Michelle Harris, operations director, and Dr. Newt Wakeman remain on the team at Concentra's Springfield Clinic, which was acquired by health care benefits provider Humana Inc. on Nov. 22.
Concentra may add clinics after Humana deal
Chris Wrinkle
Posted online
Anticipating that demand for services offered by Concentra Inc. will continue to grow, health care benefits provider Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) has purchased the company.
Humana announced plans Nov. 22 to acquire Concentra for $790 million, with the deal expected to close by the end of December pending regulatory approval.
Addison, Texas-based Concentra operates just one clinic in Springfield at 1308 N. Glenstone Ave., but that number could be growing.
Although no timeline has been established, additional Springfield Concentra clinics are likely, Concentra spokesman Matt Longman said.
Longman said the purchase allows Concentra, on the market since August, to grow alongside with a company with larger assets.
“Our missions were kind of aligned – improving the health of America, strengthening our health and wellness offering, growing the number of our clinics to provide quality and efficient medical care to more people in more communities,” Longman said.
Concentra provides workplace injury, occupational medicine, urgent care, physical therapy and wellness services at its clinics. It additionally operates seven each in the Kansas City and St. Louis areas, Longman said.
Michelle Harris, operations director for Concentra’s Springfield clinic, said patients will notice few changes as its focus on workers’ compensation will remain as will the clinic’s 15 staff members, Medical Director Dr. Thomas Gibbon and orthopedic specialist Dr. Newt Wakeman.
“For our patients, there’s not going to be any changes,” Harris said. “This is a positive move forward with the same leadership.”
Gibbon has been with the clinic for about a year and previously ran a family practice in Joplin, while Wakeman has been with Concentra since 2004. Gibbon succeeds Dr. Charles Mauldin, who left Concentra in mid-October, a move Harris said was unrelated to the Humana deal.
The Springfield clinic sees an average of 80 to 100 patients daily, Longman said, providing service locally to several thousand employers of various sizes.
Under the Humana deal, Concentra will continue to operate more than 300 medical centers in 42 states serving 25,000 patients daily under its own brand. The company has a work force of about 6,500. No staff cuts are anticipated, Longman said.
Nearly 3 million Humana medical members live near a Concentra center, according to a Humana news release.
Louisville, Ky.-based Humana has operated a sales office at 909 E. Montclair St., Ste. 108, in Springfield since 2004 with about 20 associates.
“Concentra is well-positioned to ensure that its patients – including Humana members – have access to cost-effective, high-quality, convenient medical care,” said Humana spokesman Jim Turner. “This is good for Humana members in southwest Missouri, and for nonmembers who use Concentra facilities, as two strong companies will be working together for patients in the area.”
Humana doesn’t release market-specific patient data, Turner said, but Missouri membership totals 136,000 while specialty-benefit members; for dental, vision and life coverage; totaled 120,000 as of Sept. 30. On Oct. 1, Humana launched a Part D Prescription Drug Plan with Wal-Mart.
“Most of Humana’s health plan members in southwest Missouri are enrolled in Humana Medicare Advantage and Medicare prescription drug plans,” Turner added.
Concentra also serves employers by providing health advisory services and operating more than 240 worksite medical facilities.
Concentra’s annual revenues are about $800 million, according to a Humana release.
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