Optum Increasing Behavioral Health Telehealth Capabilities

UnitedHealth Group’s Optum is reportedly interested in acquiring AbleTo. AbleTo partners with payers to analyze health data and identify members who would benefit from access to behavioral health care, and then delivers that care virtually through a nationwide network of skilled professionals.

The company’s Optum Ventures made a significant investment in AbleTo in early 2019. Earlier AbleTo investors included 406 Ventures, Aetna, Bain Capital Ventures, HLM Venture Partners, Horizon Healthcare Services, Inc. and Sandbox Industries.

The Behavioral Health group at UnitedHealth Group’s Optum offers mental health and behavioral health services to UnitedHealthcare members and employers. UnitedHealthcare is the group’s largest customer. 

Optum has 40 employer customers that buy managed behavioral services, but whose members are not insured by UnitedHealthcare. Examples include the states of Ohio and Tennessee.

The Behavioral Health group works with different companies for mindfulness, cognitive behavioral therapy, autism and substance use and has had formal agreements in place with Talkspace and AbleTo. The group also owns digital company Sanvello.

AbleTo is a leading provider of virtual behavioral health care. The company’s behavioral health insights and an integrated proprietary platform identifies and engages the right patients with the right support – when and how they want it. AbleTo offers a nationwide network of more than 750 certified therapists and coaches.

 

Takeaway: Optum is increasing its behavioral health telehealth capabilities with proposed AbleTo acquisition