Health IT M&A Very Active In First Half Of 2013

During the first six months of 2013, health information technology was the "most active market segment" of the healthcare/pharma/IT industry for mergers and acquisitions, according to investment bank Berkery Noyes.

Industry-wide, deal volume decreased 16 percent since second half 2012, but the number of deals was close to the industry's historical average for 2011 when examined on a half-year basis, according to the report.

Transaction value, however, increased 58 percent, from $5.08 billion in second half 2012 to $8.03 billion in first half 2013. This had a lot to do with BC Partners' announced acquisition of Springer Science & Business Media, a scientific, technical and medical publisher, for $4.42 billion.