Information provider Thomson Corp. plans to acquire MercuryMD, a vendor of mobile information systems for healthcare, in a move that could put more information in the hands of physicians at the point of care.

Company officials have not disclosed details of the agreement, which was signed April 27.

Thomson intends to combine decision support into MercuryMD’s software tools. MercuryMD will operate as an affiliate of Thomson Micromedex. Company officials say the move will lead to better decision making for providers, enhanced care for patients, better operational efficiencies and increased financial performance in healthcare.

 “This acquisition would align with the overall Thomson strategy of providing professionals with critical information at point-of-need – information that allows them to make smarter decisions and make them faster,” said Angela Jenkins, a spokeswoman for Thomson. “The companies each have strong relationships and reputations in the healthcare industry. Together they would have an opportunity to leverage their collective content, technology and expertise to provide comprehensive evidenced-based clinical decision support.”

MercuryMD will be aligned with Thomson Micromedex, a business unit within the Thomson Scientific & Healthcare market group. Thomson Micromedex is an information resource for more than 3,400 hospitals throughout the U.S. and Canada. MercuryMD is headquartered in Durham, N.C. The company, which has about 80 employees, had revenues of close to $10 million last year. Thomson Scientific & Healthcare has about 4,700 workers. It recorded sales of about $1 billion last year, including about $500 million in the healthcare business unit.