3 Nonprofit Hospice Providers to Watch in 2023

Though nonprofit hospices now represent a smaller slice of the industry than in years past, they continue to care for more than half of patients in the United States who elect the benefit. The number of hospices operating nationwide rose to 5,358 in 2021, according to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC). This is a […]

Medicare Advantage Crackdown Could Dampen Palliative Care Growth

Federal regulators are cracking down on the private insurers that administer Medicare Advantage (MA) plans. In turn, that could dampen the growth of palliative care supplemental benefits in MA moving forward. Despite palliative care’s ability to lower health care spending and improve patient outcomes, it remains an underutilized service. That’s partly because providers are forced […]

Staffing Constraints Dent Amedisys Hospice Segment; MA, JVs Expected to Spur Growth

Labor shortages reduced clinical capacity for Amedisys (NASDAQ: AMED) during the summer months, which slowed hospice admissions growth during the third quarter. Labor headwinds bit into the company’s ability to take on patients, resulting in only a 1% increase in same-store admissions during Q3, coupled with a 1% decline in its average daily census. “As […]

Walgreens Boots Alliance Full Speed Ahead to Acquire 100% Stake in CareCentrix

Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ: WBA) is putting the pedal to the metal in its $392 million deal to secure full ownership of home-based care company CareCentrix. The Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) is a Fortune 500 health care and retail powerhouse and parent company of the Walgreens retail pharmacy chain. Like its rival CVS Health (NYSE: […]

Publicly Traded Hospice Execs See Signs of Improvement in Labor Market

Some hospice company leaders have signaled the labor market may be showing signs of stabilization. Executives from 13 publicly traded home-based care companies participated last week in Jeffries Financial Group’s annual Nashville Healthcare Services Burr Tour, including contingents from Addus (NASDAQ: ADUS), Amedisys (NASDAQ: AMED), CVS Health (NASDAQ: CVS), Signify Health (NASDAQ: SGNY), and Enhabit […]

CVS Health to Acquire Signify Health in $8 Billion Deal

CVS Health (NYSE: CVS) has agreed to purchase Signify Health (NYSE: SGFY) for a total transaction value of $8 billion. Signify is a value-based care enablement company that concentrates on care in the home, including home health and palliative care. CVS indicated that the transaction will lay the foundation for further expansion in home-based health […]

Walgreens Closes $330 Million CareCentrix Deal

The Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ: WBA) has completed its acquisition of a majority share in the home-based care platform CareCentrix, Inc. This transaction deepens Walgreens’ reach into the home-based care space. It comes on the heels of prior investments in home-based primary care company VillageMD and the home health and hospice provider BrightSpring Health […]

Hospices that Excel During COVID More Attractive to Buyers

Hospice acquisition volumes and price tags have hit record highs for several years running. Now, the companies that performed well under the pandemic’s pressure may be drawing more interest from buyers. While a sizzling hospice market saw a cooled start this year, merger and acquisition activity is still outpacing other health care sectors. Demographic tailwinds, […]

Providers Leverage Efficiency to Boost Palliative Care ROI

Palliative care providers are seeking ways to improve efficiency as costs rise and the limited avenues for reimbursement remain unchanged. Payers, including Medicare, like to see providers reduce the costs of care. Likewise, improving efficiency allows providers themselves to receive a stronger return on investment considering the lack of a robust payment model for interdisciplinary, […]

Ohio’s Hospice Expands with New Morrow County Affiliate

Hospice of Morrow County has joined forces with Ohio’s Hospice of Central Ohio, a member of a regional partnership of providers in the state.  Rebranded as Ohio’s Hospice of Morrow County, the organization is now an affiliated member of Ohio’s Hospice, a partnership of nonprofit community-based providers that serve a combined 58 counties statewide. “Together, […]