Local Business Briefs: Fresenius acquires Brentwood firm

Dialysis clinics operator Fresenius Medical Care North America has acquired Brentwood-based Health IT Services Group, giving it ownership of products including electronic health records software used by nephrologists.
Health IT's product Acumen had been available to Fresenius' nephrologists under a partnership between the companies.

Dr. Franklin W. Maddux, Health IT's founder, will become senior vice president and chief medical information officer for Fresenius Medical Care North America. The company is a unit of Fresenius Medical Care AG, which acquired the former Nashville-based Renal Care Group.

Meanwhile, Health IT recently moved from Nashville to 7,000-square-feet of space in Brentwood and plans to double its current staff of 24 within the next year.

— GETAHN WARD

LifePoint reports higher earnings

LifePoint Hospitals Inc. reported third-quarter income from continuing operations of $32.1 million, up 12.4 percent from $28.6 million a year earlier.

Per share, results were 59 cents vs. 54 cents last year. The recent quarter's results beat the 56 cents per share average estimate of analysts polled Thomson Reuters.

Revenues from continuing operations rose 10.4 percent to $745 million from $675.1 million.

The Brentwood-based hospital chain confirmed its guidance of full-year earnings of $2.35 to $2.55 a share. On average, the analysts surveyed had forecast $2.44.

— GETAHN WARD

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