AM I NEXT? NO LOVE AT ATHENAHEALTH (02/05/23)

Am I Next? Merger-Layoffs at athenahealth.

FEBRUARY 5, 2023 — 178 SEPARATIONS

The company has announced that it’s cutting its global workforce by less than 3%, eliminating 178 jobs.

According to a company spokesperson, “Athenahealth is continuously evolving its priorities to align with growth strategy, macroeconomic conditions, and customers’ needs We are making some internal changes to better position our organization for its next phase of growth, and as a result, we are reducing our global workforce by less than 3%. While this represents a small percentage of our total employees, it is difficult to say goodbye to any of our people and we are actively working to support all impacted employees.”

MAY 1, 2019 — Original post…

Watertown, Massachusetts-based Athenahealth, Inc., a provider of cloud-based network services to the healthcare industry, has announced a major reduction in force of 200 employees as a consequence of its post-acquisition merger with the Seattle, Washington-based spinoff from GE Healthcare, Vitence Health. The decision appears to be driven by activist investors who were part of a complex financial strategy that saw Athenahealth being acquired by Veritas and Evergreen Coast Capital for $5.7 billion. As one would expect, any acquisition is normally followed by a restructuring to consolidate and streamline duplicative functions and positions.

A company spokesperson noted, “We recently launched the transformation of our business and are reorganizing our resources as we integrate Athenahealth and Virence Health into a single company with a sharpened strategic focus and unified sense of purpose and direction. As with any large transaction of this size, there are overlaps in functional areas. While we’ve had to make some difficult decisions, we have implemented a new organizational model that enables faster decision-making, decreases bureaucracy, and consolidates capabilities, so we can best deliver value to the 160,000 providers on our network."

Look for additional cost-cutting and personnel changes to follow.

Change is coming. There will always be a tomorrow, no matter how much you may try to ignore it. There are no guarantees in life or promises for a bright future. We see good people being laid off through no fault of their own. Just because something bad hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it won't. It can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere. No one is guaranteed to wake up tomorrow and still have a job by evening. Are you now wondering, Am I Next?

AM I NEXT? NO LOVE -- LAYOFFS AT AVELLA SPECIALTY PHARMACY

Am I Next? OptumRX shutting down Avella’s Houston, Texas facilities.

Phoenix, Arizona-based Avella Specialty Pharmacy, acquired by UnitedHealth Group Inc.’s Irvine, California-based OptumRX subsidiary in 2018, has announced that they will be closing two sites in Houston, Texas which will result in the loss of 161 positions. A company spokesperson noted that the two facilities “do not align to our overall business objectives at this time.” Avella compounds and distributes specialty drugs, which are often high-cost and are used to treat complex conditions. Avella’s purchase from Riordan, Lewis & Haden, a private equity firm, was kept private. It is believed that this acquisition will position OptumRX’s specialty unit BriovaRx as the third largest specialty pharmacy in the United States.

Change is coming. There will always be a tomorrow, no matter how much you may try to ignore it. There are no guarantees in life, or promises for a bright future. Just because something bad hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it won't. It can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere ... are you now wondering, Am I Next?

AM IN NEXT? NO LOVE -- LAYOFFS AT THOMPSON CIGAR

Am I Next? Layoffs at Thompson Cigar.

Copenhagen, Denmark-based Scandinavian Tobacco Group, a manufacturer of cigars and traditional pipe tobacco, acquired Tampa, Florida-based Thompson Cigars, a 104-year-old mail-order tobacconist, in 2018 for $62 million and has decided to restructure operations.

According to a company spokesperson, there is a plan to close the New York outlet store and consolidate their online and mail-order activities in the Cigars International facility located Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The layoffs will commence in late June 2019. This will result in a layoff of 112 employees who are not eligible to transfer to the new location.

At the time of acquisition, the company noted, “Thompson provides Scandinavian Tobacco Group access to a substantial and attractive customer base, auction and retail websites as well as a retail store and a call center facility in Tampa” After the acquisition closed, employees were informed that operations would transitioned to Pennsylvania and that “significant cost synergies will benefit of customers and shareholders.

Change is coming. There will always be a tomorrow, no matter how much you may try to ignore it. There are no guarantees in life, or promises for a bright future. Just because something bad hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it won't. It can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere ... are you now wondering, Am I Next?