Home Health & Hospice Week

Plus: Check out the latest deals from coast to coast.

Acquisition of a longstanding agency chain will put Encompass Health Corp. among the top 10 hospice providers in the nation by Medicare reimbursement level.

Publicly traded Encompass will purchase Birmingham, Alabama-based Alacare Home Health & Hospice for undisclosed terms, the companies say in a release. Alacare, which operates 23 home health and 23 hospice locations in the state, was founded in 1970.

Alacare had a “number of interested parties” when considering a sale, Alacare President John Beard says in a release. Alacare CEO Susan Brouillette, Beard’s sister, adds “Alacare and Encompass Health have had a close working relationship for many years on policy and other issues affecting the industry.”

Dallas-based Encompass is the fourth-largest provider of Medicare-skilled home health services with 220 home health locations, and 58 hospice locations in 36 states and Puerto Rico, it says. The acquisition will add new home health and hospice markets for Encompass. Alacare generated about $117 million in revenues last year.

Other M&A deals around the nation include:

In Nebraska: Oakdale, Minnesota-based regional chain St. Croix Hospice has opened a location in Grand Island, six months after opening a Lincoln location. The new location also joins an Omaha office in the state, St. Croix says in a release. St. Croix now serves 33 counties in Nebraska, as well as its service areas in Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Chicago-based private equity firm The Vistria Group bought St. Croix from Stamford, Connecticut-based PE firm Clearview Capital in 2017.

In Texas: Tyler-based Choice Homecare of Texas has acquired Legacy Hospice with locations in Tyler and Sulphur Springs, the holding company says in a release. “The transaction marks Choice’s fifth acquisition since Jan. 1, 2018, and continues the company’s expansion of home health and hospice services across Texas,” it says.

In Massachusetts: Following last summer’s merger of the Lawrence-based Home Health Foundation and the health system Wellforce, formed by Tufts Medical Center and Lowell General Hospital, Wellforce is closing one HHF agency and laying off its 200 workers, reports the Boston Business Journal. HHF’s Home Health VNA and Merrimack Valley Hospice remain open, but Wellforce will shutter private duty business HomeCare Inc. by June. HomeCare lost $1.8 million in the last fiscal year, the newspaper reports. HomeCare’s services were also being duplicated by other providers in the Wellforce network. HHF plans to join with other Wellforce entities Circle Home and Hallmark Health VNA as a new network under Wellforce, the Journal adds. The other Wellforce agencies will pick up HomeCare’s patients and at least a portion of its staff.

In Missouri: Beyer Enterprises in Freder- ick is opening a home health agency, joining the group’s existing Tradewinds Palliative Care and Safe Harbor Hospice agencies, as well as its Beyer Medical Group physician practice. Beyer says in a release. Discover Home Care will serve patients in Madison, St. Francois, Perry, Bollinger, Wayne, and Iron counties. “One of my goals is to try to find a way to make healthcare less costly,” physician, founder, and CEO Phillip Beyer says in the release. “The cheapest place to deliver healthcare is in the home. Having home health, palliative care, and hospice coordinating to work together really allows us to have the ability to make healthcare less costly to government, to insurance companies, to patients, to families — all the way around.”

In Florida: Jewish Family Home Care in Davie has acquired Nursing Plus of Broward in Miramar, JFHC says. JFHC is an affiliated agency of Goodman Jewish Family Services of Broward County. JFHC has $13 million in annual revenue, reports the South Florida Business Journal.

In Pennsylvania: Country Meadows Retirement Communities will add a hospice business line, Lifesong Hospice and Palliative Care, according to a release. Swatara Township-based Lifesong will serve residents in Country Meadows facilities in Hampden Township, Derry Township, Lancaster Township, West Manchester Township, and York Township. Lifesong could eventually expand services beyond facility residents, the company says.

In California: A BrightStar Care franchisee has acquired Sacramento’s Harmony Home Care, the private duty franchisor says in a release. The acquisition comes on the heels of BrightStar Care’s 2018 growth, including 15 signed franchise agreements and 14 location openings across 12 states. BrightStar has more than 330 locations that provide private duty and medical staffing services.