Home Health Business Briefs: Encompass Home Health, AmeriCare, Medalogix

As one of the fastest-growing sectors in the United States, home health care is teeming with activity — from acquisitions and partnerships to new leadership appointments and promotions. Here’s the latest news buzzing around the industry:

Medalogix Partners with Homecare Homebase

Nashville-based health care analytics company Medalogix announced today its new partnership with Homecare Homebase, a home health electronic medical record (EMR) software company. The partnership expands Medalogix’s reach in the home health market.

The Medalogix integration will equip care providers with analytics to more accurately identify patients who are most at risk of transferring off census, or who would benefit from an additional care episode or hospice care. Medalogix then facilitates action and improvement by incorporating clinical workflow steps and business intelligence reports into Homecare Homebase, equipping providers with a population health management technology solution.

“With the focus continuing to shift toward bundles and other shared-risk partnerships, our integration with Medalogix will significantly enhance our clients’ ability to accurately identify and remediate risk for their patients,” said Tom Maxwell, chief strategy officer of Homecare Homebase. “Ultimately this will help clients better meet the needs of the changing health care system.”

New Deal Brings Home Health to Village Health Partners

Plano, Texas-based Village Health Partners has announced a deal with The Legacy at Home, bringing home health services to its patient pool of 75,000 residents, according to a local report. 

Legacy at Home is a home health care agency also based in Plano. Under the arrangement, Legacy at Home will relocate its headquarters to the Independence Medical Village in Plano.

AmeriCare Acquisition Leads to Home Health Expansion

Jacksonville, Florida-based Brooks Rehabilitation’s home health care division will soon become Brooks AmeriCare Home Health with the acquisition of AmeriCare Home Health, an agency serving 23 counties in Northeast and Central Florida, according to a report by the Jacksonville Business Journal. 

Brooks Rehabilitation will absorb AmeriCare Home Health and its assets, which includes 10 satellite office locations. The purchase is expected to close in July. The terms of the deal were not disclosed. 

U.P. Home Health & Hospice CEO Steps Down After 7 Years at Helm

Jeff Nyquist, the CEO of Upper Peninsula Home Health & Hospice (UPHHH), based in Michigan, is stepping down as CEO to devote his efforts to his company NeuroTrainerTM, according to local reports. 

“This is truly one of the toughest decisions I have had to make,” Nyquist said. “The mission and people of UPHHH are so inspiring. Leading this very special group has been the honor of a lifetime. UPHHH is one of the top-performing agencies in the nation in terms of quality and patient satisfaction and I am so proud of every single person here. They are heroes to so many in our community.”

NeuroTrainerTM is a startup that Nyquist has been working on for a number of years and is an extension of his doctoral and post-doc research at Vanderbilt University, where he discovered a technique to enhance visual functioning in blind children, according to Upper Michigan Source.

Susan Lubke Appointed Chief Marketing Officer of @home approach

Pennsylvania-based “@home approach,” a family of companies that provide a range of senior services, including home care and senior living, has announced the appointment of Susan Lubke to the position of chief marketing officer.

In her new role, Lubke will lead the development and implementation of a fully integrated marketing strategy for all the @home approach senior living communities. She will assume responsibility for the company’s sales, sales training, marketing functions, market research, business planning, branding, social media and product planning. Lubke will also be involved in new business development.

For the last sixteen years, Lubke has worked in the senior housing industry on both the West and the East coasts in key management positions including vice president of sales and training, regional director of sales and marketing, regional director of operations, executive director and marketing director.

Encompass Home Health Nabs Spot on Fortune’s Best Workplaces List

Among Fortune’s list of the 100 Best Workplaces for Millennials is a member of the home health community: Encompass Home Health, which was ranked 55th in the list for a number of reasons, including its flexibility, work-life balance and friendly atmosphere. 

The Dallas, Texas-based home health provider boasts a workforce comprised of mostly female executives (77%) and employees (81%), and attracts millennials, who make up nearly a quarter of the company’s workforce.

“Encompass is different from most companies on this list because the majority of employees don’t work in the same place – they work in patients’ homes to deliver care,” Fortune writes. “Even with the wide variety of settings where employees work, 96% described their environments as consistently friendly.”

Additionally, work-life balance is encouraged at Encompass, with 30 days of paid time off each year and flexible scheduling options. 

Home Care, Senior Services Organizations Merge to Expand Reach

Methodist Senior Home Care, a division of Chicagoland Methodist Senior Services (CMSS), and Services for Adults Staying in Their Homes (SASI) announced recently that they have brought their two organizations together as one.

The alignment of the two organizations represents their joint desire to continue to provide excellent, personalized and affordable home care for older adults.

Founded in 1975 in Evanston, SASI has been providing high-quality care for seniors and other adults, who, due to aging, illness or injury, need assistance to be safe and comfortable at home.

CMSS, a network of senior services on Chicago’s north side, offers services ranging from supportive living to skilled nursing, and shares SASI’s commitment to helping older adults age with comfort, dignity and respect. CMSS’ Methodist Senior Home Care will no longer exist and will become SASI.

“The alignment with CMSS’ Methodist Senior Home Care will allow us to expand our reach and help even more Chicago-area older adults to stay in their homes,” said Jeanie Ramsey, executive director of SASI. “CMSS and SASI share a similar mission to help older adults thrive as they age, and I am confident that this relationship will help us expand that mission to impact even more people.”

The newly joined organization will continue to serve existing home care clients while positioning itself to expand its reach.

“This alignment will not only allow us to continue to offer high-quality home care to older adults who want to stay in their homes, but will also help us keep fees low for both the older adults who need our services and their families,” said Bill Lowe, president of CMSS. “SASI has an impeccable reputation in the home care industry, and there is no better organization with whom we could partner.” 

Written by Emily Study