Reliant Medical Group, an MHA member with more than 500 providers, has agreed to be purchased by Optum, a health services company that is part of UnitedHealth Group. UnitedHealth Group is also parent to the large insurance company UnitedHealthcare. The transaction will require approval by Massachusetts regulators.
Reliant writes that if the agreement is approved, “Reliant would continue to be locally operated and serve patients under the Reliant Medical Group brand in the Central and Metro West regions (to include Southboro Medical Group, a division of Reliant Medical Group). Reliant’s workforce, including physicians, staff and management, would not change as a result of the transaction. The medical group would continue to serve patients through multiple insurance plans.” Michael Sheehy, M.D., chief of population health & analytics for Reliant, is a member of the MHA Board of Trustees.
MHA President & CEO Lynn Nicholas, FACHE, while not commenting specifically on the Reliant-Optum merger, said of the ongoing acquisition trend in Massachusetts and around the U.S., “The healthcare system as we know it is undergoing a rapid transformation, and partnerships between physician groups and hospitals and health systems, or physician groups, hospitals, and insurers will be more common in the future as these entities strive to deliver care within the framework of a population health approach.”