Allscripts buys PAS specialist Oasis

US clinical software supplier Allscripts has purchased patient administration systems supplier Oasis Medical Solutions.

The acquisition of the UK company means that Allscripts will be able to offer integrated PAS and clinicals and significantly grow its client base in both mid-tier NHS hospital trusts and private health providers.

The company says the acquisition will enable it to provide a single-source offering for an “advanced and innovative” EPR.

The terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

Allscripts recently opened its European headquarters in Manchester as it aims to win more UK clients, building on successful wins and implementations at Liverpool Heart and Chest and Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust.

Richard Berner, president at Allscripts international said the UK is an “important grow market” for the company. 

“A strong clinical offering combined with a highly regarded PAS provides a complete and proven solution to meet the critical longs-term needs of the NHS Trusts,” he said.

“By acquiring Oasis, we believe we have optimised our position in the market and expect to drive significant value from this combination for our clients.”

Until now Allscripts has focused on offering advanced clinicals, with an 'agnostic' position on the underlying PAS it worked with. 

It's Sunrise Clinical Manager product comes with several clinical modules, including e-referrals, a patient portal, clinical portal and various ward management tools. However, it does not provide a patient administration system and both trusts decided to keep their legacy PAS systems.

The acquisition of the Oasis PAS, which is in use at more than a dozen trusts in the UK, including Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, and an upcoming deployment at Medway NHS Foundation Trust, means the company can now offer a full PAS/EPR itself, rather than to partner with another supplier.

In a statement on the purchase, Allscripts said it can offer an “integrated workflow between PAS and clinical solutions and the benefit of one business partner that provides a single-source electronic patient record to improve the efficiency and quality of healthcare delivery.”

Liverpool Heart and Chest, which scores joint top on the EHI Clinical Digital Maturity Index, and Salford Royal both report its EPR is working very well, with the latter going live months before its scheduled deployment date and now planning to create a single integrated care organisation in the area, underpinned by its Allscripts EPR.

In 2008, Allscripts merged with former UK-based IT software group Misys, in a deal worth almost £500m and became one of the largest health IT companies in the world.

Two years later, in 2010, the company merged with Eclipsys in an all-stock deal worth around £770m and took over its Sunrise acute care suite.