UnitedHealth Group Inc. is nearing an agreement to buy medical services firm Executive Health Resources Inc. for about $1.5 billion, according to three people with knowledge of the talks. UnitedHealth would add the Newtown Square, Pa.-based company to its Ingenix database management and consulting unit, said the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the talks are private. It may be an all-cash transaction, one of the people said, though an agreement could be days away and may still fall apart. Minnetonka-based UnitedHealth, the largest U.S. insurer by sales, is seeking acquisitions to expand its health services units, used by doctors and employers to manage medical costs, Chief Executive Stephen Hemsley said last week on a conference call.
