The Most Significant Hospice Deals So Far in 2023

Thus far in 2023, hospice merger and acquisition activity has deviated from prior years. This year is distinctive because of factors such as valuations, asset sizes and the mix of buyers. A number of trends have shifted. The last five years saw record-breaking multiples in the hospice space and private equity-backed platform deals were among […]

Enhabit Begins Mulling Strategic Alternatives, Possible Sale

Enhabit Inc. (NYSE: EHAB) has confirmed that it will begin considering “strategic alternatives” that could include a potential sale or merger. The Dallas-based home health and hospice provider announced today that it had satisfied the conditions of its Tax Matters Agreement (TMA) with its former parent company Encompass Health (NYSE: EHC). Enhabit emerged from the […]

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 […]

Hospice of the Panhandle Taps New CEO; New Strategy Director Appointed at Unity Hospice

Hospice of the Panhandle Promotes New CEO from Within West Virginia-based Hospice of the Panhandle has appointed Chief Clinical Officer Nikki Bigiarelli as its new CEO. Bigiarelli will work alongside its current CEO Margaret Cogswell before she retires on June 1, 2023. Cogswell has led the organization for the past 36 years. As Bigiarelli takes […]

Option Care, Amedisys Deal Reveals a ‘Whole Different Landscape’ for Hospice Providers

The implications of Option Care Health’s (NASDAQ: OPCH) pending $3.6 billion acquisition of Amedisys Inc. (NASDAQ: AMED) reflect rapidly changing market forces that could affect the industry at large. The rationale behind the transaction rests on four pillars, Option Care executives recently indicated — value-based reimbursement, the importance of scale in payer negotiations, a desire […]

Humana’s CenterWell Poised for Growth After Solidification of Hospice Sale

Following its hospice divestiture, Humana’s (NYSE: HUM) health care services business, CenterWell, is poised for growth, with demand for acute senior home care as a driver. Humana anticipates expansion across each of CenterWell’s business lines, which encompasses the insurance mammoth’s home health, primary care, pharmacy and specialty pharmacy services. The segment also includes a joint […]

Hospice M&A ‘Historically Strong’ Despite Recent Cool Down

Though investors and strategic buyers didn’t wade quite as deep into the hospice market in 2022 compared to years prior, the tide may be rising for M&A during 2023. Though hospice M&A activity fluctuated last year, volume is expected to rebound, but probably with larger numbers of smaller deals. Swelling demand for hospice and home […]