Physician Medical Group Sector Heats Up

by | Nov 1, 2016 3:42 pm | Physician Medical Groups, Private Equity

Ten months into the year, and only two healthcare sectors have posted gains compared with 2015 totals. On the technology side, it’s eHealth, where deal volume is up 10% through the end of October, to 139 transactions. On the services side, it’s Physician Medical Groups. Deal volume now stands at 102 transactions, a 13% increase over last year’s 90 deals. (See chart below.) The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) is one factor behind the increase in physician practice acquisitions. Although the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services eased some rules regarding data reporting periods, timing and payment options, the law still calls for smaller practices to have digital... Read More »

Medical Staffing Companies Attract Private Investors

by | Oct 28, 2016 3:41 pm | Healthcare Staffing, Other Services, Private Equity

Labor shortages in the healthcare industry aren’t a new topic. Earlier this year, the Association of American Medical Colleges warned that the United States could lose as many as 100,000 doctors by 2025, up to one-third of those being primary care physicians. A shortage of registered nurses has been discussed since 1965, by one account. That makes the market for medical staffing companies of particular interest to investors. M&A activity in this subsector has grown in recent years, from a single deal in 2013 to eight deals in 2015. Through the end of October 2016, six deals targeting medical staffing companies are on the books. The majority of acquirers have been another staffing... Read More »

MACRA Is Spooking Physician Medical Groups

by | Sep 26, 2016 2:13 pm | Physician Medical Groups

With a full quarter left to go in 2016, mergers and acquisitions in the Physician Medical Group sector have caught up to last year’s total number of transactions. In 2015, 89 deals were announced. Through September 26, 2016, the sector’s deal volume has reached 88. One factor contributing to the increase in activity is the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) passed in April 2015. The bipartisan bill took aim at physician practices treating Medicare Part B patients, and awarded those that went with a value-based reimbursement schedule versus those that stayed with the fee-for-service model. The true impetus, however, came from the aggressive implementation... Read More »

Q2:16 Results Defy Brexit and Other Uncertainties

by | Jul 18, 2016 1:52 pm | eHealth, Medical Devices, Physician Medical Groups

You’ve seen the headlines: Global mergers and acquisitions slid in the first half of 2016, as did the combined value. The number of middle market deals completed in the second quarter fell to levels not seen since 2009. Buyers are walking away from targets that could be affected by sudden changes in tax regulations. It’s all thanks to Brexit and the U.S. presidential election. Then there’s the healthcare market. Deal volume actually increased compared with the previous quarter in 2016, and the same quarter a year ago. Deal volume for Q2:16 reached 396 announced transactions, up 11% versus Q1:16’s 358 deals, and 15% higher than last year’s 344 deals in the second quarter. For the first half... Read More »

AmSurg Finds a Partner for $6.7 Billion

by | Jun 20, 2016 2:03 pm | Physician Medical Groups

Last fall, AmSurg Corp. (NASDAQ: AMSG) made an unsolicited bid for TeamHealth Holdings (NYSE: TMH), to the tune of $7.8 billion. At the time, TeamHealth was working its way through its own merger with IPC Healthcare, for $1.6 billion. It snubbed AmSurg’s offer as too low, and went on to complete its IPC acquisition on November 23, 2015. Analysts who follow the Physician Medical Group sector generally praised AmSurg’s offer from a strategic perspective, as it would create one of the largest national providers of outsourced physician services to health systems. Alas, AmSurg withdrew its offer on November 2. For the record, AmSurg provides ambulatory and physician services in the... Read More »