Home Health & Hospice Week

Plus: National chain buys 3-state operator.

Another group of nonprofits have decided to form a coalition to reap administrative, financial, and other benefits.

Background: Non-profit hospices in Ohio, California, and Oregon have formed affiliations to take advantage of economies of scale for back-office functions, among other perks. The coalitions are Ohio’s Hospice, the California Hospice Network, and the Oregon Nonprofit Hospice Alliance, respectively.

Now four Florida nonprofits, Avow, Haven, St. Francis Reflections Lifestage Care, and Treasure Coast Hospice, have created Synthase Collaborative, “a not-for-profit corporation that will enable the mission-driven hospice and palliative care providers to enhance access to quality post-acute care and services throughout communities in Florida,” they say in a release. “Members of the Synthase Collaborative will maintain their autonomy and independence,” the release notes.

“The Synthase Collaborative is a strategic partnership that will provide our organizations with a unified structure as we continue to deliver the highest quality care to our patients and families while also sharing best practices, optimizing resources, and reducing costs,” Jaysen Roa, President of Synthase and President and CEO of Avow, says in the release. “This partnership will also strengthen our position to negotiate with insurers as new value-based payment models emerge, which supports our mission to enhance access to compassionate hospice and palliative care as well as other post-acute and home-based care in the communities we serve,” Roa says.

“We specifically chose a collaboration model to ensure that each of our organizations continues to be governed by a local board of directors and that we remain focused on identifying and meeting our individual community’s needs,” Jackie Kendrick, VP of Synthase and President and CEO of Treasure Coast Hospice, says in the release.

The Collaborative hospices serve about 2,200 patients daily in 23 counties, they say.

Other recent mergers, acquisitions, and developments include:

In Atlanta: Humana Inc. has started the process of selling the hospice portion of Kindred at Home Inc., reports the Axios news outlet. “A Goldman Sachs-run divestiture process aimed at private equity is underway,” Axios reports based on multiple sources. Humana completed its Kindred at Home acquisition in August 2021. After its merger with Curo Health Services, Kindred at Home ranks as the country’s largest hospice operator, Humana and its partners said last July.

In Texas: Baton Rouge, Louisiana-based Amedisys Inc. has agreed to acquire Dallas-based Evolution Health. Evolution is a division of Envision Healthcare doing business as Guardian Healthcare, Gem City, and Care Connection of Cincinnati in 15 locations in Texas, Oklahoma, and Ohio. After the sale closes, Amedisys will have 346 locations in 34 states and the District of Columbia, with an average daily census of about 73,499 patients and about 11,236 home health employees, the chain says in the release.

In Arkansas: Arkansas Hospice has acquired First Choice Senior Care of Little Rock for undisclosed terms, the North Little Rock-based agency says in a release. FCSC will operate as a subsidiary of Arkansas Hospice. Arkansas Hospice is the state’s largest hospice care provider, with locations in 43 counties, reports the Arkansas Business news outlet.

In Washington, D.C.: AccentCare Inc. will open a new office in D.C. “in early 2022” to provide hospice services, after obtaining a Certificate of Need to do so, the Dallas-based chain says in a release. AccentCare’s new location aims to address unmet hospice needs for Black and LGBTQ+ residents and those experiencing homelessness, says Rafael Fantauzzi, VP and chief Diversity Equity & Inclusion officer. AccentCare currently provides hospice services from 80 hospice locations in 23 states including D.C., delivering care to over 40,000 patients annually, and in 27 inpatient facilities, it says.

In Florida: Bayada Home Health Care is laying off 682 workers and closing four locations in the state, reports The Business Observer newspaper. Bayada will close the locations that provide Medicaid personal care and support services, but will continue to serve clients through its Private Pay Personal Care, Medicare Certified Home Health and Private Duty Nursing Services business lines, the company says in a statement shared with news outlets.

In Nevada: Bayada has also formed a joint venture with The Valley Health System, owned by Universal Health Services Inc., in the southern part of the state. Valley Health at Home by Bayada marks the nonprofit chain’s entry into the state, it says in a release.