Ozark-based home care software developer HealthMedX announced Dec. 14 that as part of an acquisition by two private equity groups it had named Pamela Pure, former president of McKesson Technology Solutions, its CEO. Pure was named one of the Modern Healthcare’s Top 25 Most Influential Women in Health Care in 2005, and in 2008, she was listed as the No. 16 Highest Paid Woman by CNNMoney.com. That year, Pure earned $10.2 million, including her severance package, according to the rankings.
Following her exit from McKesson in March 2009, Pure said she worked as a case manager of sorts for three members of her family who had suffered life-threatening health events.
Through her experience, she learned first-hand some of the issues associated with managing people as they recover from intensive procedures, go through rehabilitation and receive home-care services.
“My mom had some very invasive surgeries following a cancer diagnosis. My father-in-law had a heart attack in the driveway and had a triple bypass and went through recovery in our home. And then my mother-in-law had a stroke. So, in a nine-month period, I went from being a health care technology executive to the rehab and post-acute care coordinator for my parents,” Pure said. “During that period, I was really surprised to learn how difficult it was to manage people.”
She said she was managing the records of her family member’s care through Microsoft Word, Office and Excel software, and felt there had to be a better way.
Based on her experience, Pure said she started working on a business plan to get more technology into the post-acute care environment to support patients and families. She began talks with health care focused private equity firms Spectrum Equity Investors and Trident Capital to see if there were any products or companies in the market to accelerate their growth or expand their offerings. She then was introduced to HealthMedX’s founders – Jim Atteberry, Dan Cobb and Charlie Daniels – this summer.
“We began talking to the founders there about the current business and the growth and opportunity they saw, and strategically, we had a common view of the need for technology in the post-acute care setting,” Pure said. “Those initial conversations about how we could work together ultimately led to the transaction.”
Spectrum Equity Investors and Trident Capital acquired HealthMedX Inc., and then became majority shareholders of the newly formed HealthMedX LLC. As part of the deal, Pure became the new CEO, and Vince Estrada, the former executive vice president and chief financial officer of Baltimore, Md.-based Visicu Inc., its chief financial officer. Visicu offers remote monitoring system and support services for intensive care units.
Daniels will remain president of Healthmedx, and Cobb will keep his position as chief technology officer. Atteberry, the former CEO, will become a strategic adviser to the company, according to a HealthMedX news release.
HealthMedX provides software management systems for a variety of long-term home care providers. Its HealthMedX Vision Platform is currently being used by more than 3,000 health care clients across the country.[[In-content Ad]]
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