Humana sells 27 clinics to competitors

Selling 27 more health centers in Chicago, Florida, and Kansas City, KS, in April, Lexington, KY-based Humana Inc. took another major step toward extricating itself from the physician practice market. With the sale of these clinics, Humana will have divested a total of 40 health centers with 340 physician practices this year, an article in PPM Week states.

The agreement with Evanston (IL) Northwestern Healthcare (ENH) to sell four of its Chicago-area health centers will transfer 40 physicians that serve 29,000 Humana enrollees to ENH.

Last month, Humana sold 13 clinics to Advocate Health. With the completion of the ENH deal, and after Humana's final center in Chicago closes, the HMO giant will be out of the patient care business in the Chicago area.

In addition to the ENH deal, Humana announced the divestiture of 23 clinics in Orlando, Tampa, South Florida, and Kansas City, KS, to the San Diego-based FPA Medical Management (Nasdaq: FPAM). The FPA agreement covers 135 physicians and approximately 90,000 Humana enrollees, and a 10-year provider contract with Humana.

Humana president and CEO Gregory Wolf says that "Health centers, such as the ones FPA will now operate, can deliver their services most effectively as an integrated part of a medical delivery system that is expressly focused on direct patient care."