Pennant Acquires First Call Hospice; Humana Grows CenterWell Footprint

Pennant adds end-of-life care provider

The Pennant Group Inc. (PNTG) has acquired the assets of First Call Hospice, an end-of-life care provider that operates in Sacramento, California. Financial terms of the acquisition, effective June 16, were not disclosed.

The Eagle, Idaho-based Pennant is the parent organization of a group of affiliated home health, hospice, home care and senior living businesses. The company currently has 86 home health and hospice agencies across its network, which spans 14 states overall.

“We are pleased to expand our presence in Northern California through this high-quality off-market acquisition,” Pennant CEO Danny Walker said in a statement. “First Call Hospice expands our ability to provide quality care in a strategic market and joins a growing cluster of successful agencies across the state.”

The First Call acquisition comes roughly a month after Pennant purchased the assets of Cardiovascular Home Care in Fort Worth, Texas. Pennant also acquired a Colorado home health agency in April.

The company — one of the more active providers on the M&A front in 2021 — continues to explore additional opportunities to acquire home health, hospice, home care and senior living businesses throughout the U.S.

Humana to open four new senior care centers

CenterWell Senior Primary Care — the senior-focused primary care brand launched by Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) — is opening four new locations in Louisiana. The new locations are expected to open in 2022 in Denham Springs, Hammond, Covington and Slidell.

Strategically, Humana has positioned CenterWell Senior Primary Care as a core part of its value-based care strategy. By ensuring its older, frailer members have access to local community-based physicians, the Louisville, Kentucky-based insurer hopes to cut down on costly ER trips and hospitalizations.

“Everything about CenterWell was designed with seniors in mind,” Matt Eirich, Humana’s chief growth officer, previously told Home Health Care News. “We pair this with a value-based reimbursement model that allows us to invest in proactive care, seeing our patients regularly, not just when they are ill, and investing time to help them manage their conditions.”

CenterWell Senior Primary Care is one of the fastest-growing senior-focused, value-based care providers in the country, delivering care to about 57,000 patients across more than 65 centers. CenterWell opened 15 new centers in the past year, with 20 more expected to open this year.

Eden Home Health acquires WEL-Home Health

Eden Home Health of Bozeman has acquired WEL-Home Health of Bozeman in a deal effective May 1.

Eden is a subsidiary of EmpRes Healthcare, a 100% employee-owned family of companies providing management and consulting services to rehabilitation and post-acute care entities, plus assisted and independent living communities. EmpRes has been providing post-acute care services in several markets of Montana for over 24 years, according to the company.

“We are committed to continuing to provide the highest level of quality care to the residents in Bozeman, along with other outlying areas, and look forward to the opportunity that this brings for our mutual patients and employee-owners,” EmpRes President and CEO Brent Weil said in a statement.

Eden anticipates investing further in its growth over the next 12 months.

Pediatric Home Service expands

Pediatric Home Service (PHS), an independent and comprehensive home care provider supporting children with medical complexities, is expanding its pediatric services in Ohio. It’s doing so by partnering with Advanced Medical Equipment and Central Ohio Specialty Care.

PHS initially launched in Minnesota, eventually growing to Wisconsin, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and Texas as well. The provider offers a range of in-home care services to medically complex children and their families.

Central Ohio Specialty Care is a division of Advanced Medical Equipment. The organizations make up a single-source supplier for equipment, supplies, medications and more for newborn-to-adult patient populations.

“Our mission of providing at-home solutions for medically complex pediatric patients remains at the forefront of everything we do,” PHS CEO Cameo Zehnder said in a statement. “We hope this partnership expands our ability to support not only the family, but also the health care professional team, empowering them to make decisions in the best interest of the patient.”