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 »

2017’s Next Healthcare Trend: Go-Private Deals

Every year has its trends. In 2017, we’ve reported on mass consolidation of CROs and Physician Medical Groups, and a dip in pharmaceutical M&A, to name a few. Another trend we’ve observed is the large amount of going-private transactions in healthcare. In the first six months of 2017, 44 going-private transactions were announced, a 38% increase from 2016 and a 91% increase from 2015. In 2017, 45% of the 44 going-private transactions were initiated by financial buyers, and an additional 21% were announced by private equity-sponsored companies making add-on acquisitions. In 2016, 26% of these deals were initiated by financial buyers, and another 19% were PE-sponsored add-on... 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 »

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 »

Physician Medical Group Sector Heats Up

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 »