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NYSE:IBM is buying Merge Healthcare (OTCPK:MRGE), a top provider of software for managing and processing medical images, for $1B in cash after factoring net debt, or $7.13/share. The price represents a 32% premium to Merge's Wednesday close. The deal is expected to close later this year.
- Merge's software is said to be "used at more than 7,500 U.S. healthcare sites, as well as most of the world's leading clinical research institutes and pharmaceutical firms." IBM plans to integrate Merge with its recently-launched Watson Health unit, with the goal of providing image analytics that leverage Watson's A.I./deep learning technology.
- Big Blue: "IBM plans to leverage the Watson Health Cloud to analyze and cross-reference medical images against a deep trove of lab results, electronic health records, genomic tests, clinical studies and other health-related data sources, already representing 315 billion data points and 90 million unique records. Merge's clients could compare new medical images with a patient's image history as well as populations of similar patients to detect changes and anomalies."
- In April, when Watson Health was launched, IBM announced it's buying cloud patient data analysis software firm Phytel and clinical database/healthcare analytics app provider Explorys. The company also announced healthcare-related partnerships with Apple, Medtronic, and Johnson & Johnson.