A PYMNTS Company

UK Watchdog Says UnitedHealth Takeover Of EMIS Could Hurt National Health Service

By  |  March 19, 2023
UK Watchdog Says UnitedHealth Takeover Of EMIS Could Hurt National Health Service

The UK competition regulator released a statement on Friday that the initial investigation into UnitedHealth’s 1.24 billion-pound acquisition of EMIS could reduce competition, leading to potentially negative outcomes for National Health Service, patients, and taxpayers.

    Get the Full Story

    Complete the form to unlock this article and enjoy unlimited free access to all PYMNTS content — no additional logins required.

    yesSubscribe to our daily newsletter, PYMNTS Today.

    By completing this form, you agree to receive marketing communications from PYMNTS and to the sharing of your information with our sponsor, if applicable, in accordance with our Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions.

    The Competition and Markets Authority said the deal to combine the healthcare software and data specialists could lead to lower quality and more expensive software options for the NHS.

    Related: DOJ To Appeal Loss In UnitedHealth-Change Merger Challenge

    In particular, competition could be substantially reduced in the so-called population health management and medicines-optimization software markets, which enable the safe and effective use of medicines, the CMA said.

    The takeover offer was first disclosed in June 2022, and was made by Bordeaux an affiliate of Optum Health Solutions, and subsidiary of UnitedHealth.

    The CMA is concerned the deal could affect services provided by Optum’s competitors, as they rely on digital connections to the data EMIS holds, and integrations with EMIS’s electronic patient record system.