Nautic Partners, LLC, a private equity firm with more than $1.8 billion of capital under management, today announced that its portfolio company, Axia Health Management, LLC (Axia), has acquired Harris HealthTrends, Inc. (Harris), a leading national provider of personalized health management services. Toledo, Ohio-based Harris partners with health plans and employers to manage health care costs through effective behavior change, lifestyle management, disease management, fitness, rehabilitation and the collection and analysis of health data. In 1987, Harris developed a groundbreaking approach to lifestyle behavior change by pairing participants with a personal health advisor to create a customized health improvement program and guide them through lifestyle change.
Consistent with its industry-focused strategy, Nautic made its initial investment in Axia in November of 2004, in partnership with San Francisco-based Genstar Capital Partners. Axia was formed by L. Ben Lytle and Hugh Lytle as a provider of population health management services focused exclusively on prevention. Harris represents the latest of four strategic acquisitions by Axia since Nautic’s initial investment: HealthCare Dimensions, operator of fitness-oriented programs including the industry-leading SilverSneakers® Fitness Program; American WholeHealth, a provider of integrative medicine and complementary and alternative medicine services; and QuitNet.com, a leading Web-based smoking cessation program.
Chris Crosby, a Managing Director of Nautic Partners, said, “We are pleased to continue to help Axia build on its leading position in the prevention industry and believe that Harris HealthTrends represents a natural fit with Axia’s strategy of providing an integrated preventive health solution. Our collaboration with Ben and Hugh Lytle and the entire Axia management team is representative of Nautic’s strategy to partner with strong, capable management teams to drive growth and build value.”
Since its founding, Nautic Partners has completed 14 investments in the healthcare sector, and in excess of 95 investments overall. In 2005, in addition to supporting Axia’s acquisition strategy, Nautic made an investment in AIM Holding Company (formerly International Radiology Group), the leading provider of services to manage the utilization, cost, and quality of diagnostic imaging services.
About Axia Health Management
Axia Health Management is a leading national provider of preventive health programs that help individuals make lifestyle changes to improve their health and reduce the risk of disability and disease. Axia uses a multi-faceted approach to engage individuals into programs using a national field staff of behavior change professionals, community-based venues, telephone outreach and web-based tools. Axia’s suite of integrated programs support health improvement activities such as physical activity, weight management, complementary and alternative medicine and smoking cessation, all while providing meaningful and measurable reductions in health care costs.
About Harris HealthTrends
Harris HealthTrends Inc. is a leading national provider of personalized health management services. Harris HealthTrends works with participants to help them improve their health and reduce their health risks by making healthy lifestyle changes. Successful health improvement reduces health care costs and absenteeism, while improving individual health and productivity. In addition to personalized health management services, Harris HealthTrends provides consulting services, program/data integration and on-site fitness/rehabilitation center management services for clients nationwide.