Mergers and acquisitions continue to reshape the healthcare industry, as the trend toward consolidation shows no signs of slowing down.

Here are five of the biggest acquisition stories of the year, according to our readers.

Philips to sell Dunlee facility to new CT tube company

Starting off 2018 anew, Royal Philips made the decision in February to sell off its Dunlee CT tube facility in Aurora, Illinois to Chronos Imaging.

Chronos agreed to continue to supply Philips with CT tubes as part of a long-term agreement, while developing new ones for both the OEM and replacement CT tube markets.

"We are proud to support Philips and the very talented and experienced team in Aurora, Illinois for the ongoing production of CT tubes," Robert Piconi, Chairman of The Chronos Group, said in a statement at the time. "Additionally, we are excited to develop new innovative solutions to address critical needs in the CT tube market, to help reduce the cost of healthcare services to the public and private sector."


Philips acquires AGITO Medical to ramp up multi-vendor service capabilities

Despite selling the Dunlee facility, Philips did make a gain in the form of AGITO Medical.

The Danish-based provider of third party services and refurbished imaging solutions joined the Philips family around the same time as the Chronos deal, bringing its 70+ employees and facilities in Denmark, France, Germany, Spain and the Netherlands on board as part of a plan to ramp up the Dutch giant’s multi-vendor service offerings.

"AGITO Medical will further strengthen Philips' Diagnostic Imaging business in the area of multi-vendor services," a Philips spokesperson told HCB News at the time.


Merry X-Ray acquires 'missing piece' Nationwide Imaging

Referring to the deal as the “missing piece” of a “puzzle,” Merry X-ray president Ted Sloan welcomed in April the addition of Nationwide Imaging Services.


Following a string of previous sales to MXR in 2017, the purchase of Nationwide Imaging Services expanded the refurbishment and sales services of the Pennsylvania-based enterprise into the international arena, as well as supplying it with ISO 13485:2016 certification.

“Everybody’s scurrying around trying to be ISO certified,” said Sloan. “We’re just making sure that we can compete in the market going forward, depending on what the FDA rules are.”


Trimedx closes $300 million Aramark HCT acquisition

Now known as TMX Healthcare Technologies, shares of Aramark’s HealthCare Technologies (HCT) business officially fell under ownership of Trimedx last month.

The agreement provides the Indiana-based Trimedx with over 500 healthcare providers across the U.S. that rely on HCT for repair, maintenance and clinical engineering services.


“We are excited to continue to lead the transformation of the industry by expanding our proprietary technology-driven solutions to a broader set of healthcare provider customers, driving clinical and financial results, as well as device security and compliance, with measurable and persistent value in an ever-changing environment,” Trimedx CEO Henry Hummel said in a statement.

Aramark, meanwhile, will focus its energy on its “core food, facilities and uniform business. We will use the majority of proceeds to strengthen our balance sheet through debt reduction and will also repurchase $50 million of shares after closing of the sale,” said Aramark chairman, president and CEO Eric J. Foss in a statement.


Veritas closes $1 billion GE Healthcare software unit buy

Following GE’s announcement to spin off its healthcare division, many questions have surrounded the makeup of the new company, such as who the new stakeholders would be and what units would be sold off as part of its restructuring.


One such unit is its software unit, the sale of which was announced in April and completed in July for $1 billion to Veritas, which plans to have one of its affiliates run its newly acquired GE Healthcare Enterprise Financial Management (Revenue-Cycle, Centricity Business), Ambulatory Care Management (Centricity Practice Solution) and Workforce Management (formerly API Healthcare) as a stand-alone company.

“By operating as a stand-alone business under Veritas’ ownership, we now have the opportunity to further revitalize our product portfolio and pursue complementary acquisitions,” said Jon Zimmerman, president of value-based care solutions at GE, adding that the move would allow for additional support and resources to go toward “deepening our commitment and capabilities to help healthcare providers manage their financial, clinical, and employee workflows across the continuum of care.”