Amar Desai, MD, is out as CEO of Optum Health, Bloomberg reported June 26.
Patrick Conway, MD, CEO of Optum, will also take over as CEO of Optum’s health division, Bloomberg reported, citing an internal memo.
Dr. Desai will remain with Optum Health as president of Optum integrated care and vice chair of Optum Health, the outlet reported. He was named CEO of Optum Health in 2023.
The shakeup comes shortly after new and returning CEO Stephen Hemsley took the helm of UnitedHealth Group after former CEO Andrew Witty stepped down in May.
In a statement shared with Becker’s, UnitedHealth Group said leadership changes are consistent with its “longstanding, intentional approach to develop an executive team with a range of experiences across its diverse portfolio of businesses.”
“The strength of this organization lies in our resilience, restlessness and the profound sense of compassion and accountability we feel to make healthcare work better for every person who needs it,” the company said.
Dr. Conway was named CEO of Optum, UnitedHealth’s health services division, in April. He previously led Optum Rx, the company’s pharmacy benefit manager.
Optum consists of three divisions — Optum Health, Optum Rx and Optum Insight. Currently, John Rex is president and CFO of UnitedHealth Group, and Tim Noel is CEO of UnitedHealthcare. Optum Rx is led by Jon Mahrt, and Optum Insight and Optum Financial are led by Dhivya Suryadevara.
