Optum Announces Job Growth in California
OptumRx, a leading pharmacy benefits management (PBM) organization and
one of the Optum companies of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), will
create 600 new jobs in California by the end of 2013, including 250 at
the new pharmacy order processing facility in Mission Valley to handle
mail order prescription processing.
The new jobs are in addition to 400 new jobs OptumRx already has created
and filled in California in 2012.
The announcement was made at a news conference today, attended by
California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, Congressman Darrell Issa and Dirk
McMahon, CEO of OptumRx, at the companys existing mail service pharmacy
in Carlsbad. This year, UnitedHealth Group has announced more than 1,000
new jobs for the state, including 115 new jobs announced last month for
the operations center in Chico, California, with the remainder split
between Orange and San Diego counties and all expected to be filled by
the end of next year.
I am pleased that Optum and UnitedHealth Group recognize the many
benefits of growing a business in California, from the high-quality
workforce to our excellent business climate, said Lt. Gov. Newsom. The
hundreds of jobs Optum will create here over the coming months show that
California is a premier destination for the growth of innovative
businesses such as Optum. I look forward to a long and successful
partnership between Optum and California.
San Diego and Orange Counties are home to thriving R&D, high-tech,
pharmaceutical and healthcare industries and a well-educated workforce
to support them, said Congressman Darrel Issa. This expanded facility
signals how important these sectors are in creating new jobs and
providing opportunities for the workforce in California, and I look
forward to their success and to working with them in the future.
Between our mail service center here in Carlsbad, our administrative
offices in Irvine and our operations facilities in Cypress, Costa Mesa
and Mission Valley, California is critical to the success and future
growth of OptumRx, said Dirk McMahon, CEO of OptumRx. Our employees
passion for service, along with our significant investments in
technology and automation, will enable us to fulfill our mission to help
the health care system work better for everyone, and help Americans live
healthier lives.
Currently, UnitedHealth Group employs nearly 8,700 Californians and
serves more than 2.3 million people in the state with a care provider
network of more than 320 hospitals and 47,000 physicians and other care
professionals statewide.
OptumRx has experienced significant growth and is opening this new
Mission Valley facility to help support that growth. The new office is
ready for occupancy, with hiring to begin by the end of this year. The
company will hire pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and for a variety of
positions involving training, workforce management and quality
management. The company expects the facility to be fully staffed by the
end of next year.
When hiring begins, people are encouraged to apply online
(http://careers.unitedhealthgroup.com/Data/Campaign/Optum-Locations/San-Diego.aspx).
OptumRx is currently the third-largest pharmacy benefits manager in the
United States, with distinctive expertise and resources, and a proven
track record that has led to significant growth with both external and
internal customers. The company processes more than 370 million adjusted
retail, mail service and specialty drug prescriptions annually.
UnitedHealth Group has been actively engaged in helping to improve
Californians access to quality health care. UnitedHealthcares
California Health Care Investment Program has provided $266 million in
total investments to help 45 health care organizations that provide
services to underserved, low-income and underinsured communities and
populations throughout the state. UnitedHealthcare also has provided
$1.3 million in grants to the California Telehealth Network to help
expand telemedicine in rural and medically underserved clinics and
hospitals throughout the state.
About OptumRx
OptumRx is an innovative pharmacy benefit management organization
managing the prescription drug benefits of commercial, Medicare and
other governmental health plans, as well as those of employers and
unions through a national network of 64,000 community pharmacies and
state-of-the-art mail service pharmacies in California and Kansas, both
of which have earned the prestigious Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice
Sites (VIPPS®) accreditation by the National Association of Boards of
Pharmacy®. Visit www.optum.com
for more information.
About Optum
Optum is a leading information and technology-enabled health services
business dedicated to making the health system work better for everyone.
Optum is comprised of three companies OptumHealth, OptumInsight and
OptumRx representing more than 35,000 employees worldwide who
collaborate to deliver intelligent solutions that modernize the health
system, improve overall population health and support Sustainable Health
Communities. Optum serves the broad health care marketplace, including
care providers, plan sponsors, government agencies, life sciences
companies and consumers.
About UnitedHealth Group
UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) is a diversified health and well-being
company dedicated to helping people live healthier lives and making
health care work better. With headquarters in Minnetonka, Minn.,
UnitedHealth Group offers a broad spectrum of products and services
through two distinct platforms: UnitedHealthcare, which provides health
care coverage and benefits services; and Optum, which provides
information and technology-enabled health services. Through its
businesses, UnitedHealth Group serves more than 75 million people
worldwide. For more information, visit UnitedHealth Group at www.unitedhealthgroup.com.
