VITAS eyeing expansion in 12 states

VITAS eyeing expansion in 12 states 
Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 1/14/25 
Historically, VITAS Healthcare has relied heavily on organic growth, a strategy the company is not turning away from. However, it may add more acquisitions to the mix. VITAS is a subsidiary of Chemed Corp. (NYSE: CHE). The company this year made its return to the M&A market after a hiatus of several years. In April, VITAS acquired Covenant Health and Community Services’ hospice operations as well as one assisted living facility in an $85 million deal. Now, the company is seeking out other targets, with an emphasis on Certificate of Need states. “There are at a minimum 12 states we don’t operate in that we think are very attractive to us, and we are out actively sourcing deals, and we expect some of that deal flow to continue to come through here in 2025 and beyond …” VITAS CEO and Chairman Nick Westfall said during the JP Morgan Healthcare conference. “We think we’re in the early roads of really an ongoing consolidation inside of the space.”