Optum, a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group since 2011, has announced the purchase of EMIS Group, a UK healthcare technology company, for approximately $1.5 billion USD, or £1.24 billion, in an all-cash transaction.
An affiliate of UnitedHealth’s Optum, Bordeaux UK Holdings II Limited, has offered £1,925 per share in cash, reflecting a 49% premium to EMIS’ closing price on June 16.
Optum UK CEO Rob Sergeant said in a statement the deal to acquire EMIS will bring more advanced technology solutions and capabilities to the UK’s National Health Service and general practitioners.
EMIS Group is a provider of healthcare software, information technology and related services in the UK. EMIS Group provides technology solutions for areas such as primary care, acute care, community pharmacy and specialist care. The company has more than 39 million patient records in its system.
Optum operates OptumHealth, a health management company; OptumInsight, a healthcare information analytics company; and OptumRx, a pharmacy benefits management company. Optum delivers population health management programs to more than 45 million people across the UK.
UnitedHealth Group has been aggressive in the healthcare M&A space, with many of its recent purchases joining Optum. In March 2022, UnitedHealth Group announced it would spend $5.4 billion to acquire LHC Group, one of the largest home health providers in the UK. One week later, UnitedHealth Group announced the addition of Kelsey-Seybold Clinic, a multi-specialty group practice in Houston, to its Optum business.
According to the LevinPro HC database, this marks the 178th eHealth transaction of 2022, and the 27th deal within the medical practice management services subsector. The EMIS Group acquisition is one of the priciest eHealth deals seen this year, second only to Becton, Dickinson and Company’s acquisition of Parata Systems from Frazier Healthcare for $1.525 billion.
