Amedisys Prioritizing Palliative Care Expansion

Expanding its palliative care business is a rising priority for Amedisys Inc., (NASDAQ: AMED) following Chairman Paul Kusserow’s return as CEO. The company’s palliative care strategy rests on the back of risk-based payment models, primarily Medicare Advantage, Kusserow indicated at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference. This push dovetails with the home health and hospice provider’s […]

EMR Firm Careficient Acquires Net Health’s Hospice, Home Health and RCM Product Lines

The electronic medical record (EMR) company Careficient Inc., has acquired Net Health’s home health, hospice, home care and palliative business, as well as its revenue cycle monitoring (RCM) products. Net Health, an EMR and analytics firm, divested its HealthWyse, Hospicesoft and RCM division to refocus on its core rehab therapy and wound care lines, the […]

Walgreen-Boots Alliance to Pursue Smaller Acquisitions in 2023

The Walgreens-Boots Alliance (NASDAQ: WBA) will focus on smaller tuck-in transactions in 2023 as opposed to the multi-billion dollar deals the company pursued in 2022. Last year, WBA poured money into health care provider investments and acquisitions, including the home-based care platform CareCentrix, Inc. and VillageMD. Those companies both provide palliative care in addition to […]

3 Key Gauges of Hospice Business Performance

Today’s health care environment is flooded with data, but hospice leaders should keep three types of indicators in mind as they assess their performance. Numbers like costs-per-day, payer-specific margins, and measures of community support can paint a picture of an organization’s position, executives told Hospice News. They should also be prepared for unexpected costs, such as those […]

New York Governor Vetoes Bill to Limit For-Profit Hospices

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) has vetoed legislation that would have effectively banned new, for-profit hospices in the state. The New York State Assembly passed the bill in June and submitted it to the governor’s office in mid-December. It would have prohibited the establishment of for-profit hospices in New York state and forbid current […]

Hospice the Next Generation: How the Benefit Could Change

The possibility exists that hospice care will change more in the next few years than it has during the previous four decades. The Medicare Hospice Benefit turned 40-years-old in 2022, and in that time the program has remained fundamentally unchanged. Adjustments have occurred, like implementation of the “U-shaped curve” in reimbursement, the service intensity add-on […]

Unity Hospice & Palliative Care Expands to Texas

Illinois-headquartered Unity Hospice & Palliative Care has expanded to Houston, Texas, following its acquisition of an existing license in that market. Unity is a family-owned provider established in 1992 that since then has cared for more than 30,000 patients, the company reported. This transaction marks the company’s first entry into Texas. Unity also has locations […]

Chapters Health System, Capital Caring to Affiliate in 2023

Chapters Health System and Capital Caring Health have signed a letter of intent to affiliate. The agreement is expected to close in early 2023. This marks the third affiliation that Chapters announced or completed during 2022, following Cornerstone Hospice & Palliative Care early in the year and Hope Healthcare just last week. “In the past […]