During 2015, 178 deals were announced in the “Other Services” sector, the highest number in the past five years. Because this category tracks a wide range of businesses that operate or perform services that support or are ancillary to the direct delivery of health care, the statistical significance of a surge or plunge is less relevant than it would be in a sector that tracks a specific service such as hospitals or rehabilitation. Included are pharmacy benefit management companies, ambulatory surgery centers, dental and dermatology practices, contract and clinical research organizations (CROs), and medical transport companies, among others.
