CSC has acquired Australian-based health care IT company iSoft to enhance its e-health software portfolio and research capabilities.
CSC, an IT integrator and cloud service provider, is looking to
expand its health care, software and research portfolios by acquiring
Australia-based iSoft for $188 million. The
deal also means that CSC can now offer more IT services to several
different
markets.
The deal, which CSC announced April 1, must now wait for approval from Australian and European Union regulatory
authorities. The deal is expected to close during the second quarter of the 2012 fiscal year.
In addition to cloud computing services and now health care IT services, CSC offers outsourcing services
that provide system design and integration, Web and application hosting and
management consulting.
"The combination of these companies will further establish CSC as an innovative leader in global health
care IT," CSC CEO Michael W. Laphen said in a statement. "Through our
combined experience in global health care delivery, complementary world-class
health care software solutions and enhanced capabilities in system integration,
outsourcing and process management, we are forming a compelling life cycle of
services to better serve our global clients and improve patient care."
One of the world's largest developers of health care IT
applications, iSoft has a software portfolio that
includes Patient Management, an EHR (electronic health record)
application that allows providers to track patient flow and progress
from admission to
discharge.
iSoft also offers applications to help health care IT corporate decision-making.
Meanwhile, iSoft Clinical Management offers decision support for physicians and clinicians and allows
them to track patients' data around the clock in real time.
More than 13,000 provider organizations in over 40 countries use
iSoft's applications to track patient
data and improve health care workflows. In addition, iSoft's
applications are installed in more than 8,000 hospitals worldwide, CSC
reports.
"iSoft's electronic health record software and services, coupled
with CSC's global health care expertise and delivery capabilities, will
create a very powerful force in the global health care market to
enhance the
provision of integrated care," iSoft CEO Andrea Fiumicelli, CEO, said
in a statement. "This is a great development for iSoft's
employees, as they will have the opportunity to continue their
important work in health care IT whilst developing their careers across
CSC's global business."
Under the deal, CSC plans to expand to new and emerging markets, with iSoft running research and development
centers in India, Spain, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Central Europe.
"When completed, this acquisition will be a critical step in the
expansion of our global health care
business," Laphen added. "CSC will be at the forefront of emerging
health care technologies, giving our clients access to an expanded
range of health care capabilities and continuing our journey of
bringing the vision of a
single patient record to life."
CSC and iSoft have been collaborating on the UK national health technology platform and have faced long delays in rolling out
iSoft's Lorenzo
clinical software. Lorenzo is an EHR application serving the UK and Ireland market.
Due to delays, the UK Department of Health had considered scrapping its contract with CSC, ZDNet
UK reports.
Brian T. Horowitz is a freelance technology and health writer as well as a copy editor. Brian has worked on the tech beat since 1996 and covered health care IT and rugged mobile computing for eWEEK since 2010. He has contributed to more than 20 publications, including Computer Shopper, Fast Company, FOXNews.com, More, NYSE Magazine, Parents, ScientificAmerican.com, USA Weekend and Womansday.com, as well as other consumer and trade publications. Brian holds a B.A. from Hofstra University in New York.
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