Picis Still Private, But Not for Long
Wanting to go public, Picis Inc. of Wakefield, Mass., has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission for an initial public offering. Founded in 1994, Picis licenses its systems to more than 1,000 hospitals in 19 countries and provides medical software for use in the emergency department, operating room and intensive care unit.
SPi Picks Up CyMed
For $35 million — which includes debt obligations — business process outsourcing company SPi has acquired CyMed Inc. The move will position SPi, a company that has headquarters in New York, Manila and Chennai, as the third largest company in the United States medical transcription industry. Chattanooga, Tenn.-based CyMed currently provides medical transcription services in 49 states. SPi is owned by ePLTD, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Philippine Long Distance Company.
A.D.A.M. Acquires Benefits
Atlanta-based A.D.A.M. Inc., has acquired the benefits of Uniondale, N.Y.'s OnlineBenefits Inc., a privately held provider of benefit management solutions. The combination will look to deliver health, wellness and benefit management solutions to employers and consumers with a suite of consumer-directed healthcare services. The suite centerpiece is an online self-service platform for employees that allows them to learn about, enroll in, and track benefits; manage health account finances; and access personalized health and wellness information. The total purchase price of OnlineBenefits was $32.5 million, which included $1.5 million of assumed debt.
Sage Advice
The Sage Group plc, headquartered in the United Kingdom, is set to acquire Tampa, Fla.-based Emdeon Practice Services from its parent company, Emdeon Corp. The buy is slated to cost approximately 297 million euros. An international supplier of accounting and business management software solutions and related products and services, The Sage Group plc employs more than 10,000 people worldwide. Elmwood Park, N.J.-based Emdeon Corp. connects providers, payers, employers, physicians and consumers through clinical and financial healthcare services.
MedData, Now in 3-D
Charlotte, N.C.-based MedData has teamed with Culver City, Calif.'s Diversified Data Design Corp. (DDD) to form AGDATA's Healthcare Services Division. The acquisition expands MedData's Web-based real-time provider and payer processing and database services.
Founded in 1997, MedData provides real-time administrative transaction exchange, such as eligibility, claim status, referrals and authorizations for hospitals and physicians. DDD is a specialty processor of data under capitated reimbursement methodologies. The company currently captures encounter data from medical groups, IPAs, hospitals, and other provider organizations that care for more than 9 million health plan members.
No ZZZs at Zynx
Los Angeles-based Zynx Health has teamed up with Siemens Medical Solutions of Germany's Siemens AG to deliver evidence-based clinical knowledge at the point of care.
A three-phase pilot program at Pinnacle Health System — a four-hospital health system in Harrisburg, Pa. — has integrated ZynxCare nursing content with Siemens clinical documentation solutions to support evidence-based practices and facilitate decision-making at the bedside.
In another Zynx move, the company has established a business relationship with Boca Raton, Fla.-based Eclipsys Corp., a provider of integrated information software, clinical content and professional services.
The agreement will enable customers using Eclipsys' Sunrise Clinical Manager to add Zynx's body of clinical content and content-management tools to the integrated modules of the Eclipsys advanced information solution. Eclipsys customers utilizing Sunrise Clinical Manager's computerized provider order entry (CPOE) system can now add the more than 3,400 evidence summaries and 450 order-set templates from ZynxOrder, as well as use Zynx Health's authoring tools.
According to the companies, by leveraging the authoring capabilities of ZynxOrder with the configuration, mapping and execution capabilities of Sunrise Clinical Manager, healthcare enterprises can more easily meet established standards for practicing care and improve workflows. Clinical Manager's Arden syntax-based rules engine and orders-to-flowsheet system aim to help customers transform content into action.
IBM and Misys Team Up
Armonk, N.Y.-based IBM and Misys Healthcare Systems, Raleigh, N.C., are offering a new solution for small and medium sized physicians' offices and clinics to foster real-time access to patient data.
The companies say offices can move away from paper by implementing a suite of applications from Misys Healthcare Systems — including Misys Vision, Misys Tiger and Misys EMR — as well as Internet-based financial management software applications and related services from Payerpath, a Misys company.
These applications are combined with IBM System p5 Express servers, storage and middleware including:
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IBM System p5 Express servers with the IBM AIX 5L operating system
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IBM system x236 server with the Microsoft Windows operating system
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IBM Informix Dynamic Server database Lenovo ThinkPad tablet PC
Ingenix Closes the Deal
Eden Prairie, Minn.-headquartered Ingenix, a wholly owned subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group, Inc., has closed its acquisition of the Claredi Corp.
Kaysville, Utah-based Claredi, provides e-commerce software solutions, implementation and consulting services to the healthcare industry.
In more Ingenix news, the company has agreed in principle to acquire NWH Inc., the parent company of healthcare payer services organization Electronic Network Systems Inc. (ENS).
Ingenix plans to acquire the outstanding shares of NWH for $18.24 per share, or approximately $54 million. The transaction, which is subject to NWH stockholder approval and other customary closing conditions, is expected to close before the fourth quarter.
New York-based NWH is an electronic commerce and communications company focused on the acquisition and operation of telecommunications, e-commerce and other strategically linked businesses.
