There are rumors flying around the market of companies for sale and deals in play. I have heard the rumors and while I cannot speak on the record, I know of two firms in the U.S. and one in Europe that I believe will change ownership.

The question is what does this mean to the rest of us?

If you ask me it is good news for almost all concerned.

Sellers are happy for obvious reasons.

Buyers are excited because they feel that they know better how to deploy the assets and resources of the firm they purchased. They feel excited and challenged at the same time.

It is not easy to take control of a company. It is hard to know what to keep and what to change. Who stays and who goes. Which line of business stays and which are dropped.

In most cases there is a leader who charts the course and that person's hair is on fire.

The new leader has a plan to do new things or current things better.

Of course some people lose their jobs and that is a downside.

For the rest of us in the health care space it is good news because it signals that the brightest minds feel that the market is on an uptick and the time is right to make the move.

If you follow my comments you know that I am an optimist. Before you discount my thoughts because of my optimism ask yourself if you would buy a company of any size if you thought the future was unsafe.

Running any size business is not easy. We have to watch around us and plan accordingly.

Good luck to all of us.