Optum & Ensemble Making Moves in Healthcare Services and RCM
Optum is set to acquire Massachusetts-based Atrius Health, according to The Boston Globe and reported at HealthcareFinancenews.com:
By acquiring Atrius, Optum is expanding its footprint in Massachusetts as it works towards growing its physician network.
Optum hopes to add at least 10,000 physicians during 2021, UnitedHealth Group CEO David Wichmann said during the company's fourth-quarter 2020 earnings call. It currently operates 1,400 clinics with more than 50,000 physicians.
If the deal goes through, Optum will add 715 physicians from Atrius.
This growth is part of an observable trend for OptumCare. In 2018, OptumCare acquired another Massachusetts-based provider organization, Reliant Medical Group, a transaction that added 25 locations and more than 500 providers to Optum's ranks.
More recently, reports HealthcareFinancenews.com, Optum bought up fellow technology and service company Change Healthcare. Change will join with OptumInsight to provide software and data analytics, technology-enabled services and research, advisory and revenue cycle management offerings. Optum continues to look to build out solutions in both the hospital and physician group arenas under the brand Optum360.
Meanwhile, Ensemble Health Partners announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has granted three additional patents to the company for its innovative automation technology -- that brings the total of Ensemble-approved patents to five. Remarkably, Ensemble was awarded its first two U.S. patents in February 2021, and currently has six additional patents pending.
Said Pieter Schouten, Ensemble’s Chief Product Officer:
“This new technology is yet another component of a comprehensive healthcare automation platform, developed by Ensemble, that integrates with existing technology infrastructures and drives significant revenue, cash and cost improvements at health care facilities. The EIQ® platform is continuing to grow substantially, with even more investment planned going forward.”
Our hats are off to these two industry leaders. They are shining examples of healthcare innovation, technological savvy, and strategic alignment -- all key aspects of platform modernization. Whether it's creating and developing proprietary technologies to increase capabilities, increasing expertise in innovation technologies like AI and deep learning to automate processes, or strategically aligning with technology partners or vendors like OrboGraph, these companies are continue to be trailblazers in the healthcare industry!
