HouseWorks Acquires Care Management Company Intervention Associates

HouseWorks — the large, independent home care organization that also runs a home-modification business — is adding another important senior care tool to its toolbox.

The Boston-based HouseWorks announced Monday that it has acquired Intervention Associates, a care management company that currently serves the Greater Philadelphia area. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

With Intervention Associates and its geriatric care managers under its umbrella, HouseWorks immediately strengthens its ability to coordinate and deliver specialized services to clients, CEO Michael Trigilio told Home Health Care News. The experts at Intervention Associates will effectively serve as care “quarterbacks” and navigate all the potential challenges that come with the aging services landscape.

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“What we’ve seen is that the care is coordinated significantly better when you have these types of professionals involved when someone needs care in the home or goes through a major life-changing event,” Trigilio said. “These individuals help us to reduce hospitalizations and guide families through many difficult decisions.”

While HouseWorks owns its own in-house care management business following the Intervention Associates play, it will continue to work with outside partners as well.

The predominantly private-pay HouseWorks cares for older adults in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, plus Philadelphia and parts of Maine. Since its launch more than two decades ago, the provider has taken a concierge-type approach to in-home care, with its latest acquisition a reflection of that strategy.

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Trigilio was named CEO of HouseWorks in April, taking over for founder Andrea Cohen. The backstory behind the Intervention Associates acquisition actually predates Trigilio’s HouseWorks history, he noted.

In early 2019, HouseWorks purchased Caring Friends Home Care from Friends Life Care Partners, one of the earliest versions of a “continuing care retirement community (CCRC) without walls” in the U.S. Friends Life Care Partners was also the owner of Intervention Associates, which put HouseWorks on the inside track to getting a deal done.

“Both the seller and HouseWorks knew each other from working together on the previous home care deal,” Trigilio said. “So this was a logical fit, bringing the care management back together. These two divisions — [Intervention Associates] and Caring Friends — were working closely together inside Friends Life Care Partners, so this just made a lot of sense.”

When Trigilio joined HouseWorks earlier this year, he specifically mentioned the goal of expanding service lines through both organic growth and acquisitions. Intervention Associates certainly is in line with that goal, but the transaction likewise echoes broader industry trends.

Several senior care entities have targeted care management businesses over the past few years. Just a couple recent examples include 24 Hour Home Care’s acquisition of Grace Care Management and Arosa Care’s purchase of Lifecare Innovations.

The private equity-backed Charter Healthcare Group has similarly made care management a priority.

Trigilio expects that trend to continue for the foreseeable future.

“Over the past five years, we’ve seen a number of private-pay home care companies that have entered into this care management space,” he said. “You can provide much better care to your clients or patients from either side by having both capabilities. From the home care side, having access directly to these care managers improves the quality care that we can provide. And on the care management side, having a home care company that care managers can trust and lean on is valuable as well. They know that if there’s a request for services, they’re going to get those services fulfilled.”

HouseWorks will continue to explore care management opportunities in months to come, Trigilio explained.

The provider will additionally evaluate any potential deals to expand its market share and enhance its technology resources. 

“We continue to see an opportunity to grow our footprint geographically,” he said. “We’re going to continue to explore other home care businesses, as well as care management and technology partnerships. We’re hopeful that we’re going to have a very active 2021 on the M&A front.”

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