Radiologists and other specialists are now operating under UnitedHealth Group ownership after the industry giant recently bought a prominent practice headquartered in Middletown, New York.
The deal quietly closed in February, with neither UHG nor Crystal Run Healthcare issuing an announcement about the acquisition. Employing more than 400 physicians across nearly 50 specialties, the practice operates several diagnostic imaging centers employing a handful of radiologists, according to its website.
The Mid Hudson News first disclosed the acquisition in February after obtaining a confidential email sent to employees, with other outlets such as STAT reporting the merger on Monday.
“We will join Optum as part of their Tri-State Team, and will no longer have physician owners,” Hal Teitelbaum MD, MBA, managing partner and chief executive officer of Crystal Run Healthcare, said in a Feb. 22 message to the company. In explaining reasons for the change, he shared: “Crystal Run has long recognized that the fee-for-service reimbursement model is broken, and we [are] committed to transition to value-based care focused on the quadruple aim.”
Teitelbaum said the change in ownership will not impact regular operations nor patient care during the transition. “I am excited to share that we have taken the next step to elevate our practice of medicine in a manner that best supports our patients,” he said in the email, according to the Mid Hudson News.
Crystal Run Healthcare directed any media inquiries about the merger to Optum Health, which did not immediately respond to a Radiology Business request for comment on Monday.
Based in Minnetonka, Minnesota, United Health Group is the largest healthcare company in the U.S. (measured by revenue) and operates the country’s biggest commercial health plan. UHG’s Optum Care employs a total of 60,000 doctors in 2,000 locations nationwide, according to its website.
Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic.