Amedisys, LHC Group Shares Hit October Slowdown

While home health stocks rode M&A momentum and other tailwinds to an overall strong performance throughout much of 2018, the sustained boom period slowed down in September. Amid a broader market dip, that slowdown turned into an abrupt stop last month. Home health stocks fell more than 11% in October compared to their September standings, […]

CMS Stands by Behavioral Adjustment Aspect of PDGM

The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released final language Wednesday for its Patient-Driven Groupings Model (PDGM), the sprawling home health payment overhaul that policy experts see as the biggest industry change in decades. Likely to the disappointment of many home health agencies, CMS stood by PDGM’s widely opposed behavioral adjustment aspect. If […]

Amedisys CEO: Coming Payment Rule Won’t Be ‘Game Over’ in PDGM Battle

Bolstered by healthy growth across all three of its business lines, Amedisys, Inc. (Nasdaq: AMED) achieved strong financial results in the third quarter of 2018. The Baton Rouge, Louisiana-based home health, hospice and personal care company expects that momentum to continue, even as it faces regulatory headwinds coming from the potential new payment overhaul known […]

Home Health Providers Shift to Mobile Tech, ‘Upskilling’ Tools for Staffing Success

Home health aides are more apt to apply for open positions using a smartphone instead of browser-based resources, such as Monster or Indeed, that many agencies typically use for recruiting. Similarly, aides are more likely to stay at a home health agency when that agency invests in technology-based solutions focused on “upskilling.” Washington, D.C.-based venture […]

Home Health Stocks Show Signs of Cooling Off

Fueled by savvy moves from the United States’ two top independent and publicly traded home-based health care providers, home health stocks had seen strong month-after-month growth in 2018. Those hot growth levels now appear to be cooling off. Home health stocks were up just 0.74% in September compared to the previous month, according to the […]

[Updated] Inside Amedisys’ Industry-Shaping Play for Compassionate Care Hospice

Any anxieties investors had over external growth activity for Amedisys, Inc. (Nasdaq: AMED) were likely alleviated last week when the Baton Rouge, Louisiana-based home health giant announced its $340 million agreement to acquire Compassionate Care Hospice. Indeed, after acquiring the Parsipanny, New Jersey-based company, Amedisys is expected to become the hospice industry’s third-largest provider, operating […]

Amedisys Buys Compassionate Care for $340M, Will Become Third-Largest US Hospice Provider

Amedisys Inc. (Nasdaq: AMED) is executing an industry-shaping deal with one of the country’s largest hospice providers, adding further fuel to a white-hot M&A market. Home health, hospice and personal care powerhouse Amedisys announced Wednesday that is has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Parsippany, New Jersey-based Compassionate Care Hospice for a fixed price of […]

M&A and Financing Newsflash: Justice Department Approves CVS-Aetna Merger, Amedisys Subsidiary Closes Personal Care Deal

Justice Department Approves CVS and Aetna Merger CVS Health Corp. (NYSE: CVS) has secured anti-trust approval for its $69 billion acquisition of Aetna (NYSE: AET), the Justice Department announced Wednesday. The deal was approved on the condition that the company divest Aetna’s Medicare Part D prescription drug plan business to WellCare Health Plans, Inc, a […]

Legislation Targeting Home Health Reforms Gaining Ground on Capitol Hill

Industry-backed legislative efforts to take the teeth out of proposed home health payment reform are gaining ground on Capitol Hill. On Thursday, Rep. Ralph Abraham (R-La.) introduced H.R. 6932, a new bill that amends several provisions of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 to thwart widely opposed behavioral adjustment aspects of the Patient-Driven Groupings Model […]