Value-based payment, care in the home and technology are some of the pillars on which UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) and its subsidiary Optum Health are building their future. That’s evidenced by the forthcoming $5.5 billion acquisition of LHC Group (NASDAQ: LHCG). One outstanding question, however, is where hospice will fit into this rubric. Generally speaking, […]
Recent acquisitions of large hospice and home health providers by insurance companies suggest a drive among payers to reduce financial risk and improve cost outcomes in value-based care arrangements. These deals include two of the largest in recent memory for the home-based care space. UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) recently agreed to purchase LHC Group (NASDAQ: […]
A lack of nursing and medical education in hospice and palliative care creates an additional obstacle for providers trying to push back against industry-wide labor shortages. Not only are hospices competing with other health care sectors for new hires, but the vast majority of clinicians entering the workforce are unprepared to provide those services. Most […]
Mergers-and-acquisition activity continues to boom in the hospice space this year. Deal volume may exceed the record number from the prior two years. As many as 61% of the 203 hospice care professionals who responded to a recent Hospice News Outlook Survey and Report said they anticipate that hospice M&A activity will increase during 2022. […]
UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) has agreed to buy LHC Group (NASDAQ: LHCG) for a reported $5.5 billion. The insurance company will integrate LHC Group with its existing home health asset, Optum Health. The massive deal follows last year’s acquisition of Kindred at Home by United’s competitor, Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) for $5.8 billion. The two […]
Hospice providers now compete for new hires as fiercely as they do for market share. And with that competition heating up this year, the largest home health and hospice companies are streamlining their recruitment and onboarding processes to enable more clinicians to hit the ground running. In tandem with those initiatives, hospice employers are enhancing […]
LHC Group (NASDAQ: LHC) is pushing back against pandemic-associated labor headwinds. With hiring up and turnover down, the company hopes to build on that momentum while pursuing joint venture and acquisition opportunities. LHC Group enhanced its recruitment and retention strategies during the past two years. The company in 2020 piloted a regional approach to recruitment […]
“Workforce optimization” is the watchword at Baton Rouge, La.-based Amedisys Inc. (NASDAQ: AMED). The company seeks to build clinical capacity to support its long-term expansion, expecting to achieve growth at a higher rate than a projected 7% to 8% for the overall hospice market, according to President and COO Chris Gerard. With labor pressures the […]
Hospices in recent years have enlisted artificial intelligence in their quest to match the right patient to the right care at the appropriate time. As these systems continue to develop, some are finding potential benefits when it comes to regulatory compliance as well. Hospices that use AI systems often seek to predict when a patient […]
LHC Group (NASDAQ: LHCG) is setting its strategic sights on “all things end-of-life care,” seeing further upside in its sizable hospice business. The Lafayette, Louisiana-based provider has spent the past few years building up its hospice platform through acquisitions. It plans to continue the momentum in 2022, though the company has previously suggested it will […]
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