The companies offered to sell the clinics to a private equity buyer, according to a May 8 tweet from Capitol Forum, which covers mergers and acquisitions and antitrust developments. Amedisys shares rose slightly on the news, Seeking Alpha reported.
Optum, part of UnitedHealth Group, intends to acquire Amedisys in a $3.3 billion deal. Amedisys shareholders approved the deal in September, but it faces regulatory hurdles.
The proposal is under review by the Justice Department. Lawmakers have urged careful scrutiny of the deal, and Oregon regulators have launched their own probe into the acquisition.
UnitedHealth Group is facing a Justice Department antitrust probe. According to The Wall Street Journal, part of the investigation is focused on Optum’s physician group acquisitions and how UnitedHealth Group’s physician and health plan ownership affects competition.
Amedisys provides home healthcare, hospice and palliative care. It operates more than 500 clinics in 37 states.
Becker’s has reached out to Optum for comment and will update this article if more information becomes available.