IBM Watson Health has agreed to acquire US health care firm Truven Health Analytics from Veritas Capital, for around $2.6bn.
The acquisition adds IBM Watson with around 8,500 clients, comprising of US federal and state government agencies, employers, health plans, hospitals, clinicians and life sciences companies.
Truven Health provides its analytic tools and services through brands such as MarketScan, 100 Top Hospitals, Advantage Suite, Micromedex, Simpler, ActionOI and JWA.
Once the deal concludes, IBM will incorporate Truven’s extensive cloud-based data set, which offers different types of cost, claims, quality and outcomes information, into its existing data sets.
IBM Watson Health general manager Deborah DiSanzo said: "With this acquisition, IBM will be one of the world’s leading health data, analytics and insights companies, and the only one that can deliver the unique cognitive capabilities of the Watson platform."
Truven Health Analytics president and CEO Mike Boswood said: "The Truven Health Analytics team is eager to combine our capabilities and expertise with the Watson Health portfolio."
Subject to customary closing conditions, the deal is expected to complete by the end of this year.
IBM Watson’s other health-related acquisitions include population-health firm Phytel, cloud-based healthcare intelligence firm Explorys and medical-imaging firm Merge Healthcare.
The acquisitions added IBM Watson with partners and clients such as Apple, Medtronic, Johnson & Johnson, Novo Nordisk, and CVS Health.
Image: ruven Health Analytics CEO Mike Boswood with IBM Watson Health general manager Deborah DiSanzo. Photo: courtesy of Flickr / ibmphoto24.