Towerbrook, Ascension Health to Acquire Compassus for $1 Billion

Private equity firm Towerbrook Capital Partners and health system Ascension Health have agreed to purchase the Nashville-based hospice provider Compassus at a valuation of $1 billion, with multiples of EBITDA in the low teens, PEHub.com reported.  The two companies will split ownership of Compassus down the middle, each holding an equal stake, according to PEHub.com. […]

Prevent Billing Errors to Reduce Hospice Claim Denials

Effective revenue cycle management can reduce hospice claims denials, particularly those associated with billing or documentation errors.  In addition to slowing down payments or losing revenue, submitting inadequate or incomplete required written documentation is a sure-fire way to bring surveyors or auditors to a hospice’s doorstep. As regulators increasingly fix their eyes on the hospice […]

Hospice Margins Could Soar Under Primary Care First

Hospice providers that participate in the Primary Care First initiative’s Seriously Ill Population Model could see gross margins in excess of 20% to 25%, according to experts in health care payment models. The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in April announced that they would implement Primary Care First in phases beginning in […]

Co-Location with Home Health Fueling LHC Group Hospice Growth

LHC Group Inc. (NASDAQ: LHCG) plans to aggressively grow its hospice business through mergers and acquisitions and de novos, with a focus on co-locating hospice operations in markets where they already have an established home health presence, the company’s Chief Financial Officer Josh Proffitt told attendees at the Baird 2019 Healthcare Conference in New York. […]

Hospice Sees Uptick in M&A Activity During Q2 2019

The hospice mergers & acquisitions market continues to be robust. Fourteen hospice transactions took place during the second quarter of 2019, up from eight hospice-related acquisitions during the first quarter, according to a report from M&A advisory firm Mertz-Taggart.  The hospice merger and acquisitions market has been thriving in recent years, with several top providers […]

St. Croix Hospice Acquires Hometown Hospice & Home Care

St. Paul, Minn.-based St. Croix Hospice has expanded its footprint in the Wisconsin market with the acquisition of Hometown Hospice & Homecare for an undisclosed amount. St. Croix is a subsidiary of the Chicago-based investment firm Vistria Group. Hometown, headquartered in the town of Brookfield, operates three hospice and home health care locations in eastern […]

Admissions Boost LHC Group Q2 Hospice Earnings

A 9.6% percent increase in admissions drove strong second quarter earnings results for LHC Group’s (NASDAQ: LHCG) hospice segment. The segment saw the highest rate of admissions growth among the company’s service lines during the second quarter, exceeding the home health segment’s 9.1% rise.  LHC Group currently operates 104 hospice locations nationwide, representing 10.2% of […]

LHC Group Joint Venture Completes Missouri Acquisitions

LHC Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: LHCG) along with joint venture partner Capital Region Medical Center (CRMC) have completed an acquisition of a Mexico, Mo.-based hospice agency from nonprofit health system SSM Health. The purchase also included two home health agencies, also based in Missouri communities. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The three acquired […]

Admissions Spur 18% Jump in Brookdale’s Hospice Revenue

Hospice revenues at Brookdale Senior Living (NYSE: BKD) are up nearly 18% in the second quarter largely due to same-store admissions growth and de novo activity, the company reported in an earnings conference call. Hospice accounted for much of growth in the company’s Health Care Services segment, outstripping quarterly percentage gains for its home health […]

The Ensign Group Acquires Agape Hospice & Palliative Care

Cornerstone Healthcare, Inc., the hospice and home health subsidiary of The Ensign Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: ENSG), has acquired the assets of Tucson, Ariz.-based Agape Hospice and Palliative Care. Financial terms were not disclosed.  Agape will not rebrand as a result of this transaction and will retain staff and management. The hospice will become part of […]