M&A and Financing Newsflash: Vitas Acquires Florida Hospice, Catawba Regional Hospice Rebrands

Vitas Healthcare Acquires Florida’s Hospice of Citrus and The Nature Coast

Vitas Healthcare, one of the largest hospice providers in the United States, has acquired Hospice of Citrus and the Nature Coast (HOCNC) in Florida. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Vitas Healthcare is an end-of-life care provider operating across 14 states and Washington, D.C. Vitas — owned by parent company Chemed Corporation (NYSE: CHE), which also owns subsidiary Roto-Rooter — serves more than 18,000 patients daily.

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Roughly half of those patients live in Florida, according to Vitas.

The HOCNC acquisition expands Vitas’ services to Florida’s Alachua, Bradford, Citrus, Columbia, Dixie, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Lafayette, Levy, Putnam, Suwannee and Union counties.

“HOCNC has a 30-year legacy of providing quality end-of-life care to patients and families in their community,” Nick Westfall, CEO at Vitas Healthcare, said in a press release. “We look forward to building upon that legacy with Vitas’ services while following our fundamental value of putting patients and families first, a believe that has permeated across our 40-year history in Florida.”

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Vitas’ net revenue in the second quarter of 2018 checked in at $297 million, an increase of slightly more than 6% compared to the same period in 2017. The average length of stay for Vitas hospice patients during Q2 was 89 days, while the median length of stay was 17 days.

Greenwhich Hospital Partners with Vitas Healthcare

Vitas’ acquisition of HOCNC wasn’t its only business move. Vitas is also partnering with Greenwhich Hospital in a clinical collaboration to improve hospice care.

Connecticut-based Greenwhich Hospital is a community hospital and member of the Yale New Haven Health System.

The partnership will allow Greenwhich to serve patients through a larger program, according to Greenwhich Post. 

Vitas already has collaborations in the area, including with other Yale New Haven Health System hospitals.

North Carolina Hospice Provider Rebrands

Catawba Regional Hospice has changed its name to Carolina Caring.

Catawba’s rebranding is, in part, to celebrate its 40th anniversary. The hospice has chosen its new name to reflect “what the organization does best,” David Cook, CEO and president of Carolina Caring, told the Hickory Record. The name change is also an effort to keep up with the evolving world of health care, he said.

Newton, North Carolina-based Carolina Caring is an end-of-life care provider that operates in 12 counties and has a staff of more than 275 people and over 400 volunteers. The hospice serves more than 1,000 patients and families daily.

“By changing our name, it more reflects the broad scope of services that we provide, not only in hospice, but palliative medicine, our partnership in PACE and our grief counseling support,” Cook told the Hickory Record.

Hospice DME Provider Makes Acquisition

Hospice Source purchased the hospice durable medical equipment (DME) operations of Dynamic Healthcare Services (DHS) in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Carollton, Texas-based Hospice Source is a national provider of medical equipment and respiratory therapy focused on the hospice market. The company provides service to patients and providers in 11 states.

DHS is a provider of respiratory therapy products and services. The organization has facilities throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

This acquisition expands Hospice Source’s footprint into the central Pennsylvania market.

“DHS has provided excellent service to hospice patients in the central Pennsylvania area for over 18 years,” Jeff West, Hospice Source CEO, said in a press release. “Hospice Source is excited to bring technology solutions and larger product offerings to the area, and to continue the legacy of DHS’s service with a culture of compassion.”

Written by Kaitlyn Mattson

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