Addus HomeCare (NASDAQ: ADUS) has gone all-in on building out its care continuum. Launched as a personal care provider, the company in 2016 began offering hospice and home health to enhance its value proposition for payers by further reducing hospitalizations and emergency department visits. “If you realize that our average patients are in their 70s, […]
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In its calculus behind its 2021 Kindred at Home deal, Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) had to weigh the potential cost savings and lucrative hospice divestiture against the labor pressures in the space, as well as the complexity of scaling home-based care in a fragmented industry. Last year, Humana acquired total ownership of Kindred at Home […]
Recent acquisitions and joint ventures by The Pennant Group (NASDAQ: PNTG) are fueling bottom-line growth for the Idaho-based senior services provider. The financial boost from acquired home health and hospice agencies helped mitigate COVID-related struggles like rising costs and labor headwinds. Case in point, the 15 deals the company completed in 2020 collectively grew EBITDA […]
Advance care planning by necessity occurs upstream of hospice, but those providers nevertheless have a role to play in helping patients and families understand the importance of making their end-of-life wishes known. Effective documentation of end-of-life choices has been associated with higher likelihood of hospice enrollment and lower incidence of intensive therapies, even during hospital […]
Children who have life-limiting illnesses need palliative care as much as adults, but a slough of obstacles often prevents them from getting it. Many of the barriers that palliative care providers encounter — fears, misconceptions, limited reimbursement, lack of specialized clinical training — become even more complex when it comes to pediatrics. The bulk of […]
The State of New York’s recently approved budget for Fiscal Year 2023 required that home care and hospice aides be paid at least $2 more than the state’s $15 standard minimum wage. While these workers are among the lowest paid in health care, this could put providers in a bind without corresponding increases to reimbursement. […]
Illinois-based Transitions Care is implementing new technology and innovative care models to maximize its opportunities for value-based reimbursement, improve patient outcomes and create efficiency to reduce the burden on staff. In pursuit of these objectives, the company in 2021 launched two new programs: Chronic Care Management (CCM) and Transitional Care Management (TCM), as well as […]
Amedisys appoints new chief strategy officer Home health and hospice provider Amedisys Inc. (NASDAQ: AMED) recently named Nick Muscato as its new chief strategy officer. Muscato previously served as senior vice president of finance for seven years before stepping into the role. Moscato has led the company’s investor relations activities and has played a “pivotal […]
As LHC Group’s (NASDAQ: LHCG) pending $5.5 billion acquisition by UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) unfolds, the home health and hospice provider is seeing resurgent admissions growth despite persistent workforce pressures. LHC Group saw a contraction in the nursing labor market across its business segments during the second half of last year, President Joshua Proffitt previously […]
The diversity, equity and inclusion components of Accountable Care Organization Realizing Equity, Access and Community Health (ACO REACH) program show promise for expanding access to care. But it means participating hospices will need to devote scarce resources to meet program requirements. The Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation’s (CMMI) last year announced a “strategy refresh” […]