Optum Bolsters UnitedHealth Group During Rough First Quarter

Optum remains a growth engine for UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) despite headwinds that battered the massive “payvider” during the first quarter of the year. UnitedHealth Group, through its subsidiary Optum, is among the largest hospice providers in the nation by Medicare claims, according to research by Hospice News and the data analysis firm Hospice Analytics. […]

DOJ’s Lawsuit Against Amedisys, UnitedHealth Group Set for Mediation

The U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) lawsuit against Amedisys Inc. (Nasdaq: AMED) and UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) will go to mediation on Aug. 18. The DOJ sued the two companies starting in November of last year to block the UnitedHealth Group subsidiary Optum from acquiring Amedisys due to antitrust concerns. The case will now go […]

[UPDATED] Amedisys Halts Sale of Home Health, Hospice Locations to VitalCaring

Amedisys’ (Nasdaq: AMED) has halted the divestiture of some of its home health and hospice locations to Texas-based VitalCaring. Amedisys in June announced an agreement to sell some of its locations to the private equity-backed home health and hospice provider VitalCaring. The agreement included potentially more than 100 locations. The VitalCaring transaction was contingent on […]

UnitedHealth Group, Amedisys Deal Deadline Extended

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) subsidiary Optum entered a new waiver agreement that has delayed the deadline to complete its $3.3 billion acquisition of Amedisys (Nasdaq: AMED). The agreement comes on the heels of an antitrust lawsuit that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) filed last month to block the transaction due to concerns that it […]

7 ‘Hidden Gem’ Hospice News Stories in 2024

Hospice News explores the issues garnering growing attention in end-of-life care delivery in seven of this year’s “hidden gem” stories. Topics span trends related to program integrity, workforce development, health equity, service diversification and the keys to hospices’ growth strategies. Hospice Investors to Watch Hospice merger and acquisition (M&A) activity has seen a cooling period […]

Inside the Justice Department’s Amedisys-Optum Lawsuit

The rationale behind the U.S. Justice Department’s lawsuit against Optum and Amedisys (Nasdaq: AMED) is multi-faceted, citing potential adverse impacts on competition, home-based care workers and payers. Optum, a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) in June 2023 penned its agreement to acquire Amedisys in an all-cash transaction of $101 per share, or about $3.3 […]

[UPDATED] Justice Department Reportedly Files Lawsuit to Block UnitedHealth Group-Amedisys Deal

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed an antitrust lawsuit to block the acquisition of Amedisys (Nasdaq: AMED) by the UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) subsidiary Optum. Bloomberg first reported the news. This comes on heels of a “last rights” meeting between the DOJ and the two companies to advocate for sealing the deal. Amedisys […]

Amedisys Sees Hospice Admissions Dip Despite Revenue Growth

Amedisys Inc.’s (Nasdaq: AMED) hospice segment has seen headwinds impact admissions growth as the company awaits its pending acquisition by the UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) subsidiary Optum. The company’s hospice segment revenue reached $207.9 million in Q3, a rise from $200.2 million during the same period last year. Gross margin for the hospice segment fell […]

Optum’s Home-Based Care Arm Propelling Growth at UnitedHealth Group

UnitedHealth Group’s (NYSE: UNH) subsidiary OptumHealth is a growth engine for the massive health care and insurance company. In addition to other services OptumHealth holds a substantial home health and hospice business. Optum is in the process of acquiring the home health and hospice provider Amedisys (NASDAQ: AMED), with closing expected before the end of […]

Amedisys Hospice Segment Increased Revenue, Census in Q2

Amedisys Inc. (NASDAQ: AMED) saw hospice revenue and census growth as it awaits the final determination of its pending acquisition by the UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) subsidiary Optum. The company’s hospice segment earned $204 million during Q2 2024, up from $199.2 million year over year. Amedisys also saw a 0.4% increase in same-store average daily census […]