McKesson hints at sale of EMR business
On the same day McKesson announced most of its health IT unit will be merged into a brand new company, a second announcement says it could also divest itself of its hospital information systems division.
The announcement states McKesson is seeking “strategic alternatives” for its Enterprise Information Solutions (EIS) unit, with a portfolio that includes Paragon hospital information system, STARTM and HealthQuestTM solutions for revenue cycle management, financial and supply chain management, and OneContent document and content management.
In the statement, McKesson executive vice president Pat Blake said the two deals are related.
“We appreciate the critical importance of the electronic medical records (EMR) and other core information systems to the success of our provider customers,” Blake said. “As we embark on building a new, EMR-agnostic technology company with Change Healthcare, we believe that it is in the best interest of our customers to identify a strategic alternative that will allow for more focus on core provider information systems. We are committed to supporting our customers as we evaluate these options, ensuring a smooth transition through this process.”
The announcement goes on to say there’s no guarantee McKesson will move forward with any transaction.
John joined TriMed in 2016, focusing on healthcare policy and regulation. After graduating from Columbia College Chicago, he worked at FM News Chicago and Rivet News Radio, and worked on the state government and politics beat for the Illinois Radio Network. Outside of work, you may find him adding to his never-ending graphic novel collection.