McKesson purchases Per-Se

McKesson Corp., a drug wholesaler and leading hospital IT vendor, has agreed to purchase Per-Se Technologies for $1.1 billion. Per-Se sells information management systems to pharmacies, operates a large claims clearinghouse, and also has an online network that, like SureScripts, connects physician offices to drugstores for e-prescribing. But from doctors' viewpoint, the company's key role is as owner of the MediSoft, Lytec, and MedAxxis practice management systems, which are used mainly by small practices. With the new interface between these PM systems and MediNotes' EHR (Infotech Bulletin, Nov. 10), McKesson can claim that it has a complete solution for ambulatory practices.

If McKesson does so, it will be following in the footsteps of other hospital IT vendors like GE, which acquired the Logician EHR from MedicaLogic, renaming it GE Centricity; Siemens, which has partnered with NextGen; and Cerner, which, while offering its own outpatient EHR, acquired the VitalWorks practice management system. These maneuvers could help hospital vendors expand into the ambulatory space that's currently dominated by companies specializing in physician practices.