UnitedHealth Group Inc. (NYSE:UNH) inches up in premarket session on Tuesday as the firm declared on that its health services unit has completed the acquisition of Change Healthcare, ending more than a year of uncertainty due to anti-competitive concerns.
The acquisition was completed after a US judge last month denied the US Justice Department’s request to prevent UnitedHealth’s unit Optum from purchasing Change Healthcare.
The almost $8 billion all-cash transaction was announced by UnitedHealth in January 2021 to assist expedite administrative and payment procedures, but the Justice Department expressed antitrust concerns owing to the two firms’ rival technologies for processing healthcare claims.
After the Department of Justice filed to halt the merger, UnitedHealth and Change Healthcare delayed the closing date by nine months to Dec. 31. Later that month, UnitedHealth agreed to sell Change Healthcare’s claims editing division for $2.2 billion, potentially easing regulatory concerns.
As we said earlier this week, Change Healthcare uses information and analytics to enhance treatment delivery and overall payment procedures. According to the company’s website, the analytics can assist “automate provider contracts to help decrease expenses and enhance productivity.”
According to Change, the data aids in proactive scheduling. In terms of payments, the organization also provides financial clearance services, which can assist patients in locating financing sources to help pay their medical costs, hence assisting providers in reducing bad debt.
As a result of a continuing digital transformation, the continuity of care and its funding are enhanced, with active interaction between clinicians and patients and outcomes-based care as a guiding concept.
United’s purchase agreement Change exemplifies the tendencies that are firmly established in the Connected Economy, in which customers obtain care via digital and in-person channels.
Consider the findings of the research “Omnichannel Healthcare Takes Center Stage,” conducted in partnership between PYMNTS and CareCredit. In that survey, answers from over 2,700 customers revealed that about half of those people use a variety of channels to acquire the treatment they require.
