Digital Health Deals Sparked in 2016

Digital Health Deals Sparked in 2016

Virtually every aspect of the healthcare industry now relies on some form of technology or data to improve patient outcomes, reduce costs or readmissions, or to analyze masses of population health data in order to manage that population better. Even more pressing in 2017 is the need to secure all that data and technology. But that hasn’t slowed the pace of M&A one bit. Mergers and acquisitions in the digital health sector soared 23% in 2016, to 155 transactions, compared with 126 deals in 2015. Even more impressive, the sector posted its highest dollar volume ever, nearly $20.2 billion—a 226% increase versus 2015. However, a single mega-merger accounted for 64% of 2016’s dollar... Read More »

Rehabilitation Attracted Private Equity and REITs in 2016

The Rehabilitation sector is still fairly fragmented, but consolidation is coming. Some 40 deals have been announced in 2016, a 21% increase compared with 2015’s then-record of 33 deals. This year saw a ramp-up in the number of deals announced by REITs and private equity firms, too. Spending in this sector is generally lower than other sectors, because so many transactions are made by local or regional buyers who want to keep deals private. Many targets are privately owned, and sellers don’t wish to disclose prices, either. In 2016, deal value was approximately $712 million, down 11% compared with 2015’s $799 million. For this sector, those figures represent healthy... Read More »

Home Health Sector Closes 2016 in ‘Epic’ Deal

The year is ending on a high note for mergers and acquisitions in the Home Health & Hospice sector. Deal volume reached 54 transactions by mid-December, and could go higher as we finish up the year. Last year ended with 51 transactions. Consolidation continued, as buyers such as Kindred Healthcare (NYSE: KND) and Epic Health Services announced four acquisitions apiece. Three other companies, Almost Family (NASDAQ: AFAM), Jordan Health Services and PSA Healthcare, each made three acquisitions. Eight private equity firms made nine deals. Blue Wolf Capital Partners was the sole firm to announce two in this sector. Deal value wasn’t as impressive in 2016, but that is because some of... Read More »

Behavioral Health Deals Set to Top 2015

Behavioral health care has been a hot sector for investors in recent years. After slumping to just eight announced transactions in 2010, deal volume soared steadily to 40 transactions in 2015. As of this writing, the sector has recorded 40 transactions in 2016, with two weeks left in the year. Even if no new deals surface before January 1, we expect the deal momentum to keep building through 2017, thanks to the tailwinds provided by the passage this month of the 21st Century Cures Act. The bipartisan bill, signed by President Obama, authorizes $1 billion in state grants over the next two years to address opioid abuse and other addictions. Most of that money goes to treatment facilities,... Read More »

What Private Equity Firms Are Buying in 2016

Private equity’s success relies upon forward-looking expectations about which firms are best positioned to capitalize on market conditions. The healthcare market poses unique challenges. Although healthcare targets may have the profit opportunities that appeal to PE firms, the volatile legislative and reimbursement environment can turn a “smart bet” into an albatross. A recent report from McKinsey & Company on private equity and healthcare showed that healthcare investments returned the highest global total returns to shareholders (15% between 2010 and 2015). The consumer staples category came closest to that return, with 13% in the same time period. Within the healthcare market,... Read More »

Omnicell Builds Out its Medication Synchronization Platform

People with chronic medical conditions typically take a lot of medications, and it’s not uncommon that many of them skip or forget to take some of their meds as prescribed. A 2011 survey released by the National Consumers League projected that the number of Americans affected by at least one chronic condition requiring medication therapy is expected to reach 157 million by 2020. Into the breach comes Omnicell, Inc. (NASDAQ: OMCL), which provides automation and business analytics software solutions for medication and supply management worldwide. The company announced its acquisition of privately held Ateb, Inc. and its affiliate, Ateb Canada Ltd. on November 29. The... Read More »