Nary a month passed since November 2001 that one company or another did not acquire, divest, align or partner with another company — sometimes even competitors — for their own self betterment.
While there were fewer transactions than in recent years to consolidate the medical imaging industry, the strategies and ultimate goals over the last 12 months did not change. Companies around the world continued to explore and implement plans to expand respective market share, broaden product lines and garner technologies with an eye toward the future.
The past year’s acquisitons, mergers and alliances may not have illicited the same wide-eyed surprise as in the past, but there is no doubt that all the agreements, pacts and shareholder votes have shaped the medical imaging industry’s landscape for years to come.
Here is Medical Imaging’s look back on some of the significant developments since RSNA 2001.
NOVEMBER 2001
InSight Health Services Corp. (Newport Beach, Calif.) slipped back into the private ranks with the sale of its assets to investment firms J.W. Childs Associates L.P. (Boston) and The Halifax Group LLC (Washington, D.C.). Childs and Halifax Group acquire InSight’s approximately 3 million outstanding shares of common stock for $18 per share… Bio-Imaging Technologies Inc. (Newtown, Pa.) broadens its medical imaging laboratory services and holdings with the acquisition of Intelligent Imaging (Plymouth Meeting, Pa.) from Quintiles Transnational Corp. (Research Triangle Park, N.C.)…
DECEMBER 2001
With the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA of Chicago) in full swing, Agfa-Gevaert N.V. (Mortsel, Belgium) unveils definitive agreements for its acquisition of long-time partner Mitra Inc. (Waterloo, Ontario, Canada)… GE Medical Systems Information Technologies (GEMSIT of Milwaukee) moves to advance its European presence with the acquisition of healthcare telemetry firm Danica Biomedical A/S (Copenhagen)…
For the second year in a row, Delft Instruments N.V. (Delft, Netherlands) increases its ownership in Rogan Medical Systems B.V. (Zeist, Netherlands), raising its current stake to 70 percent… Varian Medical Systems Inc. (Palo Alto, Calif.) expands its radiation treatment planning (RTP) and intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) related product lines with its acquisition of Argus Software Inc. (Redwood City, Calif.), a supplier of software for the management of quality control and test data for radiation oncology and medical imaging equipment… Philips Medical Systems International B.V. (Best, Netherlands) and Richardson Electronics Ltd. (LaFox, Ill.) agree to Philips purchasing certain assets of Richardson’s medical glassware business…
FEBRUARY 2002
GEMSIT is off and running quickly in February, as the company signs a definitive agreement to acquire the digital health record assets of MedicaLogic (Hillsboro, Ore.) — which specializes in electronic medical records (EMR) technology — for $20 million in cash… GEMSIT follows with plans to acquire iPath (Powell, Tenn.), which develops surgery information management software… Not to be outdone, GE Medical Systems (GEMS of Waukesha, Wis.) announces a definitive agreement to acquire Visualization Technology Inc. (VTI of Lawrence, Mass.), which offers electromagnetic (EM) based image-guided surgery (IGS) systems… GEMS is back in the news before the end of the month by closing on its purchase of Surgical Insights Inc. (Evanston, Ill.), a developer of image-guided surgery (IGS) software applications for orthopedics… Telemedicine company Raytel Medical Corp. (San Mateo, Calif.) could become part of SHL Telemedicine Ltd. (Tel Aviv), as the companies unveil a proposed a $31 million merger… Film digitizer company Howtek Inc. (Hudson, N.H.) and Intelligent Systems Software Inc. (ISSI of Boca Raton, Fla.), which developed the MammoReader computer-aided detection (CAD) device for mammography, initiate their own merger plans… Also in February, Colorado Medtech Inc.’s (Boulder, Colo.) Civco Medical Instruments subsidiary (Kalona, Iowa) completes its acquisition of Barzell-Whitmore Maroon Bells Inc. (Sarasota, Fla.), a designer and manufacturer of specialized positioning and stabilizing devices for image-guided minimally invasive surgery… The month ends with news that Norland Medical Systems Inc. (White Plains, N.Y.) is exiting the bone densitometry market with the proposed sale of that business to The Cooper Companies Inc. (Lake Forest, Ill.)…
MARCH 2002
Philips Medical Systems completes its acquisition of Richardson Electronics Ltd.’s (LaFox, Ill.) $20 million medical glassware business, which includes Richardson’s reloading and distribution of x-ray, CT and image intensifier tubes… Raytel gets word that a shareholder lawsuit could block a planned merger with SHL Telemedicine… Cedara takes another step in its restructuring plan by selling the assets of its Surgical Navigation Specialists Inc. (SNS of Mississagua) wholly owned subsidiary to BrainLab AG (Munich) for approximately US$1.7 million… GEMS bolsters its ultrasound distribution network in Scandinavia with the acquisitions of Vingmed Svenska AB (J?rf?lla, Sweden) and Vingmed AS (Hovik, Norway)… Planar Systems Inc. (Beaverton, Ore.) is set to garner more of the healthcare display and monitor market with its proposed acquisition of Dome Imaging Systems Inc. (Waltham, Mass.) $61 million … As March winds down, Instrumentarium Corp. (Helsinki, Finland unveils plans to acquire Spacelabs Medical Inc. (Redmond, Wash.) for $14.25 per share, making the transaction worth approximately $140 million… GEMSIT completes its acquisition of MedicaLogic for $35.2 million…
APRIL 2002
GEMS closes on its acquisition of Visualization Technology… Merge Technologies Inc. (Milwaukee) swings into acquisition mode with a definitive agreement to buy strategic partner eFilm Medical Inc. (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), a developer and marketer of medical imaging display workstations … The Cooper Companies completes its acquisition of Norland’s bone densitometry business, while Planar Systems concludes its purchase of Dome Imaging Systems… The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Illinois approves two proposals from Comdisco Inc. (Rosemont, Ill.) to sell more of its assets, as the company restructures to rebound from self-proclaimed bankruptcy. Comdisco soon sells its healthcare leasing assets to GE Capital Corp.’s (Stamford, Conn.) Healthcare Financial Services unit for approximately $165 million…
MAY 2002
The month begins with a bang, as McKesson Corp. (San Francisco) inks a definitive agreement to acquire ultrasound PACS firm A.L.I. Technologies Inc. (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada) for approximately $340 million… Alara Inc. (Hayward, Calif.) takes the acquisition route to growing its product portfolio by purchasing the assets and intellectual property rights of computed radiography (CR) company Phormax Inc. (Sunnyvale, Calif.) for an undisclosed amount…
JUNE 2002
Merge Technologies announces its second move in less than two months to expand its product portfolio, as PACS/IT firm Aurora Technology Inc. (Lake Bluff, Ill.) is the acquisition target for $800,000… Also in June, Cardinal Health Inc. (Dublin, Ohio) takes the first step in a major move to enter the medical imaging arena with the proposed acquisition of nuclear pharmacy services company Syncor International Corp. (Woodland Hills, Calif.) for approximately $1.1 billion in a stock-for-stock transaction… Varian Medical Systems Inc. (Palo Alto, Calif.) offers approximately $11 million in cash to acquire MDS Nordion’s (Kanata, Ontario, Canada) HDR (high dose rate) Brachytherapy business…
JULY 2002
The fireworks are plentiful in early July, with the close of several major deals … Delft Instruments and Medical Technology Services Inc. (MTS of Aurora, Ohio) sign a letter of intent for Delft to acquire a 40 percent stake in MTS… Howtek completes its merger with Intelligent Systems Software with the blessing of shareholders… Vidar Systems Corp. (Herndon, Va.) is under new ownership, as the medical film digitizer firm is bought by Contex Holdings AS (Allerod, Denmark)… Merge Technologies wraps up its acquisition of eFilm Medical for $6.7 million… while McKesson Corp. brings A.L.I. Technologies into the fold… and Spacelabs Medical becomes part of Instrumentarium for approximately $140 million… Alliance Imaging Inc. (Anaheim, Calif.) begins July with deals to focus more on its core medical imaging business — the purchase of three freestanding medical imaging centers and three mobile, shared-service systems from several entities affiliated with Radiologic Associates of Northwest Indiana Inc. … Radiation treatment planning systems supplier Computerized Medical Systems Inc. (CMS of St. Louis) expands with its acquisition of Burdette Medical Systems Inc. (BMSi of Champaign, Ill.) and BMSi subsidiary Tayman Medical Inc. (Chesterfield, Mo.)… GPO Premier Inc. (Charlotte, N.C.) agrees to sell its Clinical Technology Services (CTS) business to managed services provider Aramark (Philadelphia) for approximately $100 million in cash…
AUGUST 2002
More major dealing, as Guidant Corp. (Indianapolis) offers $3 billion in stock to acquire Cook Group Inc. (Bloomington, Ind.), which Cook gladly accepts… Goodman Co. Ltd. (Nagoya, Japan) sees potential in LightLab Imaging LLC’s (Westford, Mass.) development of optical coherence technology (OCT) and moves to buy the company… Cerner Corp. (Kansas City, Mo.) looks to Europe and sets its sights on the purchase of PACS software developer Image Devices GmbH (Idstein, Germany)… Healthsouth Corp. (Birmingham, Ala.) unveils plans to spin-off its surgery center division into a new publicly traded company that would become the largest independent operator of freestanding outpatient surgery centers in the United States…
SEPTEMBER 2002
Consolidation continues in the service sector, as food and facilities management firm Sodexho (Gaithersburg, Md.) announces its acquisition of clinical services provider Patriot Medical Technologies Inc. (Nashville, Tenn.) for an undisclosed amount… Delft Instruments completes its purchase of a 40 percent stake in Medical Technology Services for approximately $980,000… Ten months after it acquired the Healthcare Products Group (HCP of Mayfield Village, Ohio) with the rest of the former Marconi Medical Systems Inc. (Highland Heights, Ohio), Royal Philips Electronics (Best, Netherlands) signs a definitive agreement to sell the medical and radiology supplies distributor to global acquisition firm Platinum Equity Holdings LLC (Los Angeles) for an undisclosed amount… Imagyn Medical Technologies Inc. (Irvine, Calif.) signs a pact to buy all assets related to Tyco Healthcare Group LP’s (St. Louis, Mo.) ABBI breast biopsy device… Financially beleaguered US Diagnostic Inc. (USD of West Palm Beach, Fla.) signs a definitive agreement to sell its medical imaging business to its primary lender, DVI Inc. (Jamison, Pa.)… Swissray International Inc. (Elmsford, N.Y.) is tight-lipped as it enters into a non-binding letter of intent to sell all of its outstanding shares to an undisclosed U.S.-based private equity firm…
OCTOBER 2002
Mobile medical imaging vehicle manufacturer Prime Medical Services Inc. (Austin, Texas) is poised to grow again, this time with the acquisition of Smit Mobile Equipment Co. (Oud Beijerland, Holland)… The Smit acquisition follows Prime’s buy of Calumet Coach Co. (Calumet City, Ill.) in May 2001 for an undisclosed amount… CADx Medical Systems Inc. (Laval, Quebec, Canada) announces that it has merged with its research-and-development partner Qualia Computing Inc. (Beavercreek, Ohio)…
