Tennessee-based Alleo Health System has acquired Upper Cumberland Hospice and Palliative Care Services for an undisclosed sum. Alleo is the parent company of Hospice of Chattanooga, Palliative Care Services, Good Shepherd Hospice, Comprehensive Care, and Kangaroo Kidz. Kangaroo Kidz is the Chattanooga region’s only pediatric specialty hospice and palliative care provider.
Alleo Health System came into existence last year when the non-profit Hospice of Chattanooga rebranded its network of hospice and palliative care providers, which now serve 23 counties in Tennessee, Georgia, and North Carolina.
“We are excited to open a not-for-profit office, Upper Cumberland Hospice, in Cookeville [Tenn.]to uphold the Alleo Health System’s life-affirming core values of empathy, respect, compassion and integrity to patients and families of Putnam County,”said Tracy Wood, president and CEO of Alleo Health. “We welcome the Putnam county community into our Alleo Health family and look forward to serving them well.”
Alleo’s other service lines include palliative care and a freestanding clinic. Alleo clinicians provide palliative care in patient homes as well as in local hospitals and other settings.
Hospice utilization among Medicare decedents in 2017 reached 43.7% in the Tennessee market, according to the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. Utah had the highest utilization rate that year, at 59.4%.
Demographic tailwinds could drive up demand for hospice as the population ages. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that 24% of the state’s population will be 60 or older by 2030, representing a 27% increase since 2012.
This marks the third acquisition by Alleo in as many years. The company acquired Comprehensive Care in June 2019 for an undisclosed amount. Prior to rebranding as Alleo, the Hospice of Chattanooga in Dec. 2018 entered the North Carolina market through its acquisition of Murphy, N.C.-Good Shepherd Hospice.
The company continues to be on the lookout for more acquisition opportunities throughout 2020 and into 2021.
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