CMA clears NHS-related UnitedHealth Group and EMIS tech merger

Article summary

The Competition and Market Authority (CMA) has cleared the £1.2bn purchase of EMIS by Optum, a United Health subsidiary, following the conclusion of its in-depth, higher-legal-standard Phase 2 investigation. Although the merging businesses do not supply competing services, the CMA was initially concerned that the deal would allow Optum to limit its competitors’ access to the data held within EMIS’s patient record system or to degrade the digital connections to this system, which rivals rely on to provide integrated software. The CMA investigation focused on the markets of supply of electronic patient record systems, supply of data analytics and advisory services. However, it found that the transaction raises no competition concerns.