2023’s Most Impactful Hospice Deals

A rich mix of hospice merger and acquisition (M&A) activity at the end of 2023 is fueling trends into next year. Hospice M&A activity has diverged from the frenzied pace set in recent years. The hospice space in the last five years has seen record-breaking multiples, a prevalence of private equity-backed platform transactions and large-scale […]

Principles Underlying Optum’s Home-Based Care Deals

Optum Health’s home-based care acquisitions are designed to support an overarching goal of expanding value-based care and diversifying clinical capabilities. The UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) subsidiary in June penned an agreement to acquire Amedisys in an all-cash transaction of $101 per share, or about $3.3 billion. This followed its $5.4 billion acquisition of LHC Group, […]

How Quality, Utilization Will Shape Hospice M&A in 2024

Investment trends in the hospice industry have meandered in recent years, impacting providers’ approaches to growth in 2024. The mix of hospice buyers has become more diverse during the past five years to include more private equity investors, large health and hospital systems and home health companies, along with payers. These trends will have lasting […]

Home-Based Care a Continuing Growth Engine for UnitedHealth Group

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) is leveraging its subsidiary Optum to drive growth in value-based care arrangements, with building out its home-based care capabilities as a high priority. This drive is evidenced by Optum’s pending acquisition of Amedisys (NASDAQ: AMED) and its purchase of home health and hospice provider LHC Group, which closed in February. By […]

Lawmakers Ask DOJ, FTC to Examine Optum’s Amedisys Transaction

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts) and Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Washington) have called on the U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to “scrutinize” the pending acquisition of Amedisys (NASDAQ: AMED) by Optum Health. Optum, a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UHN), in June penned its agreement to acquire Amedisys in an all-cash transaction […]

Amedisys Shareholders Approve Sale to Optum

Shareholders of Amedisys Inc. (NASDAQ: AMED) have voted in favor of the company’s pending acquisition by the UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) subsidiary Optum. Optum in June penned a deal to acquire Amedisys in an all-cash transaction of $101 per share, or about $3.3 billion. The transaction followed a previous offer to acquire Amedisys by the […]

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 […]

Justice Department’s Amedisys-Optum Inquiry Reflects Growing Antitrust Concerns

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) will investigate potential antitrust violations in the UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) subsidiary Optum’s forthcoming acquisition of Amedisys, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMED). To date, neither Amedisys nor Optum have been accused of any wrongdoing. The DOJ performed a similar investigation when Optum acquired the health care technology company Change Healthcare earlier this […]

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 […]