In October, after 18 months in the news cycle, Optum closed its controversial acquisition of Change Healthcare. While the healthcare industry intensely watched the merger beat a challenge from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) on antitrust grounds, that news story was far from the only newsworthy acquisition that Optum has made. With far less public discourse than the Change Healthcare acquisition, Optum has made 18 acquisitions and six investments in recent years. The company has spent more than $30 billion on acquisitions in multiple sectors.
Simply stated, Optum is embedded in every nook and cranny of healthcare and is the keeper of big data and analytics for employers, health plans, state and federal agencies and providers. So the question remains: Too big to fail? Reporting our lead story during the next live edition of Monitor Mondays will be Jerilyn Morrissey, MD, senior vice president of clinical and regulator affairs for Versalus Health.
Other segments will include these instantly recognizable broadcast features: