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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Business
Alex Lawson

Watchdog fears healthcare tech merger could push up NHS costs

NHS CMA EMIS UnitedHealth United States Optum GPS
Logo of UnitedHealth Group seen displayed on a mobile phone screen.
UnitedHealth owns Optum, which supplies software used by GPs and provides data analytics and advisory services used by the NHS. Photograph: Idrees Abbas/Sopa Images/Rex/Shutterstock

The competition watchdog has warned that a proposed merger between two healthcare technology specialists would lead to higher costs and “worse outcomes for the NHS and ultimately patients and UK taxpayers”.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) found the £1.2bn deal for the US firm UnitedHealth to buy British rival EMIS could reduce competition to develop and supply digital and data analytics products to the health service.

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