The 'alarming' trend of payers acquiring physicians
By Admin | June 28, 2024
Payers such as UnitedHealth Groups' Optum and Elevance are acquiring providers, and some leaders are wary about how these groups' rapid growth will affect the physician workforce.
Udaya Padakandla, MD, president of the Texas Society of Anesthesiologists, joined Becker's to discuss why this trend is concerning him and what he feels need to change.
Editor's note: This interview was edited lightly for clarity and length.
Question: What trends regarding physician payments are concerning you?
Dr. Udaya Padakandla: A bothersome trend we're seeing is the insurance companies, such as Optum, acquiring physician practices. This is producing a conflict of interest; they're trying to undercut physician payments, but they're also acquiring their practices. They're both the payers and the payees in the insurance equation. I'm not sure they have the interest of the patients or the physicians at the heart of the matter, because insurance companies are always focused on their profits. The primary purpose of any company and board of directors is...(More)
For more info please read, The 'alarming' trend of payers acquiring physicians, by Becker's Physicians Leadership
