M&A

Lexmark’s Perceptive Software unit has acquired PACSGEAR for about $54 million.

LexisNexis, an Elsevier company, has acquired Enclarity, which provides provider identification and authentication tools.  LexisNexis has made several acquisitions in the health IT space recently.

Quality Systems, which offers the NextGen EHR line, has acquired Mirth Corp. (this is no laughing matter), which sells health information exchange technology, for about $60 million.

Medtronic is acquiring Cardiocom, a provider of remote monitoring services, to support a push into disease management.  The deal is valued at about $200 million.

PBM Catamaran continues its consolidation efforts by acquiring Restat in a deal valued at over $400 million.

According to Levin & Associates, health care merger and acquisition activity grew in the second quarter compared to the first, but remains below levels of 2012.

Abbott is spending about $560 million on two acquisitions:  one of a laser cataract surgery company and one of a stent for peripheral arterial disease.

Tenet, the large hospital and other health services company, is buying Vanguard Health, a smaller operator of acute and specialty hospitals, for a total value of around $4.3 billion.

Mediware, the maker of software for home therapies, has acquired Fastrack Healthcare Systems to add to its customer base and functionality.

Hospital acquisitions by national chains tend to improve the acquired hospitals’ performance more than do acquisitions by other types of hospital owners, according to a Deloitte report.