Nautic Partners acquired Healthcare Payment Specialists, a provider of healthcare payment and reimbursement solutions

PatientsLikeMe, a provider of communities for patients diagnosed with life-changing diseases, acquired ReliefInsite.com, a pain management website operator

PositiveID, a provider of implantable RFID microchips used to identify emergency room patients, acquired Easy Check Medical Diagnostics, a provider of breath tests to measure glucose levels which are transmitted to a database via a wireless text messaging system

Consult A Doctor 24/7, a provider of consumer driven telemedicine solutions, raised $5M from Morgenthau Venture Partners, New World Angels and Promociones Bursa

Walgreen will acquire Duane Reade, a chain of 257 drug stores in the metropolitan New York area, for $1.1B from Oak Hill Capital Partners, who took the company private in 2004 for $750M; last year Walgreen generated sales of $63B through its 7,162 stores

Merge Healthcare made an unsolicited $248M bid for Amicas, exceeding Thoma Bravo’s bid of $217M announced in December 2009; Amicas publicly stated that Merge’s proposal is “illusory and risky”

Eclipsys, a healthcare software and services provider, beat analyst expectations as it increased its fourth quarter earnings and revenue by 15% and 5% to $3.8M and $133.7M, respectively; its shares traded up  7.5% the day following its earnings announcement

Surescripts announced it will reduce access charges for its electronic prescribing network for pharmacies, pharmacy vendors and pharmacy benefit managers to motivate smaller scale pharmacies to participate in its network; some speculate the charge decrease could be 10% to 15%