After UnitedHealth Group, parent company of Optum, reached 90,000 affiliated physicians at the end of 2023, it became the largest employer of physicians in the U.S. — sparking industrywide discussions of the risks of consolidation and monopolies. While the company has acquired physician practices and ASCs this year, it has also ended service lines and offloaded centers.
Deerfield, Ill.-based SCA Health, Optum's ASC arm, manages a portfolio of approximately 320 ASCs, making it the second-largest surgery center chain in the U.S. Dallas-based United Surgical Partners International leads the industry with more than 512.
Here is a rundown of who bought the ASCs Optum and SCA Health have sold this year:
- Kaiser Permanente (Oakland, Calif.)
In February, Kaiser purchased SCA's Antelope Valley Surgery Center in Lancaster, Calif., which was slated for closure in January prior to the sale.
- MarinHealth Medical Center (Greenbrae, Calif) and UCSF Health (San Francisco)
In April, MarinHealth and UCSF purchased all of SCA's equity stake in San Rafael, Calif.-based Marin Specialty Surgery Center, an ASC that was previously jointly owned by MariHealth, 20 local physicians and SCA. The center is now jointly owned by MarinHealth, UCSF and 11 physicians.
UCSF holds a 20.4% share in the ASC, but ownership percentages of MarinHealth and the physician partners are unknown.