Eli's Hospice Insider

Plus: Hospice set to open PACE program in Virginia.

Agape Care Group has acquired Hospice of the Carolina Foothills in Forest City, North Carolina, the regional chain says in a release. Spartanburg, South Carolina-based Agape now operates in Georgia and the Carolinas, serving about 2,600 patients per day with 1,300 employees.

Hospice of the Carolina Foothills will continue to operate under its current name and brand. It includes an 18-bed facility in Rutherford County.

Other recent deals include:

In Illinois: St. Croix Hospice has acquired Lexington Hospice Care in the Chicago suburb of Lombard. “This marks the agency’s third branch location in Illinois,” the Oakdale, Minnesota-based chain says in a release. St. Croix operates more than 50 branches in nine states with more than 1,200 employees serving more than 3,000 patients, it says.

In Ohio: Ohio’s Hospice and Pure Healthcare is now the preferred hospice and palliative care provider for the Aetna Value-Based Insurance Design (VBID) program in Ohio, the alliance of not-for-profit hospices says in a release. “Aetna offers its Ohio members facing serious illness the VBID Compassionate Care Transitions program,” the release explains. “Through this program, Aetna members are eligible to receive a number of supplemental benefits and can start hospice services while still receiving transitional concurrent care.”

In Virginia: The state has approved Blue Ridge Hospice to operate a Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), the Winchester-based provider says in a release. The hospice has formed Blue Ridge Independence at Home to operate the program, it says.