UnitedHealth Chases 10,000 More Doctors for Biggest U.S. Network

Atrius Health, the largest independent doctors’ group in Massachusetts, faced financial trouble heading into 2020. Covid-19 made it worse.

The Boston nonprofit, which provides medical services for one in 10 people in the state, booked a small loss in 2019. With more than 700 doctors and 745,000 patients, the group has a track record of providing efficient care. Yet an audit prepared last April, as the pandemic was emptying clinics, warned that the company was conserving cash and seeking new credit lines to prepare for the hurt that Atrius expected 2020 to bring.

Independent doctors were in decline before ...