UnitedHealth Group's Optum arm bought Houston-based medical group Kelsey-Seybold Clinic earlier this year, but patients should not anticipate any immediate care or pricing changes, according to the Houston Chronicle.
5 things to know:
1. Optum and Kelsey-Seybold have declined to disclose the terms of the deal (first reported by Axios in April), but said they align with each other on providing value-based care, according to the report.
2. The purchase will allow Kelsey-Seybold to complete a $1 billion expansion plan, according to the report. The clinic currently operates 32 locations throughout Houston and plans to expand to more than 50 by 2026.
3. An Optum spokesperson told the Chronicle Kelsey-Seybold will remain locally led.
4. The deal ended Kelsey-Seybold's partnership with the private equity firm TPG Capital, which held a non-controlling interest in the clinic, according to the report.
5. The deal gives Optum the opportunity to boost profits by expanding the scope of its services, said Ge Bai, professor of health policy and accounting at Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins University. She and other healthcare business experts told the Chronicle they do not expect the new ownership to increase costs for patients unless Optum gains a stronger foothold in the local healthcare marketplace.