Gentiva Expands with Mississippi De Novo

On the heels of its $710 million acquisition of Heartland Hospice, Gentiva has opened a do novo in Mississippi.

The new location will serve 10 Mississippi counties, adding to the company’s more than 430 locations across 38 states.

“It is amazing and today it is groundbreaking to come out here in the community,” the location’s administrator, Karen Childs, told local news. “We will help others get the care they need and deserve at the end of their life. To me hospice is about allowing those at the end of life to gain the care, respect and dignity they deserve. This office will allow us to go further into the counties.”

Advertisement

Atlanta-based Gentiva in February agreed to acquire Heartland Hospice from ProMedica, a nonprofit health system headquartered in Ohio. The organization includes a network of 13 hospitals, 2,600 physicians, a health plan, 400 skilled nursing and rehabilitation centers, memory care communities and outpatient rehabilitation clinics.

That deal marked Gentiva’s first purchase since the company emerged from Humana, Inc.’s (NYSE: HUM) $2.8 billion divestiture of Kindred at Home’s hospice and personal care segments. The insurance mammoth sold a 60% stake to the private equity firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (CDR) last year.

“Gentiva consistently achieves industry-leading quality of care and patient family satisfaction scores by investing in our people and caregiving capabilities,” David Causby, president CEO of Gentiva, said of the deal in a statement.

Advertisement

Mississippi’s senior population is the fastest growing age group in the state, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. By 2023, the bureau estimates that more than a quarter of the state’s residents will be older than 60, an increase of close to 40% since 2012.

About 19,000 Medicare beneficiaries elected hospice in the state last year, according to the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

Companies featured in this article:

, , ,