Search Results for CVS-Aetna merger

News roundup: NHS announces EDITH breast cancer screening trial, Sword Health reveals mental health move in AI-first push, Evolent Health changes up board, Highmark’s enGen tech drops 208

...is currently managing partner of Czech One Capital Partners and previously was a CVS Health executive VP. Added to the board is a new independent director, Brendan Springstubb. He is currently principal of Bedell Canyon LLC an advisor to public equity investment firms primarily in healthcare. Previously, he was a principal at one of Evolent’s major shareholders, Engaged Capital, LLC. The release also announced the planned addition of another independent director before the annual meeting. Also upcoming: Evolent’s Q4 and year 2024 earnings call on 20 February, which should be interesting. Starting in August last year, Evolent and Engaged Capital... Continue Reading

News roundup #1: UHG-Amedisys extended, NeueHealth going private in NEA’s ‘deal deal’, Commure buying Memora Health, VA resuming Oracle rollouts–now mid-’26

The end of year is a favorite time to slip in news that deserves wider notice. Sometimes it’s by design so as not to be noticed…and sometimes it’s timing. Or both. Here’s a potpourri of analyses of late December moves of note. UnitedHealth Group and Amedisys home health agreed to extend their deal window to 31 December 2025. Amedisys filed regulatory paper on 26 December (file here) that moved the acquisition termination date to end of this year, or alternatively to 10 business days after a final court ruling blocking the merger. The latter is a distinct possibility since the... Continue Reading

A year’s end newsletter to our Readers: a few wishes for Under the Tree, a few Quirky Predictions for 2025

...the air with a new administration. It doesn’t feel like a rerun of 2023 where everyone thought it was going to be Romping Unicorns post-pandemic and the Big Guns were snapping up Big Buys like Signify Health and Oak Street Health for Big Bucks. We know now how that worked out for Walgreens, CVS, Walmart, and even Amazon (which I predict will be rethinking–and retrenching). We are starting from a low level and hopefully leveling up from there. That doesn’t mean that there won’t be more Shotgun Mergers by VCs that avoid the new merger guidelines and a few Chapter... Continue Reading

VillageMD’s co-founder/CEO resigns as Walgreens continues the brush-off after billions in losses

...Amazon and Mark Cuban Cost Plus, plus traditional brick-and-mortar CVS and Walmart. There were also expensive settlements around opioid prescribing. VillageMD also tapped Walgreens for $3.5 billion to acquire Summit Medical and CityMD–and defaulted on a $2.25 billion loan in August. Joining primary care clinics with retail footprints wasn’t based on testing consumer behavior and acceptance–or practice reality. The plan was to have 1,000 joint locations modeled on the picture above left by 2027. As a model, it depended on obtaining both sufficient providers and building loyal patient panels, a slow pull if there ever was one. Physically adding clinic... Continue Reading

News roundup: Oak Street’s Pykosz departs CVS, Musk’s Neuralink gains Canadian clinical trial, VA healthcare improvement bill omits EHR oversight measures, 23andMe’s Mirador precision medicine partnership

Another CVS departure. As Glenview Capital taps its feet waiting for CVS financials to improve, Mike Pykosz, appointed less than a year ago to head up their Health Care Delivery unit, is departing. His replacement is Dr. Sreekanth Chaguturu. Unsurprisingly, Dr. Chaguturu will be working two jobs–president of Health Care Delivery as well as EVP and chief medical officer of CVS Health, saving an executive salary. This may be the capper of a two-month 52-card pickup that started with rumors of a breakup that would split off Aetna, replacement of CEO Karen Lynch, a new head of Aetna, and four... Continue Reading

News roundup: CVS Health cedes 4 new board seats to Glenview, Oscar’s strong Q3, telehealth controlled substance prescribing in 3rd extension, new Revere Medical to buy CareMax assets (updated), Oura picks up $75M Dexcom financing and partnership

...Holdings, will join the Management Planning and Development Committee. It’s unknown whether Robbins will need to join a committee given his prime position. Despite CVS’ lack of confirmation after their reported breakup/spinoff discussions that kicked off October [TTA 1 Oct], it’s apparent to anyone with clean glasses that Glenview is driving multiple changes at the company including the ouster of CEO Karen Lynch even after she took direct control of Aetna. She was replaced by a CVS ‘lifer’, David Joyner, head of CVS Caremark. Glenview owns 1% of CVS stock as of last report in October, according to the Wall... Continue Reading

Bad News Roundup updates: UHG/Optum defends Amedisys buy fast via a website, digging deeper into Forward’s fast demise, former Masimo CEO Kiani booted–and sued (updated)

The other shoe drops, as UnitedHealth Group/Optum take their defense public a day later. This unorthodox approach to defending an acquisition against a Department of Justice lawsuit [TTA 13 Nov] is visible on a specially set up Optum page. ImprovingHomeCare.com predictably highlights the benefits of an Amedisys merger along with the divestitures to VitalCaring Group. The gauntlet thrown is unadorned: “The Amedisys combination with Optum would be pro-competitive and further innovation, leading to improved patient outcomes and greater access to quality care. We will vigorously defend against the Department of Justice’s overreaching interpretation of the antitrust laws.” Setup is around... Continue Reading

Bad News roundup: DOJ drops the hammer on UHG-Amedisys, 23andMe lays off 40% and closes therapeutics, Lyra Health lays off 2% in restructuring, Forward primary care + kiosks shuts down abruptly

...Attorneys General of Maryland, Illinois, New Jersey, and New York. No timeline is provided in the release. The rationale cited is of course anti-trust and elimination of competition between Amedisys and UHG’s Optum. “We are challenging this merger because home health and hospice patients and their families experiencing some of the most difficult moments of their lives deserve affordable, high quality care options,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. The fact that the US Attorney General was quoted first in their release indicates the importance of the case to the DOJ. It’s also a race to the finish as come... Continue Reading

M&A action news: Astrana Health buys up Prospect Health for $745M after Centene MSO unit buy, Veradigm nears $1B+ sale, Sword Health lays off 17% of clinicians prepping for IPO using AI instead, Cigna is not buying Humana–really! truly!

...if CHS will be merged into Prospect’s MSO, though in reality they offer vastly different services. Back in August and prior, MSO Evolent Health put itself up for sale for an estimated $4 billion, with the most interested parties being Elevance and assorted private equity organizations. Nothing has publicly moved since then. But it did confirm that major money is now interested in this decidedly unsexy corner of the healthcare business. Veradigm’s long-drawn-out sale may be reaching a conclusion. Reports this week state that McKesson, Oracle, and private equity bidder Thoma Bravo are all bidders for the company. CVS considered... Continue Reading

News roundup: Cerebral forfeits $3.7M on federal Rx charges, Aetna president named, Stewardship Health sold to Rural Healthcare, Oura buys data company Sparta Science, Brook Health-Linus Health remote cognitive assessment

...the NPA and any newly discovered criminal activity. The DOJ-Eastern District release documents Cerebral’s violations. Healthcare Dive CVS Health reports mixed results, names a new Aetna president and CVS group president. Q3 revenue was $95.4 billion, up 6.3% versus prior year. Net income though fell to $71 million, versus $2.3 billion in prior year. The Aetna insurance unit was responsible for much of the reduction due to anticipated losses in Q4 2024 within the Medicare and individual exchange product lines. There were major miscalculations in Medicare Advantage utilization (higher than anticipated) with an increased medical loss ratio, plus lower payments... Continue Reading