Optum/UnitedHealth clinches $1.3 bn deal for Advisory Board’s healthcare practice

August 29, 2017 | by

The Advisory Board consultancy group confirmed its splitup and sale, as originally reported by TTA in mid-July. The Optum data analytics/information/consultancy unit of UnitedHealth Group is acquiring the healthcare practice for $1.3 bn and the education consultancy will be purchased by Vista Equity Partners for $1.55 bn. 

According to Bloomberg, The Advisory Board has 3,800 employees and roughly $807 million in annual revenue. Reports indicate that it has served over 4,400 healthcare clients. According to the Washington Business Journal, regulatory filings show it will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Optum headed by Advisory Board Chairman and CEO Robert Musslewhite. As to relocation, Advisory Board spokespersons confirmed that they will still be moving into a new headquarters on New York Avenue NW, indicating that a move to Minnetonka is not imminent and that at least some of the management will stay. There is no word on relocation out of Washington for the education practice. At closing, outstanding shares of Advisory Board will convert at $52.65 per share, plus an additional amount per share based on the after-tax value of Advisory Board’s 7.6 percent stake in publicly traded Evolent Health. The deal is expected to close by early 2018.

This confirms an earlier trend of healthcare consultancies merging and cross-acquiring. In July, Dublin’s UDG Healthcare acquired Philadelphia-based healthcare consultancy Vynamic last week, gaining a US foothold, then added marketing/communications company Cambridge BioMarketing in Boston. Rumors still have publicly-traded Evolent Health as a likely acquirer or acquiree of a healthcare consultancy. WTOP, Reuters

 

UDG Healthcare buys American, adds Vynamic, Cambridge BioMarketing for up to $67 million

July 18, 2017 | by

Consultancy acquisitions the latest trend–who’s next? Dublin’s UDG Healthcare acquired Philadelphia-based healthcare consultancy Vynamic last week, then topped it on Monday with marketing/communications company Cambridge BioMarketing. Cambridge has an unusual specialty–campaigns for orphan and specialty drugs and treatments with clients from small to large pharma and biotech. Vynamic, an industry management consultancy, provides services from strategic planning to process design and systems implementation.

This follows on the reveal earlier this month in Bloomberg of the potential sale of The Advisory Board’s healthcare practice to UnitedHealthcare. Last week, this Editor mentioned Evolent Health in Rock Health’s record-breaking review of first half 2017 funding. It turns out that publicly traded Evolent is partly owned by The Advisory Board, with a share valued at $170 million, and reportedly had been seeking funding to itself purchase The Advisory Board, now considered unlikely (BizJournals). What will happen to this share isn’t known.

The Vynamic acquisition is structured as an initial purchase price of $22 million with an additional consideration of up to $10 million payable over the next three years, based on the usual achievement of agreed profit targets, for a total of $32 million (€27.8 million). Irish Times Vynamic will join UDG’s Ashfield Division. Release For Cambridge, it’s a similar arrangement of $30 million (€26m) paid up front, with the potential for an additional $5 million (€4.3m) paid over the next 12 months, again dependent on achieving financial targets. RTE.ie, Release