UnitedHealth Group

Lawmakers in Washington are taking aim at the growing clout of large insurers that also own health care providers – a dynamic that could reverberate across the ambulatory surgery center (ASC) industry. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) – joined by a slate of Democratic lawmakers including Sen. Elizabeth Warren (Mass.), and Reps. Pat Ryan (N.Y.), Pramila Jayapal (Wash.) and Val Hoyle (D-Ore.) – revealed the Patients Over Profits Act earlier this month. The legislation would make it “unlawful for … [Read more...]

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) is the largest health care company in the U.S. It’s also one of the quietest, too, often preferring to operate under the radar as it expands its clinical capabilities, experiments with new payment frameworks and executes on M&A. That low-key strategy applies to UnitedHealth Group’s ambulatory surgery center (ASC) arm as well. SCA Health is one of the largest ASC networks in the nation, yet UnitedHealth Group leaders rarely provide updates on the business … [Read more...]

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) is one of the largest and most influential entities within the U.S. health care system, with its reach touching the ambulatory surgery center (ASC) space as well. And it’s currently in the midst of a leadership identity crisis. On Tuesday, UnitedHealth Group revealed that Andrew Witty was stepping down from the CEO role, effective immediately. The abrupt change at the top of America’s health care titan is due to “personal reasons,” UnitedHealth Group noted in … [Read more...]

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) is reportedly demanding that health care providers repay loans they received from the insurer in the wake of a massive cyberattack last year on subsidiary Change Healthcare. In February of last year, a ransomware attack brought down a swath of Change Healthcare’s payment and processing systems. This shutdown lasted for months, causing far-reaching disruptions that impacted providers across the country.  Physicians, ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) and … [Read more...]

SCA Health, the ambulatory surgery center (ASC) arm of Optum, acquired OrthoAlliance, an orthopedic management services organization. The acquisition, effective as of November 1, expands SCA Health’s network in orthopedic and sports medicine services. Optum is the health services business of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UHG). “Since its founding in 2019, OrthoAlliance has focused on providing instant access to high-quality, value-based care throughout Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky,” SCA told ASC … [Read more...]

In July, reports surfaced that one of the country’s largest ambulatory surgery center (ASC) chains – Surgery Partners (Nasdaq: SGRY) – was exploring strategic alternatives, including a possible sale. Health care behemoth UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) was identified as one potential buyer. UnitedHealth Group, the parent of Optum, is a major player in the ASC space, having acquired SCA Health in 2017. Strategically, adding to its ASC footprint makes sense for UnitedHeath Group, with company … [Read more...]

TPG Inc. (Nasdaq: TPG) and UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) have emerged as potential suitors for ambulatory surgery center (ASC) operating company Surgery Partners (Nasdaq: SGRY). UnitedHealth Group is the parent company of both UnitedHealthcare and Optum, its health care services arm. The health care giant is no stranger to the ASC space, with Optum taking over SCA Health for $2.3 billion in 2017. Meanwhile, TPG is a global alternative asset manager with $229 billion in assets under … [Read more...]

Optum – the parent of major ambulatory surgery center (ASC) chain SCA Health – continues to play an important role at health care giant UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH). Not too long ago, Optum played a complementary role under the broader UnitedHealth Group umbrella. Now, however, Optum is taking center stage, with the health care services arm serving as UnitedHealth Group’s leading revenue generator. “In the first half of the year, revenues grew by nearly $14 billion, with strong … [Read more...]