Funds managed by Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (CD&R) are to jointly invest with Cardinal Health in naviHealth, a manager of post-acute benefits for health plans and a value-based care partner to health systems and providers.
naviHealth currently serves more than two million insured members and manages care transitions for approximately 800 acute hospitals and 11,000 post-acute care facilities in the US.
Under the terms of the agreement, CD&R-managed funds will acquire approximately a 55 per cent ownership stake in naviHealth while Cardinal Health will retain approximately a 45 per cent interest in the business. In addition, Cardinal Health will have a call right to reacquire the business. When the transaction closes, the current CEO of naviHealth, Clay Richards, will retain his role and become a director on naviHealth’s board. At that time, Ron Williams, operating advisor to CD&R funds and former chairman and chief executive officer of Aetna, will become chairman of the naviHealth board. Cardinal Health and CD&R will each appoint three additional directors for a total of eight directors on the naviHealth board.
“This new investment structure provides naviHealth with the resources needed to support and accelerate its growth trajectory. naviHealth’s leadership team, clinical expertise, and proprietary clinical decision support technology are key differentiators in a rapidly growing sector of the healthcare industry,” says Mike Kaufmann, chief executive officer at Cardinal Health. “CD&R’s understanding of naviHealth’s business, and their relationships with current and potential customers, will help provide additional value to patients, health systems, and health plans while also allowing Cardinal Health to benefit from future success.”
“naviHealth is at the forefront of the shift from fee-for-service to value-based healthcare delivery,” says Ron Williams. “With an ageing population, prevalence of chronic illness, and increased hospital readmission rates, payers and providers are seeking innovative ways to improve health outcomes while reducing cost, which is exactly what naviHealth’s services deliver. The post-acute care segment of the market is especially attractive due to high levels of waste, wide variability in spend, and the complex mix of clinical, operational and technical resources required to address patient needs.”
“For the past six years, naviHealth has worked tirelessly to improve the way post-acute care is delivered in the US,” says Richards. “CD&R’s investment enables us to invest in innovative solutions, expand our capabilities, and partner with health plans and health systems in more strategic ways – with the ultimate goal of providing better care to our patients. Our leadership team believes in the future of naviHealth and we are excited about what we can create together with Cardinal Health and CD&R.”
naviHealth partners with health plans, hospital systems, at-risk physician groups, and other healthcare providers to manage post-acute care as part of value-based care programs. Through its proprietary technology platform, the company utilises evidence-based protocols and dedicated clinical staff to quantitatively track patient recoveries, manage hospital discharges, reduce readmissions and support efficient clinical decision-making, which taken together reduce wasteful healthcare spend.
The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of calendar 2018 subject to customary closing conditions.
