Privately held Walgreens Infusion Services rebranded Option Care

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens Infusion Services has been rebranded Option Care on Tuesday and will operate as a private company. The majority shareholder is Madison Dearborn Partners, a leading private equity firm based in Chicago. Walgreens Boots Alliance is a minority shareholder.

 

“Option Care allows people across the country to receive high quality medical services at home and in other patient-preferred, comfortable and cost-efficient settings,” said Paul Mastrapa, CEO of Option Care. “The infusion market is growing approximately 10% per year, and Option Care is positioned to provide exceptional clinical care every step of the way. We’re a strategic health care partner that can continue to make emerging therapies readily accessible throughout the country, serving the rapidly increasing number of Americans who rely on these treatments.”

 

Option Care serves approximately 10% of the approximate $14 billion infusion care market, Mastrapa reported during a press conference making the announcement Tuesday. With that reach, Option Care has the ability to serve more than 90% of the U.S. population, with 92 infusion pharmacies and 110 alternate treatment sites in 40 states, and almost 5,000 employees.

 

And Walgreens will still play a significant role in the direction of Option Care, Mastrapa said, filling three seats on the nine-seat board of directors that will be governing the company. "Walgreens views infusion services as  an ongoing part of its healthcare services," Mastrapa said. "The [undisclosed] equity position reflects the strategic intention of Walgreens." 

 

While the infusion care business is highly fragmented, Mastrapa said, the company will focus on its strength in the short term- leveraging its infusion care management technology. "As part of Walgreens, we have grown aggressively through acquisitions as well as organically," Mastrapa said. "Over time we do see an ongoing opportunity to be a primary consolidator in the industry, but that's a secondary focus right now."

 

The Option Care name is already well-known among patients and health care providers. In 2007, Walgreens acquired an independent infusion company called Option Care that had operated as a local and regional leader for more than 20 years. 

 

The company’s new logo also was unveiled today – a bold and colorful symbol that celebrates the company’s clinical expertise and goal to be a connected part of the healthcare system. It includes a multi-colored segment design representing the range of Option Care’s service offerings, customer segments, and primary therapy areas, including nutrition, anti-infectives, heart failure, immune system disorders and bleeding disorders. 

 

Today, Option Care is located on Walgreens headquarter campus, but the operation will be relocating to the northern Illinois area.