UnitedHealth Group's Optum, parent company of ASC chain SCA Health, is officially the country's largest employer of physicians.
Optum added nearly 20,000 physicians in 2023, bringing its total to at least 90,000 affiliated physicians.
Optum has 2,200 primary and specialty care offices in 16 states, offering orthopedic and spine care services across the U.S.
As physician shortages continue to persist in the musculoskeletal industry, small orthopedic groups may have to fight with major healthcare conglomerates, including Optum, to find and retain staff.
"Current difficulties include insurance authorization, providing excellence in patient care, improving access to care for patients and staffing issues. All these continue to be challenges in 2024," Daniel Mulconrey, MD, an orthopedic surgeon at Midwest Orthopaedic Center in Peoria, Ill., told Becker's.
Staffing issues are expected to get worse in the next decade. By 2025 neurosurgery is expected to be down 1,200 physicians, and orthopedics overall is expected to be down 5,050 physicians.
Large health systems like Optum can offer physicians several pros, including more predictable work schedules and higher wages.
As shortages persist nationwide, small orthopedic groups will have to continue to compete with major health systems, including Optum, putting even more staffing pressure onto smaller systems.