What a Hospice Benefit Revamp Could Signal for M&A Trends

A restructuring of the Medicare Hospice Benefit could have impacts on merger and acquisition activity in the industry. Calls for changes to hospice eligibility and length of stay are growing louder among industry stakeholders. A main concern being voiced to the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is that the current six-month prognosis […]

Agape Care Completes 2 Hospice Acquisitions in Georgia and Alabama

Agape Care Group has acquired two hospices for undisclosed sums — Birmingham, Alabama-based Hope Hospice and Assured Hospice in Cartersville, Georgia. Agape is a portfolio company of Ridgemont Equity Partners. With the addition of Hope Hospice, the company’s footprint has expanded across 20 Alabama counties. Through the Assured Hospice deal —coupled with a recent de […]

Brigham and Women’s Hospital Geriatrician: Physician Residents Need to Learn Hospice Principles, Senior’s Specific Needs

Physicians in training need greater exposure to geriatric training in order to better grasp the needs of older patients, including during transitions to hospice, according to Dr. Julia Lowenthal, a geriatrician from Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Lowenthal recently presented research at the American Geriatrics Society Meeting in which she found that many residents are unfamiliar […]

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 […]

Regulatory Pressures Contributing to M&A Slump

Regulatory challenges have contributed to the hospice sector’s current M&A slump, but this year’s volume nevertheless aligns with experts’ forecasts. In addition to those pressures, the industry is also in a cooling period in which companies focus on integrating the assets that many acquired during flurries of activity in 2021 and 2022, according to Mark […]

How Medicaid Boosted Palliative Care Utilization

More cancer patients have been receiving palliative care since the Affordable Care Act expanded Medicaid. About 18.9% of eligible patients received palliative care in states that expanded Medicaid, up from 17% before the ACA provisions took effect on Jan. 1, 2014, according to American Cancer Society research recently published in Health Affairs. Among non-expansion states, […]

Hospices Likely to See ‘Uptick’ in RAC Audits

As federal regulators intensify their focus on hospices, operators may begin seeing an influx of Recovery Audit Contractor (RAC) activity. The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) contracts with RACs to conduct post-payment reviews designed to recover any funds that may have been overspent. RAC audits can re-examine hospice claims going back as […]

Quality Data, Cost of Care Crucial to VBID Payer Negotiations

Having a detailed lens into quality metrics and service costs is a key for hospices that are searching for sustainable value-based payment pathways. Quality and cost data are important pieces to bring to negotiating tables with payers in value-based reimbursement, according to Joe Calcutt, CFO of Liberty Healthcare Management. Hospices that can demonstrate the ability […]

Dr. Amar Desai Takes Helm at Optum Health as New CEO

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) subsidiary Optum Health recently tapped Dr. Amar Desai as its new CEO. The change in leadership comes on the heels of Optum Health’s growing presence in the hospice and home health landscape. The company has acquired two of the nation’s largest providers — LHC Group and Amedisys Inc. (NASDAQ: AMED) — […]