FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 30, 2015
(Disclosure: Rose Law Group represents Rural Metro.)
SCOTTSDALE, AZ – Rural/Metro Corporation (Rural/Metro) and Envision Healthcare (EVHC: NYSE) (Envision) subsidiary American Medical Response (AMR) have entered into a definitive merger agreement expanding the breadth of service offerings for the communities and facilities served by each of these well-known healthcare brands. The merger agreement includes all of Rural/Metro’s Emergency Medical Services, Fire Services and other business operations.
The U.S. Healthcare industry is rapidly changing and this merger combines two diverse companies with distinct product offerings and geographic footprints that complement one another to create value for the communities they serve. This merger will accelerate the business transformation that Rural/Metro has been undergoing, and AMR and Envision have a strong record as innovative industry leaders in outsourced healthcare service markets.
Scott Bartos, the CEO of Rural/Metro, said, “We have spent the past several years fine-tuning our operations and enhancing the services we provide to our patients and community partners. Envision’s mobile integrated healthcare strategy will allow us to provide even greater value to those constituents while creating new opportunities for our team members. Combining with AMR and aligning with Envision Healthcare will enable us to be active contributors to solutions that are shaping the future of healthcare.”
With the combined resources, expertise, and investment from both companies, the merged company will be well-suited to provide new and enhanced services beyond traditional medical transports to include community para-medicine, technology solutions and other related services that improve patient outcomes while appropriately managing costs. The combined organizations will be able to share technologies and access patient data for pre- and post-hospital clinical outcomes, thus allowing for the delivery of new care solutions for our customers.
“The continued progression of healthcare reform across the country is driving new models for both service delivery and reimbursement,” said Sven Johnson, Chief Strategy Officer for Rural/Metro. “We have been strategically expanding our service offerings over the last few years to fill service gaps that have been created by healthcare market changes. We are excited by the opportunities that this merger provides to accelerate the transformation of our business model and the expansion of service offerings to our communities.”
The proposed merger agreement is subject to expiration or termination of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 and fulfillment of certain other customary conditions to closing. Pending such approvals and fulfillment of other conditions, the Companies currently anticipate closing the transaction in the fourth quarter of 2015.
About Rural/Metro
Rural/Metro provides emergency medical transportation, non-emergency general medical transportation, fire protection services, and other emergency-related services to private and commercial enterprises. Rural/Metro employs over 7,500 people and answers 1.5 million calls for service yearly. For more information, visit www.ruralmetro.com.
About Envision Healthcare
Envision Healthcare Holdings, Inc., and its more than 35,000 employees and affiliated clinicians, offers an array of healthcare related services to consumers, hospitals, healthcare systems, health plans and local, state and national government entities. Through Envision Healthcare Corporation, the Company operates American Medical Response, Inc. (AMR), EmCare Holdings, Inc. (EmCare) and Evolution Health, LLC (Evolution Health). AMR is a provider and manager of community-based medical transportation services, including emergency (‘911‘), non-emergency, managed transportation, fixed-wing air ambulance and disaster response. EmCare is a provider of integrated facility-based physician services, including emergency, anesthesiology, hospitalist/inpatient care, radiology, tele-radiology and surgery. Evolution Health provides comprehensive care to patients across various settings, many of whom suffer from advanced illnesses and chronic diseases. Envision is headquartered in Greenwood Village, Colorado. For more information, visit www.evhc.net.
