Payers are continuing to snap up providers.
Optum, part of UnitedHealth Group and the largest employer of physicians in the U.S., has several planned acquisitions in the pipeline.
Other payers have also closed deals to pick up providers. Here are five deals to note that Becker's has reported in 2024:
This article was first published Jan. 5 and updated March 27.
- Dallas-based Steward Health Care plans to sell its physician group to Optum. The proposed sale of Stewardship Health is part of the 33-hospital system's plan to shore up its finances amid ongoing challenges, including falling behind in paying bills and rents. If approved, physicians who work at Steward facilities across nine states would be employed by Optum. The proposed sale has drawn scrutiny from lawmakers.
- Elevance Health closed the acquisition of infusion center and specialty pharmacy operator Paragon Healthcare. Plano, Texas-based Paragon Healthcare has more than 40 ambulatory infusion centers in eight states.
- Oregon state regulators allowed Optum to bypass a state review of its planned purchase of Corvallis Clinic, citing an immediate need to maintain the provider's financial solvency.
- Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina purchased all North Carolina locations of FastMed, a national chain of urgent care clinics.
- Optum plans to acquire home-health provider Amedisys. The deal, announced in July, is still pending. A majority of Amedisys shareholders approved the deal in September, but it is facing scrutiny from the Justice Department, which requested additional information about the proposed merger in August and extended the waiting period for the deal under federal law.