VitalCaring’s PE Backers Considering Appeal of Encompass, Enhabit Lawsuit

Nautic Partners and The Vistria Group, the private equity backers of home health and hospice provider Vital Caring, are mulling a potential appeal of a federal court’s recent decision in a dispute with Encompass Health (NYSE: EHC) and Enhabit Inc. (NYSE: EHAB). A federal judge in Delaware on Monday ordered VitalCaring, Nautic and Vistria to […]

Palliative Care Increasingly Important in Value-Based Landscape

As value-based reimbursement expands, palliative care will become increasingly important when it comes to improving outcomes and reducing costs. Primarily, Medicare reimburses for palliative care through fee-for-service payment programs that cover physician and licensed independent practitioner services. However, this model is not designed to fully support an interdisciplinary approach involving physicians, nurses, social workers, chaplains […]

4 For-Profit Hospice Providers to Watch in 2023

The hospice space — and the health care system at large — is in a state of flux, driven by value-based reimbursement models, an expanding home-based care continuum and industry-changing transactions. Halfway through the year, Hospice News’ “Four Providers to Watch,” exemplifies the ways that hospice operators are trying to not only to keep up […]

Regulators Taking Aim at Hospice PE Backers

Private equity firms are pouring investment dollars into hospices at a record pace. Meanwhile, legislators and regulators as far up as the White House are taking aim at those firms. Despite a cool down in the hospice mergers and acquisitions market during the first quarter of 2022, private equity firms have stayed aggressive on deals. […]

Amedisys: Clinical Capacity Essential to Growth

“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 Deploy AI for Swifter Clinical Decisions, Improved Compliance

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 […]

Hospices Expect ‘Seamless’ Transition from Direct Contracting to ACO REACH

The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) direct contracting model demonstration is transforming, the agency announced last week. In the intervening days, the hospice providers who had prepared to participate in those programs have sought answers as to where they fit in this new direction. CMS is replacing the Global and Professional Direct […]

Vistria Group’s Loporcaro: ‘Elevate Hospice into Value-Based Care’

Former Landmark Health CEO Nick Loporcaro recently joined the Chicago-based private equity firm The Vistria Group as a senior operating partner. Vistria currently counts hospice provider Mission Healthcare in its portfolio. While Mission is Vistria’s only current hospice asset, the firm is a long-time investor in the hospice space. Late last year, Vistria sold Agape […]

St. Croix Hospice Grows With Kansas De Novo

Minnesota-based St. Croix Hospice has expanded in Kansas with a de novo in the Overland Park Community, near the Kansas City metropolitan area. This follows six new locations the company opened in 2021, in addition to seven during 2020. St. Croix is backed by the private equity firm H.I.G. Capital, which acquired the hospice provider […]

Hospice Dealmaking Could Slow After Strong Q4

Last year finished with a flurry of hospice transactions, with private equity groups continuing to show ample interest in the space. Overall, there were at least 23 hospice-related deals in 2021’s fourth quarter, according to a recently released report from M&A advisory firm Mertz Taggart. That total is on par with the 23 that came […]