IBM aims to improve the capabilities of its Watson Health system by acquiring Ann Arbor, Michigan-based Truven Health Analytics, it announced Thursday.
IBM will pay $2.6 billion for Truven, a health data analytics company that counts federal and state government agencies, hospitals and health plans among its 8,500 clients. Truven's "technology, methodologies and health claims data will be integrated into the Watson Health Cloud over time," the announcement notes.
Last summer, IBM announced it would acquire Merge Healthcare in a $1 billion deal. It also acquired cloud-based healthcare intelligence company Explorys and population health company Phytel last April.
The deal is expected to close later this year, according to the announcement. Announcement