Optum, UnitedHealth Group’s (NYSE: UNH) services arm, has seen a 10% increase in home health visits over the past year and cited the service as one of its high-performing lines. Krista Nelson, CEO of Optum Health, identified a significant opportunity to expand home health services, along with other high-performing care modalities, to deepen the provider’s […]
UnitedHealth Group
The Pennant Group (Nasdaq: PNTG) has maintained census and improved margins in its existing home health and hospice operations while moving through a major asset integration. While large acquisitions like Pennant’s acquisition of former UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) and Amedisys assets can be disruptive, Pennant’s local operating model helped drive same-store census, revenue and margin […]
UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) will eliminate prior authorization requirements for about 1,700 service codes, including home healthcare. The changes will go into effect on Oct. 1, 2026. The move follows UnitedHealth’s May announcement that it would shrink prior authorization volume by 30% by the end of 2026. “Earlier this year, we shared steps we’re taking […]
Medicare Advantage, Medicaid managed care and federally facilitated ACA Marketplace health plans deny between 12% and 18% of standard prior authorization requests — denials that can act as a burden to home health providers. Prior authorization denial rates varied widely among the largest insurers in 2025, according to a recent study by KFF. “Health insurers […]
The new director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Dr. Erica Schwartz, has stepped down as a board member of the home health and hospice provider Aveanna Healthcare Holdings (Nasdaq: AVAH). Schwartz notified Aveanna on Wednesday that she had decided to resign from its board of directors in connection with her nomination […]
At-home heart failure care can be a viable alternative for patients getting heart failure care, in terms of safety and quality. Patients with heart failure who received advanced medical care at home had similar post-discharge outcomes to the care found within brick-and-mortar hospitals, according to a new study published in JAMA Network Open. Researchers found that heart failure patients treated at home had no significant differences […]
UnitedHealth Group’s (NYSE: UNH) in-home health program, HouseCalls, coincided with up to 5% fewer inpatient stays and 4% fewer emergency room visits for older adults with conditions such as diabetes and hypertension in the year after their visit, according to a Tuesday announcement. In the announcement, the healthcare giant shared initial results of an external […]
UnitedHealthcare is seeking to improve care continuity in rural communities, including initiatives that could support community- and home-based care. UnitedHealth Group’s (NYSE: UNH) insurance arm also reported decreases in skilled nursing facility (SNF) admissions and described efforts to reduce prior authorizations in its Q1 earnings call on Wednesday. “We are intensifying our efforts to help […]
BrightSpring Health Services (Nasdaq: BTSG) is integrating the portfolio of 107 home health and hospice assets recently acquired from UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) and Amedisys for $239 million, and company leadership sees tremendous future upside in these service areas. The deal had been contingent on the outcome of the UnitedHealth Group’s own acquisition of Amedisys, […]
Leaders at the Pennant Group (NASDAQ: PNTG) are pleased with the progress on integrating former Amedisys home health locations, which were acquired in a $147 million deal that closed in October 2025. Some “choppiness” is inevitable as the integration proceeds, and this has informed Pennant’s approach to setting 2026 financial guidance, but “the transition is […]
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