Anthem doesn't plan to acquire a large amount of physicians like rival health insurer UnitedHealth Group, according to Forbes contributor Bruce Japsen.
During an annual investor day presentation March 7, Anthem CEO Gail Boudreaux said, "The bottom line: We don't have to own care provider practices, but we can enable our partnerships to define, create and deliver value."
Anthem has acquired some physician practices in Florida under its America's 1st Choice deal. At the same time, UnitedHealth's Optum arm has steadily been adding providers to its ranks, and has about 32,000 employed or aligned physicians. However, Anthem is leaning toward partnering with physicians and clinics instead of acquiring them, according to Mr. Japsen.
"We are partnering with our providers," Prakash Patel, MD, executive vice president and president of Anthem's diversified business group, said during the presentation, as quoted by Forbes. Dr. Patel added that Anthem wants to help physicians better manage patients' care.
For the full Forbes article, click here.
Listen to the annual investor day presentation here.
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