Although the number of healthcare-related transactions held serve in 2016, the dollar-volume dropped by almost half, according to the 2017 Health Care Services Acquisition Report.
The value for these deals hit $72 billion last year, compared with $140 billion in 2015. This, even though transactions actually increased from 935 to 942 in 2016, the report noted.
Among the most robust merger/acquisition sectors were rehabilitation (up 21%), physician medical groups (up 19%), home health and hospice (up 12%) and behavioral healthcare (up 2%). Managed care saw the biggest decline (down 53%), followed by laboratories, magnetic resonance imaging and dialysis (down 21%), hospitals (down 12%) and long-term care (down 6%).
“The slowdown in the long-term care sector is the inevitable result of a bull market finally pausing for breath,” said Lisa E. Phillips, the report’s editor.
