Thomson to Acquire Solucient, LLC
Thomson to combine industry-leading decision support capabilities and create powerful new tools to address quality and cost of healthcare
STAMFORD, Conn.,
EVANSTON, Ill., September 18, 2006 — The Thomson Corporation
(NYSE: TOC; TSX: TOC), a leading provider of information solutions to business
and professional customers worldwide, and Solucient, LLC today announced
that Thomson has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Solucient.
Solucient is primarily owned by VNU Group B.V., Veronis Suhler Stevenson
and VHA Inc. Solucient provides healthcare decision support solutions to
nearly 3,000 customers, enabling them to effectively manage their organizations'
performance using data and advanced analytics. The acquisition will further
strengthen Thomson's position as a leading provider of healthcare decision
support in the U.S. Solucient will become part of the Medstat business within
Thomson's scientific and healthcare group.
Solucient has a rich supply of public and proprietary data delivered within integrated work tools that help healthcare providers, such as hospitals and health systems, identify significant trends inside their organizations and benchmark their performance against similar organizations and national standards. Currently, more than 2,000 hospitals are Solucient customers. Through Medstat, Thomson has an equally rich set of work tools, primarily serving healthcare payers, including employers, health plans and government agencies, that are responsible for the healthcare of more than 100 million Americans. The combination of the two complementary businesses will effectively address the decision support needs of healthcare payers and providers. In addition, Thomson will be in position to provide healthcare decision makers with the most comprehensive and valuable set of decision support capabilities for managing both healthcare costs and quality of care.
"Within Thomson Healthcare,
we are dedicated to supporting professionals across the healthcare community
with tools and critical information that enable them to make better decisions
that improve patient care and better manage healthcare costs," said Robert
Cullen, president and chief executive officer, Thomson Scientific & Healthcare.
"As the healthcare industry seeks new ways to reduce costs and improve outcomes
of care, there is a pressing need for high-quality information that improves
decision-making for both payers and providers. Solucient will advance Thomson's
vision and position us to provide healthcare decision makers with an unparalleled
offering at a time when cost and the quality of care are on the forefront
of healthcare reform."
"Thomson has a clear
vision for improving the performance of our healthcare customers," said
Nancy Nelson, Solucient chief executive officer. "Solucient will bring additional
information, expertise and customer relationships that advance that vision
and improve our ability to create and deliver the information healthcare
professionals need to make important decisions faster."
Solucient is primarily
owned by VNU Group B.V., a leading global information and media company,
Veronis Suhler Stevenson, a private equity and mezzanine capital fund management
company, and VHA Inc., a healthcare provider alliance of more than 2,400
not-for-profit healthcare organizations. The transaction is expected to
close later this year and is subject to customary closing conditions. Financial
terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
The Thomson
Corporation
The Thomson Corporation (www.thomson.com),
with 2005 revenues of approximately $8.40 billion, is a global leader in
providing integrated information solutions to business and professional
customers. Thomson provides value-added information, software tools and
applications to more than 20 million users in the fields of law, tax, accounting,
financial services, higher education, reference information, corporate e-learning
and assessment, scientific research and healthcare. With operational headquarters
in Stamford, Conn., Thomson has approximately 40,500 employees and provides
services in approximately 130 countries. The Corporation's common shares
are listed on the New York and Toronto stock exchanges (NYSE: TOC; TSX:
TOC).
About Solucient
Solucient® is an information products company serving the healthcare
industry. It is the market leader in providing tools and vital insights
that healthcare managers use to improve the performance of their organizations.
By integrating, standardizing
and enhancing healthcare information, Solucient provides comparative measurements
of cost, quality and market performance. Solucient's expertise and proven
solutions enable providers and pharmaceutical companies to drive business
growth, manage costs and deliver high quality care. For more information,
visit www.solucient.com.
This news
release includes forward-looking statements which are based on certain assumptions
and reflect The Thomson Corporation's current expectations. Forward-looking
statements are those which are not historical facts and include the Corporation's
expectations regarding the anticipated benefits of the acquisition. These
forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties
that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current
expectations. Some of the factors that could cause actual results to differ
materially from current expectations include risks related to the Corporation's
ability to successfully integrate Solucient and achieve expected synergies
and actions of the Corporation's competitors. Other risks and factors are
discussed in the Corporation's materials filed with the Canadian securities
regulatory authorities and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission from
time to time, including the Corporation's most recent annual information
form, which is also contained in its annual report on Form 40-F for the
year ended December 31, 2005. The Corporation disclaims any intention or
obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as
a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
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