The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has given the green light to the £1.2 billion acquisition deal between healthcare tech companies UnitedHealth Group Inc. (NYSE: UNH) and EMIS, both of which provide critical services to the UK's National Health Service (NHS).

This decision comes after the CMA had initially referred the acquisition for an in-depth Phase 2 investigation due to concerns about potential competition issues. Specifically, the CMA was examining whether the deal would allow UnitedHealth's subsidiary, Optum, to restrict competitors' access to EMIS's patient record system, a vital component in the NHS's digital healthcare infrastructure.

The investigation found that although EMIS holds a strong market position as a supplier of electronic patient record systems to NHS GPs, the merger would not substantially harm competition. In the areas of data analytics and advisory services for Population Health Management, as well as medicines optimization software, the CMA determined that the merged entity would not have the incentive or ability to limit competitors' access to data.

This development marks a significant step in the NHS's pursuit of digital solutions to enhance healthcare delivery, with EMIS and Optum playing key roles in data management and software services. The CMA's decision now paves the way for the deal to proceed, supporting the ongoing transformation of healthcare services in the UK.

$UNH was trading at $510.40 in pre-market, upf $0.30 (+0.06%).

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