Effective May 1, the North Carolina-based hospital UNC Health Southeastern (UNC) will transfer ownership of its community-based hospice operations to Lower Cape Fear LifeCare. The financial terms of the transfer include a sale of tangible assets for an undisclosed dollar amount, with no premium attached to the transaction. Lower Cape Fear LifeCare will also assist […]
Category: Finance
Hospice transaction activity has plummeted to its lowest level in years, new dealmaking data suggests. That’s no surprise, as many anticipate health care investors to operate with a more conservative approach in 2023. The cooldown, experts note, is partly due to inflation reaching multi-decade highs, uncertainty in the banking world and credit markets drying up. […]
LHC Group has acquired Delaware-based Summit Home Care for an undisclosed sum, signaling that the company will remain active on the M&A front following Optum Health’s recent $5.4 billion buyout. Optum, a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), closed the LHC Group transaction in February and has since been quiet on its plans for its […]
The 2.8% base payment rate increase recently proposed by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is insufficient to support hospice patients’ care needs, a major industry group said. CMS earlier this month released its 2024 hospice proposed rule, which included the 2.8% increase — an estimated total of $720 million. If finalized […]
As health care has changed, so has the role of hospices’ financial leadership. Hospice CFOs have had to retool during the past few years due to the influence of the pandemic, growing technology investments and the need to do more with less amid widespread inflation and labor pressures. These dynamics have forced many CFOs to […]
UnitedHealth Group’s (NYSE: UNH) sights are set on home-based care, as evidenced by its acquisitions and investments in value-based care. The insurance company’s subsidiary Optum Health recently completed its acquisition of Lousianna-based home health and hospice provider LHC Group for $5.4 billion. Acquiring LHC Group was a key step in UnitedHealth’s larger plan to delve […]
As the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) extends the Medicare Advantage hospice carve-in through 2030, providers are concerned about preserving patient choice and the nature of concurrent care. Originally slated to complete in 2024, CMS recently extended the hospice component of the value-based insurance design model (VBID). The agency further announced that […]
The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will allow hospice patients to receive concurrent care through the Medicare Advantage hospice carve-in, and will permit health plans to further restrict utilization of out-of-network providers. Originally slated to complete in 2024, CMS recently extended the carve-in, formally known as the hospice component of the value-based […]
Texas-headquartered hospice and home health company Elara Caring has inked a deal to acquire Assisted Daily Living, Inc., a Rhode Island-based provider. The acquisition marks Elara Caring’s entry into the state and is anticipated to close towards the latter part of this year, pending customary regulatory approval. Financial terms of the deal were undisclosed. The […]
Though evidence shows that longer hospice stays reduce costs, providers are still walking a regulatory tightrope. On one hand, longer hospice stays can lead to improved patient and family satisfaction and greater cost saving opportunities. On the other hand, regulators often treat stays longer than six months or frequent recertifications to be red flags that […]