The Deal: HBO & Co. has agreed to acquire Access Health, Inc. in a stock deal worth as much as $1 billion. The exact value depends on HBO's average closing stock price for a period ending shortly before the transaction closes. Terms call for HBOC to swap stock valued at $43.50/share for each of Access Health's shares outstanding if HBOC's average price during the pricing period is more than $30/share. Should the price fall below $30/share, Access Health shareholders will receive 1.45 HBOC shares for each Access Health share.
Discussion: Access Health provides a broad range of care management services to over 2,000 managed care organizations, provider groups, employers, integrated delivery systems and government programs, serving more than 130 million members. Its expertise in large-scale clinical call center management and its highly-regarded reputation in triage and other forms of care management services will significantly broaden HBOC's community health, access management and clinical management strategies. When Access Health is combined with HBOC's Call Center Group, as well as its Payor Solutions Group, it will also solidify HBOC's position in both payor and provider markets.
HBOC's leadership in healthcare technology will offer Access Health a large distribution channel and customer base to leverage its proven products and services. Also, HBOC's wide knowledge and expertise in systems integration will be an important asset as consolidation in the healthcare industry continues. HBOC delivers enterprisewide patient care, clinical, financial and strategic management software solutions to healthcare organizations.
