Literature Review

Second Opinion Expert announces strategic relationship with Intra Care Home Health Providers Cision PRWeb; by SecondOpinionExpert, Inc / PRNewswire; 5/3/24 SecondOpinionExpert, Inc. (SOE), a leading healthcare technology company, announced today that it has formed a strategic relationship with Intra Care Home Health Providers, Inc. and its affiliated home health and hospice companies. ... Intra Care Home Health Services, Inc., a Los Angeles, CA based healthcare company, along with the related Intra Care SFV, Inc., Specialized Home Health Services, Inc., and Intra Care Hospice, Inc., (Intra Care) will all work with SOE as part of this relationship.

Elara Caring agrees to pay $4.2 million to settle False Claims Act allegations that it billed Medicare for ineligible hospice patients Office of Public Affairs, U.S. Department of Justice; Press Release; 5/1/24Elara Caring, and its wholly owned subsidiaries JHH/CIMA Holdings Inc., CIMA Healthcare Management Inc., CIMA Hospice of Texarkana L.L.C., CIMA Hospice of East Texas L.L.C. and CIMA Hospice of El Paso L.P., have agreed to pay $4.2 million to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by knowingly submitting false claims and knowingly retaining overpayments for the care of hospice patients in Texas who were ineligible for the Medicare hospice benefit because they were not terminally ill. 

Optum shutting down telehealth business Becker's Health IT; by Jakob Emerson; 4/25/24UnitedHealth Group's Optum Virtual Care is shutting down, Endpoints News reported April 24. News of the closure of the company's telehealth business came shortly after Optum employees took to social media beginning April 18 regarding a reduction in force they say occurred across the organization. 

Canyon Lake Hospice Care extends compassionate services to El Cajon community Iowanews Headlines; 4/12/24 Canyon Lake Hospice Care, known for its unwavering commitment to providing compassionate end-of-life support, is extending its services to the El Cajon community. This expansion heralds a significant milestone, not just for Canyon Lake Hospice Care, but also for the residents of El Cajon who seek specialized hospice care.

Private Equity: Proposed Health Over Wealth Act - What this means for you JD Supra, by Roger Strode; 4/11/24 On April 3, 2024, Senators Edward Markey ... and Elizabeth Warren ... chaired a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Subcommittee ... titled, When Health Care Becomes Wealth Care: How Corporate Greed Puts Patient Care and Health Workers at Risk. As part of the hearing process, Senator Markey released his new legislative agenda that calls for transparency and accountability for private equity (PE) in health care. ... The bill would require PE-backed or other for-profit owned providers (those providing services covered by Medicare under 42 U.S.C. Section 1395d) such as hospitals, hospice, nursing homes, and certain other facilities[1], to annually report to HHS on all manner of things including, but not limited to ... [click on the title to link to the list].

Hospice facility “House of Goshen” opening in Flossmoor in April Crusader Staff; 3/29/24 House of Goshen has announced a dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony for its new 14-bed, 14,000-square-foot inpatient Hospice House, scheduled for Thursday, April 11, at 4 p.m. The facility broke ground at 19810 Governors Highway in March 2023. The upcoming April ceremony marks a milestone in the organization’s commitment to enhancing end-of-life care in the Village of Flossmoor, Illinois. ... The new facility will operate under the umbrella of Oasis Hospice.

Hospice group pushes for clarity in N.Y. state budget as some warm to for-profit care Spectrum News 1; by Susan Arbetter; 3/19/24 New York state has the lowest utilization of hospice in the country, which can be attributed to several factors, including low health literacy rates. But the state’s recent progress in support of end-of-life care may be threatened by something even more insidious: corporate greed. To investigate that issue nationally, a joint request for information was issued by the federal Department of Health and Human Services and the Federal Trade Commission into private equity-backed health care and its impact on quality. Yet despite dire warnings, New York state is slowly opening the door to for-profit, private equity-backed hospice care. 

Fitch: Scrutiny of private equity deals is short-term positive Modern Healthcare, by Hayley Desilva; 3/18/24 Increased federal scrutiny of healthcare mergers and acquisitions is expected to have mixed consequences for providers' credit, particularly when private equity buyers are involved, according to Fitch Ratings. ... In December, the [Federal Trade Commission] FTC updated its merger guidelines to foster competition across all industries, including healthcare. However, healthcare acquisitions are expected to increase this year as financial conditions improve.

Private equity sets sights on home care, hospice, new report findsMcKnights Home Care, by Adam Healy; 3/14/24The home care segment increasingly has become an attractive target for private equity buyers, particularly personal care and hospice, according to the Private Equity Stakeholder Project, a nonprofit financial watchdog organization.

Hospices welcome VBID’s demise, but questions remainHospice News, by Jim Parker; 3/5/24Citing “operational challenges,” the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced [Monday] that it would bring to a close the hospice component of the value-based insurance design (VBID) demonstration, effective Dec. 31. ... Hospice News spoke with leaders of hospice organizations, industry groups and other stakeholders to gauge providers’ perceptions of the CMS decision. 

Staffing, capacity gains ‘catapult’ growth at VITAS Hospice News, by Jim Parker; 2/28/24Capacity gains driven by a slate of new hires has propelled VITAS Healthcare to pre-pandemic performance. A bonus program implemented last year has accelerated hiring, which in turn has relieved some of the capacity constraints that have been a stumbling block for several quarters running.The initiative included a one-time retention payment that ranges from $2,000 to $15,000 per employee for nurses, nurse managers, home health aides and social workers. 

Addus more bullish on looming 80-20 rule, ready to ramp up M&A in 2024Home Health Care News, by Andrew Donlan; 2/27/24Addus HomeCare Corp. (Nasdaq: ADUS) leaders expressed noteworthy optimism in two areas Tuesday: the pending “80-20” rule and their M&A forecast for the near-term future. ... Based in Frisco, Texas, Addus provides personal care, home health care and hospice to more than 49,000 consumers via its 217 locations across 22 states.

How New Day Healthcare plans to be the face of a changing home health landscapeHome Health Care News; 2/12/24New Day Healthcare has been one of the most active acquirers in home health care over the last year. As it grows, it’s looking to set itself apart from the home health company archetype of yesteryear.