Editor’s note: Home Health Care News will be observing the Labor Day holiday Monday, September 7, but we will return to our normal posting schedule Tuesday, September 8. In the meantime, all of us here at HHCN would like to wish our readers a safe and enjoyable Labor Day weekend!
In case you missed them, here are the top headlines grabbing readers’ attention this week, plus some other notable stories from around the web that caught our eye here at HHCN:
Most Read
Amedisys Eyes More Than 200 Potential Acquisitions, Partnerships—Amedisys Inc. (NASDAQ: AMED) has announced a list that includes the names of more than 200 candidates for acquisitions, joint ventures and partnerships. The targets are the latest of CEO Paul Kusserow’s initiatives since taking the Amedisys reins in December 2014.
HealthSouth Expands in Southeast with $170 Million Acquisition—HealthSouth Corporation (NYSE: HLS) has made a move to further expand in the southeast, acquiring the home health agency operations of CareSouth Health System, Inc. for $170 million in cash. These operations will merge with those of Encompass Home Health.
Home Health M&A Activity Surges ‘Exponentially’—Despite a challenging Medicare reimbursement environment faced by home health agencies, merger and acquisition activity has surged following a slow start to the year. Industry professionals believe the high volume of transactions will continue into 2016.
Weekend Reads
How Our Healthcare System Can Be Deadly to the Elderly—An op-ed published by the Los Angeles Times this week delves into significant shortfalls in health care administered to elderly patients. The author describes an instance with her ailing father in which hospital staff declared he was going into renal failure and therefore dying, when she says he was just dehydrated. She goes on to argue that awareness about treatment of the elderly needs to extend beyond the geriatric medical community.
Feds Appear to Ease Ban on Dementia Advocate—Federal officials appear to have eased restrictions imposed on Michael Ellenbogen, a well-known advocate who has dementia. Ellenbogen had been prohibited from attending Department of Health and Human Services-sponsored meetings of the national Advisory Council on Alzheimer’s Research, Care and Services because of provocative remarks deemed threatening. A letter from HHS says he can resume attending those meetings.
Written by Kourtney Liepelt
Companies featured in this article:
Amedisys Inc., CareSouth, Encompass Home Health, HealthSouth Corporation
