Here are three of the biggest healthcare disruptors in the race to acquire physicians:
Optum
UnitedHealth Group's Optum, parent company of ASC chain SCA Health, added nearly 20,000 physicians in 2023, bringing its total to at least 90,000 affiliated physicians.
The country's largest employer of physicians, Optum has 2,200 primary and specialty care offices in 16 states.
In March, Optum received approval to bypass a state review of its planned purchase of physician-owned Corvallis (Ore.) Clinic, the Oregon Health Authority. However, the company also called off its plan to acquire financially troubled Steward Health Care's 1,700-physician group,
In 2023, Optum acquired health technology firm EMIS Group for $1.51 billion, Optum merged with home health provider Amedisys for $3.26 billion and acquired multispecialty physician group Crystal Run Healthcare.
In 2022, Optum acquired Houston-based physician group Kelsey-Seybold for around $2 billion, Auburndale, Mass.-based Atrius Health for $236 million and home healthcare business LHC Group for around $5.4 billion.
Amazon
With more than 221 primary care offices in more than 20 markets, retail giant Amazon is one of the biggest disruptors in the race to acquire physicians.
In 2023, Amazon closed on a deal to buy primary care company One Medical for $3.9 billion, giving the company access to more than 200 brick-and-mortar physicians offices and roughly 815,000 One Medical members.
One Medical has since formed collaborations with Edison, N.J.-based Hackensack Meridian Health and Chicago-based CommonSpirit Health's Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, allowing specialists from both health systems to deliver care to Amazon's primary care patients.
Although the company announced in February it is planning to close some corporate One Medical offices, the company is still growing.
In January, Amazon Pharmacy announced plans to integrate with One Medical to give patients and providers increased access to medication consultations.
CVS Health
CVS Health's physician strategy focuses on primary care. In May 2023, CVS closed on its $11.5 billion acquisition of Chicago-based primary care organization Oak Street Health. By 2026, CVS Health expects to have more than 300 locations.
In March 2023, it completed an $8 billion acquisition of Signify Health, adding 10,000 clinicians. CVS and Signify said they intend to work to lower costs and improve patient care, engagement and access, with a focus on Medicare Advantage customers.
The group has 1,100 MinuteClinic locations in 36 states and Washington, D.C. With the Oak Street deal, CVS Health also has more than 130 primary care clinics. Additionally, CVS has opened 31 new clinics since acquiring Oak Street.
"Oak Street Health has been the bellwether for innovation in the primary care space," said Richard Zane, MD, chief innovation officer of Aurora, Colo.-based UCHealth, told Becker's in May. "A lot to like and emulate about their approach, their financials and, most importantly, their patient outcomes, making them a smart acquisition target and giving CVS Health a great opportunity to move quickly. Looks like Amazon with One Medical and now CVS with Oak Street Health are not dabbling."
In May, Bloomberg reported that CVS Health is seeking an investor to fund the expansion of Oak Street.According to the report, clinics like Oak Street tend to lose money in the first few years of operating as they acquire patients for the joint-venture.