April 2018 Healthcare Deals Explode

April 2018 Healthcare Deals Explode

Boom! That was April 2018’s M&A results breaking the sound barrier. With 167 transactions, the monthly deal total (almost) blew away the record for deals in a single month. The current record is now January 2017, with 178 transactions. With time, as more deals come to light, April 2018 may be the new champion. Deal volume was 21% higher than the 138 transactions reported in March 2018, and up 55% compared with April 2017’s 108 transactions. The Long-Term Care sector was a major force behind the surge in deal volume. A record 46 deals were reported, representing a 92% increase over March’s anemic 24 deals, and a 130% gain over the 20 deals reported a year earlier.... Read More »
Q1:18 Results: Healthcare Goes Retail

Q1:18 Results: Healthcare Goes Retail

First, the easy news. Deal volume in the first quarter of 2018 was on par with the previous quarter’s total of 380 deals. Preliminary data show 378 transactions were announced in the first quarter, making for a decline of 1% that will likely be erased as more deal activity is uncovered. Compared with the first quarter in 2017, however, deal volume was down 14%, versus the 439 deals reported then. Deal value for the quarter is where the data deviates from previous norms. The first quarter in 2017 posted a very robust $59.6 billion in disclosed deal value. In the fourth quarter of the year, deal value leapt to nearly $115.0 billion, thanks largely to the $77 billion proposed acquisition of... Read More »
New Buyers Move in to Home Health & Hospice

New Buyers Move in to Home Health & Hospice

The Home Health & Hospice sector is poised for big deals in 2018. As the healthcare industry shifts inexorably toward value-based reimbursement models, this sector has become the “go-to” care protocol to help drive down costs and to keep patients out of institutions. However, the pressures that existed in 2017 are still present in 2018, and even amplified now. Mark Kulik, managing director at The Braff Group, recently gave us his view of the market. Not only will the rate of M&A activity accelerate, new buyers will enter the market. “Ten years ago, people stayed in their lane. Today, we’re going out to a wider range of buyers, such as long-term care and... Read More »
Deal of the Week: Centene/Fidelis Care

Deal of the Week: Centene/Fidelis Care

Centene Corporation (NYSE: CNC), the self-declared leader in government-sponsored healthcare in the U.S., has taken over another state. As larger rivals like Anthem (NYSE: ANTM) and UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) quit the individual health insurance exchanges around the country, Centene has marched in. In its first major deal since July 2015, Centene is now tops in New York State, thanks to its $3.75 billion deal for not-for-profit Fidelis Care. Fidelis Care provides health insurance coverage through Qualified Health Plans, Child Health Plus, Essential Plan, and Medicaid, available through the New York State of Health Marketplace, as well as through the Medicare Advantage, Dual Advantage,... Read More »