A Talkspace logo was displayed on a smartphone held by two hands — health tech coverage from STAT
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Mario Aguilar covers technology in health care, including artificial intelligence, virtual reality, wearable devices, telehealth, and digital therapeutics. His stories explore how tech is changing the practice of health care and the business and policy challenges to realizing tech’s promise. He’s also the co-author of the free, twice weekly STAT Health Tech newsletter. You can reach Mario on Signal at mariojoze.13.

Universal Health Services, a behavioral health provider that operates over 340 inpatient facilities across 40 states, announced Monday that it will acquire virtual mental health company Talkspace for $835 million, marking a new chapter for a digital health leader that has often been considered ripe to be picked up by a larger organization.

Universal, which earned $17.4 billion in 2025, will pay $5.25 per share of Talkspace, a slight premium over its Friday closing price of $4.78. Talkspace recently reported that it earned a $7.8 million net profit in 2025 on $228 million in revenue. The company has shown consistent growth and stability in a digital health sector that’s been plagued by ups and downs since the Covid pandemic. The deal is expected to close in the third quarter of 2026.

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Steve Filton, Universal’s chief financial officer, said during an investor conference Monday morning that the acquisition would accelerate the provider’s expansion into outpatient services.

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