Home Health & Hospice Week

There's more activity in the home care mergers and acquisitions market. CareSouth Homecare Professionals has sold its four California home health agencies to Kindred Healthcare Inc., the Augusta, Ga.-based company says in a release. Divesting the agencies will allow CareSouth to focus on growth in other regions, the company says. The regional chain plans acquisitions in 2011 throughout the Southeast, Gulf Coast and Mid-Atlantic.

Meanwhile, Dallas, Texas-based Medistar Home Health has acquired the assets of Lakeview Home Care in Baton Rouge, La. Medistar currently operates in north and central Louisiana.

And St. Vincent's Health System in Birmingham, Ala. has purchased a 30 percent share in Care First Home Health and will bring the agency into the system as St. Vincent's Home Health, according to The Birmingham News. St. Vincent's exited the home health business in 2001. The new joint venture serves 12 counties in central Alabama, the Birmingham Business Journal reports.

Finally, LHC Group Inc. has entered into a joint venture with Helen Keller Hospital in Muscle Shoals, Ala., to provide home health and hospice services, the Lafayette, La.-based chain says. The joint venture spans six counties in the Certificate of Need (CON) state and has annual revenues of about $3 million. It will operate under the name Keller Home Care and Keller Hospice.

LHC also bought the assets of Community Loving Care Hospice in Wentzville and Bowling Green, Mo., the company says. The acquisition covers 11 counties in of Missouri, has annual revenues of about $3.5 million, and will continue to operate under its current name.