Optum Announces Job Growth in California

CARLSBAD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--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.

“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”

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 company’s 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. UnitedHealthcare’s 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.