ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɛvənti ˈeɪt, ðə kˈʌmpəni ðˈɛn nˈeɪmd dʒˈeɪ. bˈiː. lˈɪpɪŋkˌɑːt kˈʌmpəni wʌz sˈoʊld tə hˈɑːɹpɚ ænd ɹˈoʊ, æt wˌɪtʃ pˈɔɪnt ɪt bɪɡˈæn tə fˈoʊkəs ɪts pˈʌblɪʃɪŋ æktˈɪvᵻɾiz ɛksklˈuːsɪvli ɪn hˈɛlθ kˈɛɹ; ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd nˈaɪnti, ɪt wʌz sˈoʊld baɪ nˈuːz kˌɔːɹpɚɹˈeɪʃən tə wˈoʊltɚz klˈuːwɚ.
In 1978, the company (then named J. B. Lippincott Company) was sold to Harper & Row, at which point it began to focus its publishing activities exclusively in health care; in 1990, it was sold by News Corporation to Wolters Kluwer.