The inquiry is, in part, looking into Optum's physician group acquisitions and how the physician and health plan unit ownerships affect competition. Investigators have asked if UnitedHealthcare favored Optum-owned groups in its contract pricing, which could remove rival physicians from specific attractive payment arrangements.
Another area of interest for investigators is if Optum's healthcare provider ownerships might present challenges to UnitedHealthcare's rival health insurers. The Justice Department is also looking into Medicare billing issues, including UnitedHealth Group's patient illness documentation practices, The Wall Street Journal said.
www.beckerspayer.com
Also . . .
disconcerting and potentially significant nature of the executives receiving a “document preservation notice” from federal law enforcement, acknowledging the “breadth of the notice” issued by U.S. authorities.
The department has made past stabs at reining in UnitedHealth’s ballooning industry power, unsuccessfully challenging the $487 billion international behemoth’s acquisition of Change Healthcare in 2022.
Meanwhile, Optum is currently moving toward acquiring Amedisys, a healthcare company that provides home health, hospice, palliative and high-acuity care services.
My local doctor source confirmed that 28 pre-certification representatives were let go last week, some by e-mail, some by a phone call.
“It’s happening two weeks before they get their yearly bonus, and their yearly meeting to increase their hourly wage,” the doctor told me through an intermediary.
outsourcing of pre-certification work to an Indian firm
The company’s insidious footprint is already sprawling, with about 310,000 employees around the globe; UnitedHealth Group employs or affiliates with around 90,000-plus doctors, constituting a mind-bending estimate of nearly 10 percent of all U.S. physicians.
www.theexaminernews.com
Another area of interest for investigators is if Optum's healthcare provider ownerships might present challenges to UnitedHealthcare's rival health insurers. The Justice Department is also looking into Medicare billing issues, including UnitedHealth Group's patient illness documentation practices, The Wall Street Journal said.
Justice Department begins antitrust investigation into UnitedHealth
The Justice Department launches antitrust investigation into UnitedHealth Group.
Also . . .
disconcerting and potentially significant nature of the executives receiving a “document preservation notice” from federal law enforcement, acknowledging the “breadth of the notice” issued by U.S. authorities.
The department has made past stabs at reining in UnitedHealth’s ballooning industry power, unsuccessfully challenging the $487 billion international behemoth’s acquisition of Change Healthcare in 2022.
Meanwhile, Optum is currently moving toward acquiring Amedisys, a healthcare company that provides home health, hospice, palliative and high-acuity care services.
My local doctor source confirmed that 28 pre-certification representatives were let go last week, some by e-mail, some by a phone call.
“It’s happening two weeks before they get their yearly bonus, and their yearly meeting to increase their hourly wage,” the doctor told me through an intermediary.
outsourcing of pre-certification work to an Indian firm
The company’s insidious footprint is already sprawling, with about 310,000 employees around the globe; UnitedHealth Group employs or affiliates with around 90,000-plus doctors, constituting a mind-bending estimate of nearly 10 percent of all U.S. physicians.
Justice Department Probing UnitedHealth/Optum Over Antitrust Concerns; Local Layoffs Enacted, More Forecast | The Examiner News
Our report reveals renewed interest by the DOJ in UnitedHealth/Optum over possible antitrust issues. Also, Optum Tri-State enacted major layoffs last week.
www.theexaminernews.com
