Management of urgent care clinics previously run by Optum's MedExpress Urgent Care is being assumed by two major health systems.
Here are seven things to know:
1. Pittsburgh-based UPMC and national urgent care provider GoHealth Urgent Care launched a joint venture to oversee operations at selected MedExpress centers across Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Virginia.
2. UPMC Urgent Care and UPMC Express Care sites will transition to the UPMC-GoHealth Urgent Care brand in spring 2025. Until then, MedExpress, UPMC Urgent Care and UPMC Express Care locations will continue to operate under their current names.
3. In July, Newark, Del.-based ChristianaCare also partnered with GoHealth Urgent Care to open five new urgent care clinics in Delaware, which were previously managed by MedExpress.
4. Optum, parent company of ASC chain SCA Health, acquired Morgantown, West Virginia-based MedExpress for $1.5 billion in 2015. In 2023, MedExpress clinics eliminated registered nursing positions across nearly 150 facilities.
5. Although not confirmed, Optum has also set its sights on acquiring Brentwood, Tenn.-based ASC operator Surgery Partners, according to Bloomberg. Many leaders are concerned about the effect the move would have on the industry.
"When two large companies merge, that naturally creates a buzz," Shakeel Ahmed, MD, CEO of Atlas Surgical Group in St. Louis, told Becker's . "What makes me apprehensive is how this will create another step towards monopolization of our industry. Consolidation stifles competition. It creates higher pricing and limits choices for consumers."
6. SCA Health has a portfolio of more than 320 ASCs and 9,200 physicians. The company quietly purchased at least two cardiovascular providers in 2023, National Cardiovascular Partners and Pivotal Healthcare.
7. Optum earned $63.9 billion in total revenue in the third quarter of 2024 — an increase of 11.7% year over year.