VITAS Healthcare, a subsidiary of Chemed Corp. (NYSE: CHEM), has opened a new inpatient facility on the AdventHealth Lake Wales hospital campus in Florida. The company expects the new unit to care for more than 400 patients annually.

The facility includes eight private rooms with recliners, televisions and private bathrooms designed to create a home-like environment for patients whose symptoms cannot be managed in the home. The unit also includes a bariatric room capable of supporting patients who weigh up to 500 pounds.

“The [inpatient unit (IPU)] serves as an extension of a VITAS-AdventHealth relationship that has existed since 2016 for care of patients with advanced illness in the hospital’s general inpatient beds,” a VITAS spokesperson told Hospice News. “The new IPU is now in a dedicated space within the hospital, staffed by a specially trained VITAS interdisciplinary care team of hospice nurse, physician, aide, social worker, chaplain, volunteer, and bereavement specialist. In nearby Orlando and Central Florida, the VITAS-AdventHealth relationship dates to the late 1990s.”

VITAS is not restricting visitor access to patients in the facility, though the location will adhere to guidelines and safety protocols established by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. Families will have overnight accomodations available to them.

Florida ranked fourth in the nation for hospice utilization among Medicare decedents in 2018 at a rate of 57.9%, according to the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. Utah held the highest rate at 60.5%.

This is the fourth new facility that VITAS has opened in Florida during 2021, and the second in the past 30 days. In June, the company launched a new unit located within a skilled nursing facility, the Community Health & Rehabilitation Center in Panama City. That location replaced a unit that sustained severe damage during Hurricane Michael in 2018. The company also opened units in Broward County and Miami-Dade County.

VITAS previously opened an inpatient unit in San Antonio, Texas, in October of last year and another in Miami in December.

VITAS, the nation’s largest hospice company by market share according to LexusNexus, orients its growth strategy around opening new locations and building up same-store admissions. Unlike many of its competitors, the company is not pursuing hospice acquisitions due to the record-high valuations in the space.

Multiples in the home care and hospice space reached as high as 26x EBITDA during 2019, the most significant rise for any health care sector. The space also saw positive growth in market capitalization, according to PwC’s Health Research Institute.

“As the nation’s leading provider of end-of-life care, we are privileged to serve and support patients who require levels of care beyond routine hospice service,” said Deborah Totten, general manager for VITAS. “Our partnership with AdventHealth has proven mutually favorable for everyone involved, especially for patients and their families who benefit from seamless care transitions.”