(Finance) – The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) of the United Kingdom has provisionally authorized the purchase Of EMIS from £1.2 billion proposed by UnitedHealth following a thorough investigation. The antitrust said it found no competition concerns in the deal, but the announcement is tentative and the CMA will hear any further opinions before reaching a final decision.
The National Health Service (NHS)i.e. the NHS, is increasingly looking for digital and data-driven solutions to help improve healthcare delivery in the country. EMIS provides data management systems to the NHS, including the electronic health record system used by the majority of NHS general practitioners in the UK. Optumpart of US healthcare giant UnitedHealth, currently provides software used by general practitioners for prescribing medicines, as well as data analysis and advisory services which the NHS uses to help improve healthcare and the delivery of health services generally.
While the merging businesses do not provide competing services, Optum and its competitors use data held by EMIS and integrate their software with EMIS’s electronic health record system to compete in other markets, including the provision of population health management services and medication optimization software.
“Digital technology and data analytics play an increasingly important role in supporting high-quality healthcare across the NHS and therefore it is important to investigate this deal thoroughly,” said Kirstin Baker, Chair of the Independent Investigation Panel. who led the investigation – We want to ensure the NHS continues to benefit from the innovation and efficiencies brought about by technology services competing for its business.Having carefully considered a wide range of evidence, we have tentatively found that this arrangement is not expected to harm competition or adversely affect patients“.
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