As major health insurance companies are
getting into the business of owning primary care practices, Anthem is pursing a
different strategy, according to Business Insider.
UnitedHealth, the top health insurer in the US
and Anthem's biggest rival, is pushing further into providing medical care. In
the past year, Optum, the health services arm of UnitedHealth, has added 10,000
physicians, growing its network to 46,000 physicians.
Anthem is taking a different path than its
rival. The company is working closely with health systems and physicians, but
doesn't want to own physician practices, President and CEO Gail Boudreaux said
at the Forbes Healthcare Summit on Dec. 4, according to Business
Insider.
"We've been pretty clear that we don't
think we need to own primary care," she said. "Quite frankly, I don't
believe that by changing ownership we'll be more effective at managing primary
care."
Instead of owning provider organizations, Ms.
Boudreaux said Anthem is focused on being a good partner for hospitals, health
systems and physician practices. She highlighted several partnerships Anthem
has entered into with Cleveland Clinic and other healthcare providers that
focus on keeping members healthier.
"I don't think we have to do it
all," she said, according to Business Insider. "We want
to keep practices independent. That's our goal."
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