Dive Brief:
- Colorado-based Envision Healthcare Holdings has purchased Arizona-based Rural/Metro, an ambulance service company, for $620 million. Plans for the acquisition were announced in July.
- The acquisition will boost the company's medical transportation unit, American Medical Response. Envision expects Rural/Metro to generate $590 million in revenue and said it expects to save up to $28 million through 2017 in efficiencies after the acquisition.
- Envision chairman, CEO, and President William Sanger said the addition of Rural/Metro enables the company "to more rapidly expand Envision's mobile integrated healthcare delivery offering. We are focused on working with our healthcare partners to build a more sustainable model that is centered on patient needs, with paramedics and EMTs playing an important role."
Dive Insight:
Rural/Metro operates in 21 states but had been struggling in the Phoenix area for years, according to the Phoenix Business Journal. Envision's AMR unit competed with Rural/Metro by offering ambulance services in the Phoenix area and was given final approval to do so by Arizona officials in January despite objections by Rural/Metro.
Envision has several other units, including EmCare Holdings, a physician services business, and Evolution Health, a care provider for patients with advanced and chronic diseases.