health, has become a household name in value-based care as it continues to snap up healthcare companies that align with its goal of expanding in the space.
Throughout 2023, Optum has shown it is more than ready to dive headfirst into the world of value-based care.
In June, Optum agreed to merge with home health and hospice provider Amedisys. According to a news release from Amedisys, the merger "unites two organizations dedicated to providing compassionate, value-based comprehensive care to patients and their families."
In February, Optum acquired Middletown, N.Y.-based multispecialty group Crystal Run Healthcare.
"Crystal Run has long recognized that the fee-for-service reimbursement model is broken, and we committed to transition to value-based care focused on the quadruple aim," Hal Teitelbaum, MD, CEO of Crystal Run Healthcare, said in an email to employees obtained by Mid Hudson News.
Also in February, UnitedHealth Group closed on a multimillion-dollar deal to acquire home health and hospice company LHC Group, adding to Optum's value-based care services.
When asked about SCA Health's growth over the next 12 months, Caitlin Zulla, CEO of Optum Health's east region and former CEO of SCA Health, told Becker's in October, "We are thinking about growth more holistically across the specialty care continuum. We're focused not just on the number of ASCs but the quality of care we provide, the proportion of spend in value-based care arrangements, our increased connectivity to practices and health systems, and additional ancillary services that support specialists' independence.