Home Health & Hospice Week

Plus: Intermountain snaps up Advent HH.

A seven-state home health and hospice chain is partnering more closely with a Chicago-area health system.

Residential Home Health and Hospice is now acting as the preferred provider of hospice services at Northwest Community Healthcare hospital in Arlington Heights, Ill., NCH parent NorthShore — Edward-Elmhurst Health and Residential say in a release.

“NCH will also transition its palliative service offering to NS-EEH’s in-house team of specialized palliative medicine clinicians and leaders,” according to the release. “NorthShore combined its home health and hospice programs into Residential Home Health and Hospice in February of 2022,” the providers add.

Troy, Mich.-based Residential provides home health, palliative and hospice services with 2,800 workers serving nearly 14,000 patients in Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio and Pennsylvania, it notes.

Other deals around the nation include:

In Nevada: Salt Lake City-based Intermountain Health has acquired Las Vegas-based Advent Home Health, the seven-state health system says in a release. Advent Home Health is now operating as Intermountain Health Homecare, the nonprofit Catholic system notes.

In Oregon: Oregon Coast Home Health has acquired the home health and hospice operations of Bay Area Hospital in Coos Bay, after the hospital announced in June it had to shutter the agency, reports KCBY. Bay Area Home Health had operated for 46 years, the TV station says. High labor costs and low Medicare reimbursement rates contributed to the hospital’s decision to shed the agency. “Not all services that hospitals provide are reimbursed at a level that covers their costs,” Brian Moore, Bay Area Hospital CEO, told the station.

In Colorado: The Colorado Visiting Nurse Association based in Arvada will combine with GoldLeaf HomeHealth in Centennial and operate under the VNA name, the nonprofit agency says in a release. Colorado VNA is a member of the Care Synergy Network, which “provides mission-supported services for not-for-profit, community-based home healthcare, hospice, palliative care, and CAPABLE services to providers serving the Front Range of Colorado including … The Denver Hospice, Pathways, [and] Pikes Peak Hospice and Palliative Care,” it says.

In Texas: Publicly traded Enhabit Inc. has followed through on its stated intention to launch a strategic alternatives process, according to a release. The 34-state chain “has formally initiated” the process, under which “the board of directors will consider a wide range of options … including, among other things, a potential sale, merger or other strategic transaction,” it says.

Also in Texas: Dallas-based Hammond Home Health has rebranded to Hammond Health Hub, the agency says in a release. The agency specializes in remote patient monitoring of patients with chronic conditions.