Healthcare giant Optum, which owns and operates Deerfield, Ill.-based ASC management company Surgical Care Affiliates, is on an acquisition spree. The company has made three multimillion-dollar deals in 2022.
In the first quarter, the company harnessed the growth of Optum Health, its physician and ASC-focused division. Optum Health's 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.
Optum also is attempting to acquire Change Healthcare, a data analytics firm, but the federal government sued to stop the $13 billion transaction. The outcome will be decided after a two-week trial in August.
Here are three deals Optum has made since Jan. 1:
1. Optum received clearance to buy the 30-location independent physician organization Atrius Health. With the approval of the Massachusetts attorney general's office, Optum plans to pay $236 million for Auburndale, Mass.-based health system, which includes 645 physicians and primary care providers.
Optum originally proposed to pay $73 million for the physician organization, but upped the price 223 percent so Atrius could continue its charitable mission after the deal closes.
2. UnitedHealth Group, Optum's parent company, acquired home healthcare business LHC Group for $5.4 billion, CNBC reported March 29. Lafayette, La.-based LHC Group offers in-home health and hospice care from 964 locations in 37 states. Through the terms of the deal, expected to close later this year, Optum will pay $170 in cash for each share of LHC's stock.
3. Optum reportedly purchased Jacksonville Beach, Fla.-based Refresh Mental Health from private equity firm Kelso & Co. Refresh Mental Health has a network of more than 300 outpatient sites in 37 states with more than 1,500 employees. While financial terms have not been disclosed, Kelso & Co. bought Refresh Mental Health in December 2020 for about $700 million.