The information covered in the following column is derived from two sources. First, VERTESS recently conducted a survey of more than 20 buyers of substance use disorder (SUD) treatment providers on a variety of topics, including acquisition strategy and market trends. Second, I engaged in extensive discussions with fellow VERTESS team members who collectively are heavily involved in the private capital markets and witness the cycles in the verticals we represent.

My intentions in this column are to articulate broad concepts in current trends and developments within the broader healthcare M+A markets. While I am writing for owners of all healthcare businesses, there is a special emphasis on owners of SUD treatment businesses since the survey conducted was with SUD buyers and SUD is an area in which I specialize. SalientValue also has articles on general recommendations for healthcare business owners and vertical/segment specific articles outside of SUD.

During the healthcare M+A process, the benefit of accurate financials cannot be understated. Financial reporting is the foundation on which your business is valued, and meaningful data presented in an organized fashion can lower a buyer's perceived risk. This likely means more money in your pocket on the closing date.

Yet, it is an all-too-common occurrence to see frustrations arise as a healthcare business owner works through the financial due diligence process. The lists are exhaustive, the requests elaborate, and the stakes high. By taking a few steps, even 3-6 months before you go to market, the due diligence process can be simplified in an impactful way. Sailing through financial requests allows an owner's focus to be rededicated to other, equally important parts of the sale process.

About six months ago, the Cost Plus Drug Company, entrepreneur Mark Cuban's online pharmacy, officially launched. As of late, the pharmacy is receiving significant media attention, including a study published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine which showed Medicare could have saved nearly $4 billion in 2020 by purchasing generic drugs at the same prices offered by Cost Plus. Cuban took to Twitter to share the results with and tag President Joe Biden and other elected officials.

In this SalientValue column, I'm going to touch on a number of points I hope healthcare business owners will find helpful as they consider the current position of their companies and plan for their futures. There are warning signs ahead, and having been through the ups and downs of various business cycles, I'd like to highlight some concerns and share some recommendations.

Numerous books, articles, webinars, and other media provide detailed exit planning strategies for healthcare business owners.  This article aims to provide owners with a concise primer on key actions to take and essential questions to answer that can help better prepare themselves and their healthcare businesses for an eventual exit.

Two of the most frequent questions sellers of healthcare businesses ask VERTESS Healthcare Advisors are, "What can go wrong? How can I prevent my deal from falling apart?" Some deals are simply destined to fail, whether it be because a buyer or seller changes their mind or the parties come to an impasse. But then there are those potential deal killers that can be avoided.

Based on some recent experiences, my colleagues and I have compiled 10 reasons deals have had the potential to fall apart and offer recommendations for what you can do to reduce the likelihood that your deal experiences an unfortunate ending.

It may seem like a no-brainer that healthcare business owners who are about to embark on a transactional journey would have considered how likely a potential buyer is to actually facilitate the close. Yet surprisingly, this idea of "certainty of close" is often overlooked by would-be sellers in potential healthcare M+A transactions.

The ambulatory surgery center (ASC) market is changing rapidly. Surviving in the current market is no longer as simple as meeting the needs of the community you serve. Competition among ASCs is now measured through a litmus test of strength based on collateral along with quality standing. These are now the deciding factors that determine winners and losers in the market.

Thinking about selling your healthcare business? Then you undoubtedly have many questions. And if you've looked to Google to get answers, you've probably found that your searches have yielded divergent, overly complex, or abnormally vague responses. Why can't you find clear answers?

It's because the answer to most of your questions is: It depends. There are many factors that influence the sale of a healthcare business. But that doesn't mean your questions aren't worth asking. There are no bad questions to ask when contemplating one of the biggest — if not the biggest — decisions of your career. To get answers to your questions, don't turn to Google. You'll want to turn to an M&A expert. Getting clear and correct answers to your questions is one of the many reasons why having an M&A advisor will make a big difference as you proceed with a sale. But first you need to find the right advisor.

Depending on your healthcare company's corporation type, there are different tax implications you will want to be aware of long before you are ready to sell your business. One type of company that brings with it tax implications that often catch owners off-guard or create challenges when owners are ready to pursue a transaction is C corporations (C-corp).

At VERTESS, we often get a first-hand look at the good, the bad, and the ugly of post-transaction integration. No two healthcare deals are transacted the same, and no two deals will ever integrate the same. The simple truth is integration is just as much a process as completing a merger or acquisition — and likely a lengthier one as well.

The pandemic brought rapid and tremendous disruption to the healthcare industry, forcing the healthcare ecosystem to account for new pressures and challenges. The disruption also compelled many companies to halt or slow their short- and long-term plans and evaluate what they could do better and how they could achieve the improvements needed to support a struggling healthcare system. 

As we transition out of the pandemic or continue to learn how to live with COVID-19, now is the time for healthcare providers and medical device companies to shift from responding to the pandemic to recovering from it. Organizations and companies that understand this evolving demand curve will need to substantially change the way they plan strategically, and that includes incorporating virtual components or expanding their usage of these solutions. What is apparent is that the recovery from the pandemic will be partly — if not heavily — fueled by the development and integration of new technologies, particularly those powered by artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning.