J&J to Acquire Surgical Process Institute

J&J announced plans to acquire Surgical Process Institute, a German developer of software for the “standardization and digitalization of surgical workflows in the operating theatre.” Surgical checklists have been demonstrated to improve safety and reduce the rate of complications in surgical cases, and the acquisition is particularly timely, as reimbursement hinges increasingly on metrics associated with quality of care. In addition to patient safety and surgical team coordination, J&J says that the SPI technology reduces operating time, another important benefit for hospitals.

SPI’s products are already in use in several hospitals in Germany and other EU locations. Use of the software will expand throughout EMEA in 2018, and J&J reports that they will start conducting pilot programs in other regions in 2018, with full worldwide availability expected in 2019.

The transaction is expected to close in 4Q:17. Financial terms were not disclosed.