Sphere buys health care payments/engagement firm

Local payments processor and software venture Sphere has acquired an Illinois-based company, a move that beefs up its health care business and pushes it into patient engagement.

Terms of Sphere’s purchase of Health iPASS aren’t being disclosed. Seven-year-old Health iPass’ software straddles the patient-provider relationship, streamlining the former’s appointment check-in process and managing payments and other interactions while helping doctors better collect bills. The company works with more than 850 payers and 90 practice management systems.