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2016 Delivered on Health Care M and A

As health care mergers and acquisitions go, 2016 lived up to the predictions that M&A activity would stay strong. Preliminary data for year-end totals shows 1,536 announced transactions across 13 healthcare sectors. The total represents a 1% increase in deal volume compared with 2015. (See chart below.) Spending on those deals was significantly lower than the previous year, at least for now. The combined total spending in 2016 now stands at $255.7 billion, down 36% compared with 2015’s $400.3 billion. Nearly $100 billion of that total now hangs in the balance, as two of 2015’s largest deals (Anthem/Cigna and Aetna/Humana) await decisions from a federal judge regarding... Read More »

PMG Sector Sets Record in 2016

Mergers and acquisitions in the Physician Medical Group sector hit a record 119 transactions in 2016, up 19% over 2015’s previous record of 100 announced transactions. Consolidation was a big theme, as some of the top publicly traded companies either merged or were taken private. Another factor driving independent physician practices to team up was MACRA (the Medicare Access & CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015), which gave smaller physician practices the option to stay with fee-for-service Medicare reimbursement, or to switch to value-based payment for treating Medicare patients. The best option for many groups was to join a larger practice or the local hospital. Despite the frenzy of... Read More »

Hospital Deals Dipped in 2016

What the Affordable Care Act gave to the hospital sector, in the form of millions of more insured patients, it slowly took away, in the form of declining inpatient visits and growing competition from freestanding emergency rooms, ambulatory surgery centers and urgent care clinics. The ACA’s beneficial effects were largely played out by the third quarter of 2015, and by 2016, the thrill was gone. Hospital M&A slid slightly in 2016, according to our preliminary year-end data. Eighty-nine hospital deals were announced, down 13% compared with 2015. Spending was far higher than a year ago, reaching nearly $14 billion, a figure 47% higher than 2015’s combined total of $9.5... Read More »
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 »

Medical Device Deals Stay Strong in 2016

Medical Devices is finishing the year on a high note. In fact, as of December 29, 2016, deal volume reached 113 transactions, equal to 2015’s total. Deal value topped off at $61.3 billion, a 111% increase from last year’s total of $29.1 billion. However, one deal accounted for 50% of 2016’s total, and that is Abbott’s (NYSE: ABT) $30.7 billion purchase of St. Jude Medical, Inc. (NYSE: STJ), a developer, manufacturer and distributor of cardiovascular medical devices for cardiac rhythm management. When that mega deal is subtracted, we get a dollar value of $30.6 billion, still a 5% climb since last year. A handful of acquirers made a name for themselves this year, such as Stryker Corporation... 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 »

Managed Care Deals Deflate in 2016

As the end of the year approaches, the Managed Care sector hasn’t changed its sluggish pace. Just 20 deals have been announced through mid-December, a 56% drop from 2015’s total of 45 transactions. Spending is another matter. As of this writing, nearly $1.7 billion has been committed to financing the 20 deals. There is no way to match last year’s outrageous total of $100.4 billion, courtesy of the two super-mega-deals from Aetna (NYSE: AET) and Anthem (NYSE: ANTM), made for Humana (NYSE: HUM, $37 billion) and Cigna (NYSE: CI, $54 billion), respectively. You’ve been living under a rock if you haven’t heard that the Justice Department challenged those mergers back in... 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 »