Fresenius Sells Sound Inpatient Physicians for $2.15 Billion

Fresenius Sells Sound Inpatient Physicians for $2.15 Billion

What began in 2014 as a grand round of acquisitions of physician medical groups became a multi-billion-dollar exit four years later. Fresenius Medical Care (NYSE: FMS), the world’s largest provider of dialysis products and services, took “an important strategic step to sharpen its U.S. Care Coordination profile” and sell its controlling interest in Sound Inpatient Physicians Holdings, LLC for $2.15 billion. The buyers are led by Summit Partners, a Boston-based private equity firm. Back in June 2014, Fresenius acquired Sound Physicians, as it was called, for $600 million. The group was comprised of more than 1,000 physicians in more than 100 hospitals. The acquisition was... Read More »
Physician Practice Deals Down 15% in Q3:17

Physician Practice Deals Down 15% in Q3:17

Physician medical groups are still hot properties, of course. But the rate of consolidation within the industry accelerated rapidly in the past two years, and it was inevitable the pace would slacken at some point. The 28 acquisitions announced in the third quarter represent 19% of the 145 deals announced in the previous 12 months. Deal volume was down 10% compared with the previous quarter, and down 15% versus the same quarter a year earlier. Longer payment cycles associated with value-based reimbursement is just one reason many physician practices have joined larger groups or health systems. Electronic medical records, revenue cycle management and billing are all necessities for today’s... Read More »

Dealing in Doc Groups Grows in 2017

For the Physician Medical Group sector, this year is shaping up to rival 2016’s merger and acquisition activity. Two multi-billion-dollar deals have been announced, through the middle of August. Two such deals were announced in 2016, although they were for larger amounts. So far in 2017, 104 transactions for physician practices have been made public, just 20% lower than the 2016 total of 130 deals. There’s still time to catch up to that recent high, obviously. Spending is a different story, as usual. Through mid-August, nearly $5.5 billion has been committed to finance these doctor deals, which is 59% lower than the full-year total of $13.3 billion in 2016. The latest major... Read More »

What’s Next for Managed Care?

The managed care mega-deals of 2015 have blown up. Aetna (NYSE: AET) and Humana (NYSE: HUM) amicably terminated their $37 billion merger, following a federal judge’s order in January to block the deal on antitrust grounds. The $1 billion termination fee was in the works. A different federal judge blocked Anthem (NYSE: ANTM) and Cigna’s (NYSE: CI) $54.2 billion merger on similar grounds. Things turned ugly quickly, as Cigna declared the deal dead and sued Anthem for the $1.85 billion termination fee, and another $13 billion in damages on behalf of its shareholders. Anthem says it will go ahead with the merger. What do the Big Five health insurers do now that they’re... Read More »

Physician Medical Group Sector Heats Up

Ten months into the year, and only two healthcare sectors have posted gains compared with 2015 totals. On the technology side, it’s eHealth, where deal volume is up 10% through the end of October, to 139 transactions. On the services side, it’s Physician Medical Groups. Deal volume now stands at 102 transactions, a 13% increase over last year’s 90 deals. (See chart below.) The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) is one factor behind the increase in physician practice acquisitions. Although the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services eased some rules regarding data reporting periods, timing and payment options, the law still calls for smaller practices to have digital... Read More »