Home Health & Hospice Week

Plus: Minnesota provider aims for therapy continuity.

A seven-state chain is changing hands between private equity firms.

Nautic Partners has purchased McKinney, Texas-based Angels of Care from Varsity Healthcare Partners for undisclosed terms, Stamford, Conn.-based Varsity says in a release. The PE firm acquired a majority stake in Angels in April 2019, when the company operated in only two states.

Angels furnishes home health services to children and young adults. The agency “has been a pioneer in partnering with managed care firms to provide its services under outcomes-based reimbursement arrangements,” Varsity says. Angels, founded in 2000, operates in Texas, Colorado, Arizona, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania.

Providence, R.I.-based Nautic also has invested in All Metro Health Care, The Vistria Group and VitalCaring, among other healthcare providers.

Other recent deals include:

In Minnesota: Lifespark, which provides home health, hospice, and other in-home services, is partnering with in-home outpatient physical therapy provider Luna to provide access to outpatient therapy in clients’ homes, the St. Louis Park-based company says in a release. The partnership is called Lifespark Physical Therapy At Home® powered by Luna. “While the person may no longer be eligible for Medicare home health services, they often still have rehabilitation needs. The partnership with Luna allows us to bridge home health with continued outpatient therapy immediately in the person’s home,” Lifespark COO Matt Kinne says in the release.

In Florida: Big Bend Hospice is partnering with Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare to open the First Commerce Center for Compassionate Care, a new eight-bed inpatient hospice unit on the third floor of Tallahassee Memorial Hospital, the nonprofits say in a release. Big Bend already operates another facility in the city, the 12-bed Margaret Z. Dozier House. “TMH and Big Bend Hospice are both community-based and locally governed,” TMH CEO Mark O’Bryant notes in the release.

In South Dakota: Avera McKennan Hospital & University Health Center and its home health agency, Avera@ Home, are launching its AveraHospital@Home program after a successful two-year trial. “We have had very few hospital readmissions because our nurses work with patients in their own home environment where patients can move about more and are generally more comfortable. We’ve had outstanding outcomes and feedback from patients. Patients are beginning to ask for this type of care,” Cynthia Kannenberg, Nurse Manager for Hospital@Home, says in a release.

In Michigan: Another county is shutting down its home health and hospice agency, this time in the Great Lakes State. The Chippewa County Health Department’s Home Health and Hospice division will cease operation by the end of the year due to reimbursement concerns, among other issues, according to press reports. The agency provides care both at home and in facilities, it says. Other agencies and facilities provide hospice services in the county, it adds.

In Louisiana: Baton Rouge-based Amedisys Inc. is now offering advanced molecular testing at its locations nationwide through a collaboration with Patient Choice Laboratories, according to a release from the chain. “With improved accuracy, sensitivity and specificity, molecular testing significantly enhances the ability to identify infectious pathogens, supporting timely and targeted care strategies,” Amedisys says.

In Nebraska: Home Instead “is looking to hire 30,000 care professionals nationwide,” the Omaha-based franchisor says in a release. “Many Home Instead franchises across America are experiencing a dramatic increase in service inquiries from concerned families in need of support,” says the company that is owned by Honor.