Optum exec selected as new Included Health CFO
Included Health lauded his experience in business development, capital management and the regulatory landscape.
Photo courtesy of Included Health
Optum executive Mark Flakne has been tapped to serve as the new chief financial officer for Included Health, which offers virtual and in-person primary care, as well as urgent and mental healthcare.
Prior to joining Included Health, Flakne spent 11 years of his more than 20-year career with UnitedHealth Group, where he most recently served as CFO of OptumHealth. During his tenure as CFO, OptumHealth's revenues grew from $21 billion to more than $70 billion, representing a 28% annual growth rate.
"As a seasoned CFO and proven leader in building high-performance teams that excel in the execution of ambitious growth and operational goals, Mark will be a great addition to Included Health," said Owen Tripp, CEO and founder, Included Health.
WHAT'S THE IMPACT?
Operating in strategic finance roles at OptumHealth, Flakne's experience includes leading economic growth, scaling high-performance in-person physician networks, advancing expansion into home care settings and helping the company take on accountability for clinical outcomes and cost management through value-based contracting.
Prior to numerous strategic finance positions within OptumHealth, Flakne held leadership roles at Ecolab and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).
Included Health lauded his experience in business development and strategy (including mergers and acquisitions to scale business growth), the regulatory landscape, and capital management.
Flakne holds a bachelor's degree in accounting and management information systems from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota.
THE LARGER TREND
Optum was the biggest driver of parent company UnitedHealth Group's revenue growth in Q2 of this year, posting $62.9 billion in revenue, an increase from the $56.3 billion logged in Q2 2023. Revenues at Optum Health and Optum Rx, the company's pharmacy benefit manager, were both up 13%, respectively.
Overall, UHG rebounded from a challenging first quarter to post a $4.2 billion profit in Q2, logging revenues of $98.9 billion.
In May, Optum said it was closing a plant in Ohio and laying off 129 employees. The layoffs include 30 associate business systems analysts, 28 printers, 11 associate business operations coordinators, nine associate printers, nine business systems analysts, four printing coordinators and the rest of the 35 positions having job counts of one or two positions.
Less than a month later, Optum backed out of a deal to buy the Steward Health Care physician group. Optum informed the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission that it is no longer working to finalize an agreement with Steward.
Jeff Lagasse is editor of Healthcare Finance News.
Email: jlagasse@himss.org
Healthcare Finance News is a HIMSS Media publication.
