10 Collaborations That Will Impact The Health-Care Space This Year And Beyond

With all those colliding forces, the space is seeing a substantial level of strategic partnering and even mergers and acquisitions, many of which have big implications for the health-care channel. Here are 10 of the more recent to keep an eye on, and there are plenty more.

1. HP, McKesson And Tech Data

HP in January unveiled a partnership with electronic medical record 6. systems giant McKesson. HP and McKesson will bundle McKesson EMR and practice management systems with HP hardware, and sell those bundles to the channel through Tech Data. Physician practices are the target, according to the vendors, because many regional VARs that wouldn't normally be able to compete for large health-care integrations at the enterprise hospital level now have abundant opportunity in smaller settings.

The Pulse: Physician practice EMR integration -- and the infrastructure and systems needed to support it -- are a new opportunity for VARs that might previously have been discouraged from the health-care vertical, believing it to be the sole province of large integrators.

2. Ingram Micro And NextGen

In February, Ingram Micro struck a deal with EMR applications vendor NextGen Healthcare Information Systems -- a new addition to Ingram Micro's IMstimulus program for helping VARs land opportunity related to ARRA.

Ingram Micro said it selected NextGen because of brand equity, and NextGen, like McKesson and other EMR vendors, already has its own channel in place.

The Pulse: Ingram Micro has one of the most expansive stimulus outreach programs of any distributor but until its NextGen agreement lacked a definitive, go-to EMR play as part of that program. Problem solved.

3. Dell And eClinicalWorks

About a year ago, Dell said it would partner with eClinicalWorks -- another EMR stalwart that works with a number of vendors, including HP, Toshiba and Motion -- to provide turnkey electronic medical record solution sets. The hitch? They would be available through the Walmart division of Sam's Club, not through solution providers. It was a move that got Dell and eClinicalWorks roundly criticized at the time, especially from health-care channel advocates that argued an "EMR in a box" would create more problems than it solved. Dell and eClinicalWorks haven't been terribly forthcoming on how the partnership is progressing.

The Pulse: Given that Dell already has such a commanding health care footprint in health care, education and other public-sector verticals that are once again hot, isn't Dell missing a golden opportunity here to leverage the channel and expand its health-care reach?

4. Dell And Perot Systems

While we're on Dell, how about this long-rumored and finally consummated acquisition? Dell pulled the trigger on a $3.9 billion deal for integrator Perot Systems in September. That Dell has designs on becoming a services power is obvious. Less so is how it will leverage Perot to help the rest of its channel.

The Pulse: Dell channel chief Greg Davis told CRN in February that Dell's indirect partner sales are on the rise, and it has made significant channel gains in its quest to leave its direct legacy behind. Davis has also talked up the ongoing expansion of Dell's services offerings, though it's still hard to say how much having Perot in house -- and its substantial health-care vertical expertise -- is going to inform those opportunities for solution providers.

NEXT: Microsoft And Sentillion 5. Microsoft And Sentillion

From HealthVault to clinical systems partnerships, Microsoft has been making waves in the health-care space. In February, it completed its acquisition of patient care software specialist Sentillion. What Sentillion brings is context management and single sign-on technologies, which Microsoft has indicated it will combine with its Amalga Unified Intelligence System (UIS).

The Pulse: Microsoft's channel leverage being what it is, any time the company brings more tools to the EMR and clinical systems competition channel partners with a health-care focus have a chance to play. Sentillion claims its technology integrates about 572 health-care applications, which should be of interest to integrators with an eye toward complex EMR systems.

6. Microsoft And gloStream

Plenty of health-care information systems and medical software are compatible with Microsoft tools, but gloStream, which makes gloEMR, gloPM and gloSuite, claims it has the only medical practice software applications with Microsoft Office built right into them.

The Pulse: gloStream is a 100 percent channel company with a growing partner program. The company has been active in touting its products in line with stimulus opportunity, and its alliance with Microsoft has been crucial to its ongoing partner recruitment.

7. Microsoft And Eclipsys

The strategic alliance between Microsoft and Eclipsys, the clinical, revenue cycle and performance management software titan, just occurred. According to the terms of the deal, Eclipsys will integrate parts of its Sunrise Enterprise suite -- a software applications bundle -- with Microsoft's Amalga UIS.

The Pulse: Eclipsys' knack for partnerships has helped sustain its rapid growth and, given the spotlight on health care and EMR integrations, it appears to be strengthening ties with Microsoft at exactly the right time.

8. IBM And Initiate Systems

IBM in early February unveiled plans to acquire Initiate Systems, a privately held developer of data integrity software for health-care entities, government agencies and insurance providers. The move plays into IBM's ongoing push to align itself for EMR and broader health-care and stimulus opportunities.

The Pulse: Business analytics -- part of what IBM calls "high-value IT" -- have been a recent, but intense focus for IBM, which since 2005 has spent some $10 billion on related acquisitions. IBM's massive public sector practice has been a triumph in the past few years, continuing to grow even as other parts of the company have been sluggish.

9. Synnex And Allscripts

Synnex unveiled a partnership with Allscripts in June 2009 to distribute Allscripts' MyWay Electronic Health Record (EHR). The move wasn't much noticed in the channel immediately, but Synnex has worked to broaden its focus on health care, which CEO Kevin Murai has identified as one of the most important growth opportunities for both Synnex and the channel.

The Pulse: This could turn out to be one of the distributor's vanguard partnerships in the years ahead. Why? AllScripts MyWay is designed for small physician practices and is available both as an on-premise application or SaaS delivery. MyWay EHR's versatility as an on-premise or SaaS solution makes it attractive to a range of partners. For Synnex, it also means access to AllScript's robust partner community, just as AllScripts is making a big push to expand its indirect channel force.

10. Xerox And ACS

Xerox earlier this month finalized its acquisition of business process outsourcing specialist Affiliated Computer Systems (ACS), a blockbuster buy that effectively triples Xerox's services revenue. ACS has substantial reach into a number of vertical markets, including federal agencies -- ACS re-entered federal in late 2008 -- and health care.

The Pulse: It was a big move for Xerox, and one that could define at least the early part of new CEO Ursula Burns' run at the top. But Xerox still hasn't explained how it will avoid channel conflict between its newly welcomed ACS team and its existing partner network, especially with services opportunities so lucrative in places like, yes, health care.