Over the last year, Optum has gotten serious about value-based care.
Back in 2022, when asked about SCA Health's growth over the next 12 months, Caitlin Zulla, CEO of Optum Health's east region and former CEO of SCA Health, told Becker's, "We are thinking about growth more holistically across the specialty care continuum. We're focused not just on the number of ASCs but the quality of care we provide, the proportion of spend in value-based care arrangements, our increased connectivity to practices and health systems, and additional ancillary services that support specialists' independence."
That increased focus on value-based care paid off in 2023.
Optum acquired Middletown, N.Y.-based multispecialty group Crystal Run Healthcare in February.
"Crystal Run has long recognized that the fee-for-service reimbursement model is broken, and we committed to transition to value-based care focused on the quadruple aim," Hal Teitelbaum, MD, CEO of Crystal Run Healthcare, said in an email to employees obtained by Mid Hudson News.
That same month, UnitedHealth Group closed on a multimillion-dollar deal to acquire home health and hospice company LHC Group, which added to Optum's value-based care services.
In June, Optum announced plans to merge with another home health and hospice provider Amedisys. According to a news release from Amedisys, the merger, which was approved by Amedisys shareholders in September, "unites two organizations dedicated to providing compassionate, value-based comprehensive care to patients and their families."