From layoffs at its clinics to making plans to acquire a home and hospice care provider, here are 10 of Optum's biggest moves this year:
- Optum said it will be rebranding two Seattle-based physician practices it acquired in 2019 — the Everett Clinic and Polyclinic — as Optum in April 2024 and will outfit them with new digital services, including on-demand video visits, anytime electronic visits, open scheduling and electronic consults.
- Amedisys shareholders approved a $3.3 billion acquisition by UnitedHealth Group's Optum on Sept. 8. Amedisys is a Baton Rouge, La.-based home and hospice care provider.
- A chain of urgent care clinics owned by UnitedHealth Group's Optum laid off all nursing positions nationwide. Morgantown, W.Va.-based MedExpress Urgent Care eliminated registered nursing positions at nearly 150 facilities as part of a larger group of layoffs at Optum.
- San Antonio-based WellMed, a Medicare-focused network of physicians and clinics purchased by Optum in 2011, laid off an unknown number of employees.
- Optum partnered with online educator Capella University to launch an educational program for advanced practice nurses in an effort to address the nationwide shortage.
- Optum appointed Heather Cianfrocco as president.
- Amar Desai, MD, was named CEO of Optum Health.
- Optum pledged support for the Sequoia Project's new health data initiative that aims to make healthcare data more useful. The initiative, dubbed Data Usability Taking Root, will have its participants use and implement data usability guidance from the Sequoia Project Interoperability Matters Data Usability Workgroup.
- Optum named Genevieve Morris as its new vice president of interoperability strategy for its medical network group.
- Optum reported that it has seen double-digit growth in its first quarter with $8 billion in total consolidated earnings on revenue reaching $54.1 billion, a 25 percent increase from the same period last year.