Literature Review

[Cure] Top palliative care stories from 2024 Cure; by Alex Biese; 12/28/24 This year, CURE® worked to provide education and insight that underscored the importance of palliative care in cancer treatment. Early integration of palliative care, whether through in-person visits, telehealth or ongoing emotional support, can make a significant difference in a patient's quality of life. Here are some of the top articles on the topic of palliative care from 2024.

Bloom Healthcare CEO: Integrating palliative care into every decision Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 12/3/24 The house call provider Bloom Healthcare has leveraged its integrated palliative-primary care model to achieve substantial reductions in hospitalizations and health care costs. The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services recently recognized Bloom as a top performing High-Needs Accountable Care Organization under the agency’s Realizing Equity, Access and Community Health (ACO REACH) model. Through its ACO REACH program, Bloom reduced unplanned hospital readmissions by 25% and realized a gross cost savings rate of 24.6%. The company’s patients averaged 326.7 days at home during  2023. Bloom Healthcare cares for about 10,000 high-needs patients with a comprehensive primary care and care management model that incorporates palliative care. The company currently operates in Colorado and Texas. ... Palliative Care News sat down with Bloom CEO Dr. Thomas Lally to discuss the strategies the company used to garner these results and how palliative care factored in. [Click on the title's link to continue reading.]

Court Orders VitalCaring to place 43% of profits into trust for Encompass Health Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 12/3/24 A federal judge in Delaware has ordered home health and hospice provider VitalCaring Group and its private equity backers to share future profits with Encompass Health (NYSE: EHC). The case has a long circuitous history that dates back to 2022 when Encompass Health spinned off its home health and hospice business as a standalone company, now known as Enhabit Inc. (NYSE: EHAB) brand. At the time, VitalCaring CEO April Anthony was CEO of the Encompass home-based case segment. “Encompass is entitled to one recovery,” a court opinion indicated. “That recovery takes the form of an equitable payment stream of VitalCaring’s future profits to be administered via a constructive trust, certain mitigation damages, and attorneys’ fee.” The court ordered that 43% of VitalCaring’s future profits be placed in trust to benefit Encompass. The remaining 57% would go to VitalCaring’s private equity backers, the Vistria Group and Nautic Partners.

Healthcare trends & transactions Q3 2024 Bass, Berry & Sims; by Bass, Berry & Sims, PLC; 10/21/24 In the healthcare mergers and acquisitions (M&A) market, while deal volumes varied across different sectors, by and large the sure and steady pace of deal volume in Q2 continued into Q3. Moreover, several positive developments in Q3—namely, the Federal Reserve (finally) cutting interest rates, the courts striking down the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) national ban on non-competes, and California Governor Newsom’s vetoing Assembly Bill 3129—may serve as the catalysts needed to boost activity as we head into the final stretch of 2024.

Private equity’s role in US healthcare remains unchecked after California veto The Guardian; by Jessica Glenza; 10/7/24 Hopes to rein in private equity investment in healthcare died in California last weekend, as a nationally watched bill was vetoed by the Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom. The bill was the nation’s most high-profile legislative effort to regulate such investments in healthcare, and would have given the state attorney general discretion to deny mergers.Its demise comes amid US Senate hearings over mismanagement at Steward Health, a chain of more than 30 private equity-backed hospitals in Massachusetts whose CEO and investors siphoned “hundreds of millions” of dollars from community hospitals even as they developed one of the worst patient care records in the country. 

2 years after its rebrand, CenterWell Home Health is set on tackling big goals Home Health Care News; by Andrew Donlan; 9/24/24 Kirk Allen, the president of home solutions at Humana Inc., is living a home health veteran’s dream. Right now, he is heads down on helping create a value-based home health model within CenterWell, Humana’s provider services arm. Home health leaders have always touted the extraordinary health and monetary value that can be derived from their services. Not many have had the opportunity to prove that out, however. Allen does. Humana owns CenterWell Home Health, which is one of the largest providers in the country. CenterWell also includes CenterWell Pharmacy and CenterWell Primary Care. Eventually, CenterWell Home Health wants to have 80,000 home health patients under its value-based model. ... After Humana fully acquired Kindred at Home, it divested the home care and hospice assets. With the large and remaining home health footprint, Humana created CenterWell Home Health.

Here's what for-profit systems are watching as 2025 approaches Modern Healthcare; by Caroline Hudson; 9/9/24 Large for-profit healthcare systems are investing in new facilities to meet patient demand and navigating changes in reimbursement rules to ensure those care sites remain stable. Executives from HCA Healthcare, Tenet Healthcare, Community Health Systems and Universal Health Services joined insurers, pharmaceutical companies and others in the spotlight ... at the annual Wells Fargo Healthcare Conference in Boston. ... Here are five takeaways from the for-profits' discussions.

4 health systems shrinking their hospital portfolios Becker's Hospital Review; by Alan Condon; 8/14/24 Merger and acquisition activity is picking up steam this year after a decline in deal volume during the pandemic, with some large health systems reorganizing their portfolios and offloading hospitals in various markets. Four health systems that have sold or plan to sell multiple hospitals this year:

On-demand talent can push key objectives forward amid an increase in M&A deals Forbes; by Sunny Ackerman; 8/14/24 As we settle into the latter half of 2024, mergers and acquisitions and other business transformation initiatives are likely to be top of mind for many business leaders. Consider EY’s May 2024 “Deal Barometer,” which predicts that in the United States, “corporate M&A deal volume will increase 20%.” The firm also estimated that M&A deal volume will increase by 16% in the private equity world. ... Given the projected increase in M&A deal activity, I expect to see an increased need for on-demand talent in 2024 and beyond to push key objectives forward, executing strategic goals to close deals and facilitate seamless transitions post-closure. ...

Palliative provider Thyme Care secures $95M in funding round Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 7/17/24 The oncology-focused value-based enabler Thyme Care has completed a $95 million funding round that includes $55 million in equity funding. The company offers palliative care in addition to other services. In May, Thyme Care launched a new palliative care telehealth offering, branded as Enhanced Supportive Care. Thyme Care will use the new infusion of investment dollars to expand to new geographies, build new partnerships with oncologists, primary care practices and health plans, according to a press release.

Risant Health plans to acquire North Carolina system Becker's Hospital Review; by Alan Condon; 6/24/24 Risant Health, a nonprofit formed under Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Greensboro, N.C.-based Cone Health. The news comes less than three months after Risant acquired its first health system, Danville, Pa.-based Geisinger Health. If the transaction closes, Cone Health will operate independently as a regional and community-based health system under Risant, which supports organizations with technology and services to improve outcomes and lower care costs in diverse business models. 

Addus to buy Gentiva’s personal care assets for $350 million Home Health Care News; by Andrew Donlan; 6/10/24 Addus HomeCare Corp. is set to acquire Gentiva’s personal care assets for about $350 million.Those assets amount to over 16,000 home care patients per day, in Arizona, Arkansas, California, Missouri, North Carolina, Tennessee and Texas. Addus – which just left the state of New York – will fund the acquisition through its existing revolving credit facility. “We believe this acquisition is a great strategic fit for Addus, and we are excited about the opportunity to expand our personal care market coverage in seven states, including Texas and Missouri, which are new markets for Addus,” Addus CEO Dirk Allison said. ... Addus currently provides home care, home health care and hospice services to over 49,000 consumers through 214 locations spanning 22 states.

UnitedHealth Group continues to leverage home-based care to drive value-based strategy Home Health Care News; by Robert Holly; 5/30/24 Value-based care has long been a core focus for UnitedHealth Group and its Optum arm. Recently, however, the health care giant has started to view value-based care as a sustainable business model that it can lean into to drive growth across its operations. ... “Although it’s a topic that has been talked about for probably 30 years as a theme, I would say, really, only within UnitedHealth Group and Optum are you seeing value-based care now on a scale and presence [that] allows it to operate truly as a business model,” UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty said Wednesday, speaking at an investor conference.