Home Health & Hospice Week

Plus: Agency beats out 4 other applicants in CON state.

The trend of nonprofit hospices affiliating continues, this time in Pennsylvania. Hospice & Community Care in Lancaster and Hospice of Central PA in Harrisburg plan to merge by the beginning of the year, they say in a release.

The combined agency will provide services in 11 counties. “Hospice & Community Care and Hospice of Central PA have the opportunity to dramatically strengthen our combined not-for-profit missions,” Gil Brown, CEO of Hospice of Central PA, says in the release.

The hospices, which will retain their own names, will “realize cost savings regarding purchased services such as pharmacy, medical supplies, durable medical equipment and employee benefits,” they say. They will also be able “to work with more private insurances and Medicare Advantage plans, and increase access to talent in hiring,” Brown and HCC CEO Steve Knaub told the LancasterOnline news outlet.

Service should improve as well, Brown and Knaub said. “We both cover very large territories, and through this affiliation and merger, if we can help patients pair up with the program that is nearest to where they live, we think that the response time will be much better, and we think it will help people to get care that is closer to their home,” Brown said.

Both hospices have inpatient centers — the six-bed Carolyn’s House in Harrisburg and the 24-bed Bob Fryer & Family Inpatient Center in Mannheim. And there will be no layoffs of the combined 500-plus employees the providers have, a frequently asked question document indicates.

The hospices will operate under a parent organization, Knaub and Brown say, according to the LancasterOnline site. And funds raised by each organization will be used to support the patients and families served by that organization, Knaub and Brown add.

Other merger and acquisition developments around the nation include:

In New Hampshire: Lakes Region Visiting Nurse Association is expanding its home care services, reports the Laconia Daily Sun. The Meredith-based VNA aims to curb hospital readmissions with the services, among other goals, it says.

In New York and Connecticut: Mobile health services provider DocGo is partnering with not-for-profit insurer Emblemhealth to provide medical services in the home to its members, the New York City-based company says in a release. “Using a value-based model that prioritizes high-quality, in-home health care, the program will reduce hospital readmissions, lower costs, and improve health outcomes,” the release says. The move marks DocGo’s entry into the Connecticut market.

In Illinois: Dallas-based private equity firm Havencrest Capital Management has formed a non-medical home care platform, Avid Health at Home, it says in a release. The platform is based on Havencrest’s acquisition of Chicago area-based For Papa’s Sake Home Care. “Avid is actively exploring new acquisition opportunities in home care across the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and Mountain West geographies,” Havencrest says.

In North Carolina: The state has approved a bid from Well Care Home Health of Brunswick County to open a home health agency in the county, reports the Winston- Salem Journal. Well Care beat out four other applicants for the spot in the Certificate of Need state: Novant Health Inc., 3HC-Brunswick, Bayada Home Health Care Inc., and Healthview Home Health-Brunswick, the newspaper says.

In Kansas: Midland Care Connection hospice has partnered with 13 nonprofit Progressive Health Alliance retirement communities to open Community Care Hospice, Salina Presbyterian Manor says in a release. CCH will serve six counties, according to the release.

In Colorado: Home care agency Amber Personal Care in Greenwood Village has acquired Healing Hearts Home Health, Amber says in a release. “This merger marks a significant milestone in the company’s journey to provide skilled and non-skilled services to the community,” the agency says in the release.

In California: Acacia Home Health Services and its affiliates sold their equity interests to an affiliate of Merit Capital Partners, reports law firm Sheppard Mullen, which advised Acacia in the sale. In June, “Merit invested subordinated debt and equity, in partnership with both management and an independent sponsor, in support of the acquisition,” the Chicago-based private equity firm notes on its website. “Acacia currently serves the Orange County region and parts of LA County, and has plans to grow throughout and beyond the state of California, both organically and via acquisition,” Merit adds.

In Hawaii: Kaiser Permanente has launched a Care at Home hospice program in Oahu, the insurer says in a release. “Recognizing the growing need for hospice services in health care, Kaiser Permanente created this program in Hawaii to complete its integrated care delivery model with full options for patients across their entire care journey,” it says.

In New York: St. Joseph’s Health at Home in Syracuse will shut down on Oct. 23, reports syracuse.com. The agency serves 250 patients with 71 employees, who will be laid off, WSYR News reports. The health system cites “economic challenges” as the reason for the closure, according to the news station.

In Mississippi: Gentiva is expanding its footprint in the state with a new location in Brookhaven. Gentiva will be able to serve the last 10 counties needed to offer service in all 82 counties, reports The Daily Leader newspaper. Gentiva operates 430 locations in 36 states under a variety of names, the company notes on its website. As reminder, Kindred at Home bought the original Gentiva Health Services in 2015, then insurer Humana bought KAH in two phases in 2018 and 2021. In August 2022, private equity firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice bought a majority interest in KAH’s hospice and personal care services divisions, which were restructured into a new standalone company now called Gentiva. Humana maintains its 40 percent stake.

In Alaska: Juneau will once again have access to home health and hospice services, with Bartlett Regional Hospital launching a program this month, reports the Juneau Empire newspaper. Hospice and Home Care of Juneau shut down last fall due to lack of registered nursing staff (see HHHW by AAPC, Vol. XXXI, No. 41). Services will be limited as Bartlett Home Health & Hospice ramps up under provisional licensure, the hospital says on its hospice webpage.

In Georgia and Alabama: Agape Care Group, a portfolio company of Ridgemont Equity Partners in Charlotte, S.C., has acquired Hope Hospice in Birmingham, Ala. and Assured Hospice in Cartersville, Ga., Agape says in a release. Spartanburg, S.C.-based Agape also recently opened a new location in Gainesville, Ga, adds the company with locations in five Southeastern states.

In Texas: Cancer home care provider Reimagine Care is partnering with Memorial Hermann Health System in Houston “to offer 24/7 access to Reimagine Care’s experienced oncology nurses and advanced practitioners via text, phone, and video, as well as in-home supportive care when appropriate,”

Nashville-based Reimagine says in a release. “Partnering with Reimagine Care extends the impact of our program into the home and furthers our commitment to providing the care patients need in a way that is designed to fit their lives,” Memorial Hermann VP of oncology Sandy Miller says in the release.