Enterprise imaging and software developer Intelerad Medical Systems has acquired fellow enterprise imaging and PACS provider Ambra Health in a deal that will significantly expand Intelerad's cloud-based image management capabilities.
The acquisition adds Ambra's cloud-based vendor-neutral archive (VNA), image exchange software, and research and pathology capabilities to Intelerad's PACS, according to the vendor. The combined offering will provide physicians, patients, and researchers with a cloud-based platform for reading, storing, and sharing diagnostic imaging, the firm said.
The deal is the fourth acquisition to be completed by Intelerad in 2021 and the sixth over the last year or so. Intelerad's recent purchases include the following:
- U.K. enterprise imaging firm Insignia Medical Systems (acquired in September)
- Clinical workflow automation software developer Heart Imaging Technologies (acquired in July)
- Healthcare analytics and cardiovascular information systems vendor Lumedx (acquired in February)
- Ultrasound image management firm Digisonics (acquired in December 2020)
- Cloud-hosting provider Radius (acquired in August 2020).
For Ambra, the deal marks a new phase in a journey that began initially as a cloud-based image exchange technology developer under the name of DICOM Grid. The company rebranded as Ambra Health in 2016 to reflect its growing participation in the VNA market.
Since then, Ambra has emphasized cloud-based image management offerings, including a cloud PACS, cloud VNA, enterprise image exchange, a DICOM web viewer, and a second-opinion portal for radiology exams.
Ambra's customers include large healthcare systems such as Johns Hopkins Medicine, Memorial Hermann Health System, and New York-Presbyterian. It also serves radiology practices, subspecialty practices, and clinical research organizations.
Notably, Ambra in 2016 also co-founded RAD Women (Radxx), a networking group aimed at fostering networking and mentorship opportunities for women in digital health and informatics. The group recently changed its name to RAD= (RAD Equal) in order to reflect a more inclusive view of its mission.
Intelerad said that the combined company will manage over 10 billion medical images and its technology will be used to read over 130 million exams each year. It will also have an installed base of nearly 2,000 customers around the world, including all of the top 10 U.S. hospitals, according to the firm.
Current Ambra CEO Morris Panner has been named president of Intelerad and will report directly to Intelerad CEO Mike Lipps. Intelerad said that the new combined company will have a value of $1.7 billion. Terms of the Ambra acquisition were not disclosed.
