The acquisition would be thelatest in a series of growth for Optum, which acquired VivifyHealth in October 2019 and DaVita Medical Group shortlybefore.

The fallout from COVID-19 may be drawing more interest towardsremote health services. Case in point, CNBC reported last week that UnitedHealth'stech-enabled health services provider Optum was in talks to acquirevirtual therapy platform AbleTo for close to $470 million.

The timing would make sense. Earlier this month, MedCityNewsreported that AbleTo had seen 25% uptick in users as people seek help copingwith stress related to COVID-19 without violating social distancingorders.

Related: GoodRx expands into telemedicine with acquisitionof HeyDoctor

"We're broadening the hours of our existing therapists andrecruiting new providers," Dr. Reena Pande, AbleTo's chief medicalofficer, told MedCity News.

Optum, meanwhile, appears to be focused on acquisition-basedgrowth. The company acquired Vivify Health, a provider of remotepatient monitoring solutions, in October 2019. Nearly 3 monthsprior, the company had acquired health care provider DaVita MedicalGroup, with Optum CEO Andrew Witty expressing an interest inbuilding "a next-generation comprehensive, coordinated health careorganization."

Now it appears that telehealth could be the next brick in thewall. CNBC noted that Optum had already made a "significant"investment in AbleTo during a 2019 Series D financing round. In apress announcement, Optum Ventures principalStephen Renfro highlighted the impact virtual solutions could haveon the way people received health care.

"AbleTo is changing the way people access and experiencebehavioral health care, and we look forward to working with AbleToto drive further innovative solutions," Renfro said.

Per CNBC, the $470 price tag of the potential acquisition wouldvalue AbleTo at "about 10 times forward revenue" — which could makesense given that the rate at which people are seeking outtelemedicine may be accelerating due to steps taken to addressfallout from COVID-19.

After President Donald Trump declared a national emergency inresponse to the pandemic in March, the Centers for Medicare &Medicaid Services released guidance allowing Medicare to pay fortelehealth services. Insurance companies like Aetna or AmeriHealthNew Jersey are also offering to reimburse providers fortelemedicine at the same rate as in-person visits or waving costsharing.

As the availability and interest in telemedicine increasescompanies like AbleTo may already be seeing an increase in traffic.On Wednesday, telemedicine and virtual health company Teladocreported a 41% growth in year-over-year revenue.

Meanwhile, Tom Cassels of Rock Health, a venture firm focused ondigital health, told CNBC that barriers to seeking in-personcare may free up "latent demand" for telemedicine services."Mismatch between supply and demand for mental health services ismassive and growing, making virtual care models that scale awinning value proposition," Cassels said.

Read more: 

• UnitedHealth quarterly earnings a positive sign forhealth insurers
• Optum sues to keep trade secrets from Amazon &Co.
• Amid coronavirus outbreak, telemedicine providesvital link to care and prevention