As with so much of the economy over the past year, healthcare IT corporate consolidation has seen a meaningful slowdown. Just as the buyers of software systems are taking a breather, waiting for the economy to improve and, if a buy is necessary, looking for a bargain, so too are buyers of companies. While the number of reportable deals is roughly comparable to last year (and down sharply from the year before that), the size of the checks being written is considerably smaller. Why? Fewer sellers want to go to market in the worst economy in recent memory, and fewer buyers want to take chances or stretch for value.
