A judicial green light, of sorts, for a multi-billion-dollar merger looks poised to cement healthcare\u2019s place in the connected economy \u2014 especially when it comes to paying for it all.<\/p>\n
To that end, the runway has (seemingly) been cleared for\u00a0UnitedHealth Group<\/a>\u2019s $13 billion bid for Change Healthcare to proceed.<\/p>\n As was\u00a0reported\u00a0Monday (Sept. 19), a federal judge struck down the Justice Department antitrust challenge to UnitedHealth Group\u2019s acquisition of Change.<\/p>\n And should the deal proceed apace, Change Healthcare would become part of UNH subsidiary Optum.<\/p>\n The positive ripple effect: Patients would get a more realistic insight into the care they need and how much it will all cost in real time. With financing options in the mix to help make that care more affordable.<\/p>\n Change Healthcare leverages information and analytics to improve the delivery of care and the overall payment processes\u00a0as we noted earlier this week.\u00a0The company notes on its site that, among other things, the analytics can help \u201cautomate provider contracts to help reduce costs and improve efficiency.\u201d<\/p>\n The data, per Change, helps with scheduling in a proactive manner. And in reference to payments, the company also offers\u00a0financial clearing services<\/a>\u00a0that can help patients find funding sources to help pay their medical bills \u2014 which in turn helps providers reduce bad debt.<\/p>\n In this way, the continuum of care and the financing of that care is improved through an ongoing digital transformation, with active engagement between providers and patients, with outcomes-based care a guiding principle.<\/p>\n The United deal to buy Change serves as an illustration of the trends that are firmly in place in the Connected Economy \u2014 where consumers access care across digital and in-person channels.<\/p>\n