No word on how long before “rebranding” may take place with the name yet. Optum has already been in this business to a small
degree in Texas and I believe one in Kansas so far. The link below tells you what’s going on there and I think they are up to nine clinics now. MedExpress plans on opening 25 more clinics so now I guess they too will be “Optum” clinics.
United Healthcare (Optum) Opens Three More Urgent Care Clinics In Houston
Here was another recent purchase for the “too big to fail insurer”. Yes I said that as United with health insurance is like the banks getting “too big” and if you have not looked at their truckloads of subsidiaries, where all the action takes place, do it. It was interesting the FTC got involved with the medical records business with stating there was not enough competitions and United is following right down that path. A week ago, there was this acquisition with the Catamaran Pharmacy Benefit Management company. Hardly anyone mentioned the class action law suit filed against Catamaran by independent physicians across the US. In Brazil, United owns 90% of the biggest HMO in that country and also includes managing hospitals as the laws are different there.
United Healthcare Buys Catamaran Pharmacy Benefit Manager Just As the PBM Gets Hit With A Class Action Lawsuit For Low Balling Pharmacy Reimbursements..And More Patient Data to Sell and Analyze For Profit
By the way, on electronic medical records, Optum wants part of that business too as the implementation and integrator/consultant for major medical records systems too.
United Healthcare (OptumInsight Subsidiary) Wants To Be Your Allscripts, Epic And GE Centricity EHR Consulting Service Starting With Implementation And Beyond
It was also in the news that Whole Foods is preparing to join the circus with retail clinics with having professionals available at the stores to see minor conditions and actually sounded like they were going to be more of a counselor. MedExpress also runs an open advertisement on their site that they are willing to talk with doctors about buying their practices too, so a little competition you could say with hospitals who are already buying MD practices like they are going out of style. In a recent documentary, the NHS in the UK does not appear to be very happy with United’s “take over and sell off” over there, and again all are asleep at the wheel here while one company grows in plain site and government agencies like the FTC spend their time on other less significant areas of lack of competition.
The Take Over and Sell Off of the NHS–By Companies from the United States, United Healthcare and Others - A Documentary
“MedExpress Urgent Care is the national leader in urgent care delivery, providing high-quality, fast and affordable care to those seeking medical treatment for illness and injury. MedExpress operates multiple full-service, walk-in urgent care facilities in Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. MedExpress centers are open 12 hours per day, 7 days per week, and always have a full medical team on site. Founded in 2001, MedExpress has administrative offices in Morgantown, West Virginia, and Canonsburg, Pennsylvania.”
WAKEFIELD, Mass. & MORGANTOWN, W. Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Optum, a leading health services company, announced it is joining with MedExpress, a national leader in high-quality, affordable walk-in care. Terms of the acquisition agreement were not disclosed.
MedExpress and Optum share a focus on expanding access to high-quality, cost-effective
health care services in communities nationwide. The combination serves the growing demand among consumers, health systems, employers and health plans for more convenient, lower-cost services on an unscheduled basis for a comprehensive scope of outpatient health care needs.
MedExpress currently operates 141 full-service neighborhood medical centers in 11 states, and plans to accelerate its expansion by opening 25 to 30 additional centers in 2015 in both existing and new states.
The combination will create opportunities to integrate Optum care management and clinical programs with MedExpress’ services, simplifying patient access to health resources and treatment options in their community.
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