2017 Biggest Healthcare Deals by Sector

2017 was another big year for billion-dollar healthcare transactions. Among the deals that disclosed prices, 44 topped the billion-dollar mark, for a total of approximately $263.1 billion. Although that number seems high, there were 50 billion-dollar deals announced in 2015, although those totaled a slightly lower $240.1 billion. 2016 posted lower totals for both the number of billion-dollar deals (39) and combined prices ($194.1 billion). Of course the biggest healthcare deal in 2017 was the $77 billion acquisition of Aetna Inc. (NYSE: AET) by CVS Health (NYSE: CVS). But there were many more sizable transactions across the sectors, as the chart below illustrates. See how many you remember... Read More »
Deal of the Week: Concentra/Dignity Health

Deal of the Week: Concentra/Dignity Health

Even as it continues merger talks with the troubled hospital chain, Catholic Health Initiatives, Dignity Health sold its rehabilitation and occupational health division, U.S. HealthWorks for $753 million. The acquirer, Concentra Group Holdings, is jointly held by Select Medical Corporation (NYSE: SEM), Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe and minority equity shareholders including Cressey & Company. The combination will bolster both companies’ urgent care platforms as new payment models push for care delivery outside of hospital setting. Dignity Health will receive a 20% equity interest in the combined entity, valued at $238 million, and the remainder of the purchase price in... Read More »

Health Care Deal Volume Slows in Q2:2017, As Dollar Volume Rises

Health care merger and acquisition activity slowed in the second quarter of 2017. Compared with the first quarter of 2017, deal volume decreased 15%, to 366 transactions. Deal volume was also lower compared with the same quarter the year before, down 14%. Combined spending in the second quarter reached $95.8 billion, an increase of 62% compared with the $59.1 billion spent in the previous quarter, according to HealthCareMandA.com. Second quarter deal value was up 8% compared with the $88.7 billion spent in Q2:16. Health care services transactions accounted for 52% of the second quarter’s dollar volume, much higher than the 14% share reported in the first quarter, and the 19% share recorded... Read More »
June 2017 Deal Volume Shows Continued Strength

June 2017 Deal Volume Shows Continued Strength

Preliminary data for the month of June shows that investors are still bullish—or at least comfortable—betting on health care. Some 123 transactions were announced last month, an 11% decrease compared with May’s 138 transactions. Year over year, however, this early data is just 5% below the 130 deals announced in June 2016. For a little perspective, April 2017’s deal volume was just 104 transactions, which made the May numbers look very strong by comparison. June’s deal volume looks reassuringly healthy, as it is close to the year-ago total, and could be adjusted upward in the future as more deals come to light. The same trends we’ve noted in previous months are still playing out, too. Deal... Read More »

Rehab Deals Have Risen Steadily Since 2013

The rehabilitation has historically been the smallest of all the healthcare sectors, typically accounting for the fewest number of deals and lowest dollar volume. Despite an abnormal 27 transactions announced in 2008, the sector generally saw between 10 and 20 deals a year, and minimal spending as well, (see chart below). Even after the Affordable Care Act was passed in 2010, when most health care services saw an influx in investment, the rehabilitation sector was largely ignored because some reimbursement headwinds at the time. But, as rehab facilities found their place in ACOs, reimbursement eased and large companies began to build their platforms in the highly fragmented sector,... Read More »
June 2017 Deal Volume Shows Continued Strength

Investors Want Health Care Services with No Strings Attached

Preliminary data for the month of May shows an encouraging uptick in deal volume, with the services sectors making up 66% of the total. Some 134 transactions were announced last month, a 30% increase over April’s anemic 103 deal volume total. But monthly transaction totals in 2017 are not keeping pace with those in 2016. A year ago, 151 transactions were announced, 11% higher than in May 2017. There’s no question that the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the American Health Care Act hangs heavily on healthcare investors. The Senate Republicans have been at work behind closed doors to craft a different deal than the one sent to them by the House Republicans in mid-May. From the handful of... Read More »