Optum revenue jumped nearly 19 percent in the first quarter to $43.3 billion, partially driven by the success of Optum Health, the company's physician-focused division.
Optum Health, which includes more than 53,000 physicians and Surgical Care Affiliates, said revenue per customer served was up 33 percent year over year in the first quarter as it added more members to its value-based care arrangements. By the end of the year, Optum Health expects to serve 600,000 new patients in value-based care arrangements, up from the 500,000 goal set at the beginning of the year.
Surgical Care Affiliates now has more than 260 surgical facilities, 8,500 physicians and 11,000 teammates nationwide. The company aligns with physicians in the managed service organization model to support thriving surgery centers that together serve around 1 million patients each year. SCA also owns Global 1, a bundled payment convener it acquired last year.
During the first quarter, Optum Health also expanded at-home and digital offerings, as well as outpatient services and its ASC network.
Optum's overall earnings grew 19.8 percent to $3.2 billion for the quarter. Optum acquired home healthcare business LHC Group for $5.4 billion and Jacksonville Beach, Fla.-based Refresh Mental Health, with a network of 400 outpatient sites, for an undisclosed amount earlier this year.
The company is also attempting to buy Change Healthcare, a data analytics firm, but the federal government sued to stop the $13 billion transaction. The fate of the deal will be decided after a two-week trial scheduled for August.