Amedisys Inc. (Nasdaq: AMED) saw hospice revenue growth during the fourth quarter of 2024 despite merger-related costs associated with its pending acquisition by UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH).

The company’s hospice business saw net service revenues of $212.9 million during the fourth quarter of 2024, up from $20.6 million year over year. For the full year 2024, net service revenue reached $825.8 million, an increase from $798 million in 2023.

“Our focus is on building and retaining an exceptional team, delivering the highest quality care and service to our patients and their families and establishing Amedisys as the preferred and preeminent hospice provider in each community we serve,” Amedisys indicated in a U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission filing. “In order to realize these goals, we invest in tailored training and development for our employees which has led to our team’s consistent achievement at or above the national average in family satisfaction results and quality scores, as well as the trust of the health care community.”

On a consolidated basis, company-wide net service revenue hit $598 million in Q4, up from more than $570 million in the prior year’s period. 

These results come as Amedisys and UnitedHealth Group are embroiled in a lawsuit by the U.S. Justice Department intended to block their potentially forthcoming acquisition due to antitrust concerns.

The UnitedHealth Group subsidiary Optum, in June 2023 inked its agreement to acquire Amedisys in an all-cash transaction of $101 per share, or about $3.3 billion. Last summer, the DOJ began investigating potential antitrust concerns related to the deal.

The DOJ performed a similar investigation — and filed a lawsuit — when Optum acquired the health care technology company Change Healthcare. A federal court eventually allowed that deal to proceed.

The rationale behind the DOJ’s lawsuit against Optum and Amedisys is multi-faceted, citing potential adverse impacts on competition, home-based care workers and payers.

Amedisys provides home health, hospice and palliative care, among other services to more than 465,000 patients annually across 38 states and Washington D.C.