Specifically, Edison Home Health Care of New York and Preferred Home Healthcare of New York allegedly failed to pay full wages and benefits to over 25,000 workers, according to the New York State Attorney General’s office.

The two agencies and their former operators will pay $7.5 million out to the over 25,000 workers. They will also pay $9.75 million back to Medicaid. It represents the largest wage parity settlement ever secured by the Office of the Attorney General and the Eastern District of New York.

Help at Home acquired both Edison Home Health Care and Preferred Home Healthcare in 2022, but a spokesperson for the company told Home Health Care News that the violations occurred prior to the acquisition.

“Home health aides provide crucial care to our most vulnerable neighbors and loved ones, and they deserve to be paid for their hard work,” James said in a statement. “Edison and Preferred cheated employees out of years of pay and cheated New York taxpayers by defrauding Medicaid for their own benefit. This is a tremendous victory for our ongoing efforts to protect hardworking New Yorkers’ rightfully earned wages.”

The New York Wage Parity Act, which was established in 2012, “was created to ensure home health aides receive fair compensation and benefits for their hard work,” a press release on the settlement read.

The investigation found that the two agencies failed to pay workers the full benefits they were owed under the Wage Parity Act, instead using those funds to purchase medical “stop loss” insurance, “which is a type of insurance that acts as a safety net for employers that are paying for their employees’ medical claims.”

What’s more, “individuals and entities” related to the two agencies received millions of dollars in dividend payments from that insurance, which “effectively served as a means of siphoning away funds intended for employees.”

“Edison and Preferred then continued to seek and receive payments from Medicaid for care performed by home health aides, while falsely representing that they were in compliance with the Wage Parity Act,” the release read.

As part of the settlement, Edison Home Health Care and Preferred Home Healthcare will revise company policies and procedures. They will also “regularly report staff wages and policy implementations” to the attorney general’s office for three years.

If the agencies fall out of compliance, the attorney general has the authority to bring further civil action against them.

Of the $9.75 million that will be paid out to Medicaid, $5.85 million will go to New York state. The other $3.9 million will go to the federal government.

“Home health aides work long hours at difficult, often thankless tasks to ensure that the vulnerable individuals who they provide services to are properly cared for,” Peace said in a statement. “These aides deserve the hard-earned benefits guaranteed to them under the law and my office will ensure that they are accurately compensated.”

In acquiring Edison Home Health Care and Preferred Home Healthcare, Help at Home made an entrance into New York for the first time.

The acquisitions added 10,500 new clients and 12,000 new employees to the company’s portfolio.

“As the leading provider of high-quality, Medicaid home- and community-based services, Help at Home has a 50-year history providing high quality, in-home personal care services in the communities we serve,” Help at Home told Home Health Care News in a statement. “The matter outlined in the agreements took place prior to the 2022 acquisition of Preferred Home Care of NY and Edison Home Health Care. We approached these matters with the utmost seriousness, implementing new rigorous protocols and benefit compliance processes, ensuring the companies met and continue to meet Help at Home’s best-in-class standards. We remain committed to our deep-rooted ‘caring for the caregiver’ culture and providing person-centered care that enables our clients to live as independently as possible in their own homes.”

Based in Chicago, Help at Home provides home- and community-based services (HCBS) to over 70,000 clients monthly across 11 states and more than 200 locations.

The post 2 Home Care Agencies Agree To Pay $17.25M Settlement In Historic Wage Violations Case appeared first on Home Health Care News.

Ashley Gore, market leader at Chicago-based Help at Home, has been named a 2024 Future Leader by Home Health Care News.

To become a Future Leader, an individual is nominated by their peers. The candidate must be a high-performing employee who is 40 years old or younger, a passionate worker who knows how to put vision into action, and an advocate for seniors, and the committed professionals who ensure their wellbeing.

Gore sat down with Home Health Care News to discuss the client and caregiver experience in home care.

What drew you to this industry?

I started in this industry as a caregiver 15 years ago. I wanted to make a difference and help others. 

What’s your biggest lesson learned since starting work in this industry?

Where there’s a will, there’s a way. There’s a great need in our communities for quality care to ensure that individuals can age safely in their homes, and I’m determined to deliver it.

If you could change one thing with an eye toward the future of home care, what would it be?

Eligibility requirements for clients to allow us to do more, for more.

What do you foresee as being different about the home care industry looking ahead to 2025?

The home care industry will continue to focus on, and discover innovative ways, to elevate the client and caregiver experience.

In a word, how would you describe the future of home care?

Innovative.

What quality must all Future Leaders possess?

Compassion.

To learn more about the Future Leaders program, visit https://futureleaders.agingmedia.com/.

The post Future Leader: Ashley Gore, Market Leader, Help At Home appeared first on Home Health Care News.

The company acquired Care By Your Side, One Care Health and AAMedcare, which are all home care providers based in Georgia.

“Bringing our unique value proposition to more Georgia communities enables us to provide great days and meaningful moments,” Help at Home Chief Operating Officer Ray Smithberger said in a statement. “We continue to focus on creating an environment that supports caregiver well being and satisfaction, which in turn enables them to deliver the highest quality of care to more clients who want to age in place at home.”

Based in Chicago, Help at Home is a personal care provider that mostly focuses on Medicaid home- and community-based services (HCBS). The company operates more than 180 branch locations across 11 states, with 67,000 clients and more than 58,000 caregivers. It is backed by The Vistria Group and Centerbridge Partners.

It already had a significant presence in Georgia, but mostly across the southern part of the state. Now, it will further its footprint in the Atlanta and Augusta markets. The acquisitions will also help the company “continue its commitment to its southern Georgia footprint,” according to the press release. 

Last month, at Home Health Care News’ FUTURE conference, Help at Home President Tim O’Rourke told HHCN that the company would be looking to expand its footprint in the near-term future. The recent activity in Georgia is further evidence of that.

O’Rourke also explained that the company would continue to focus on home care, as opposed to venturing into other service lines.

“Growth continues to be really strong in what we do, both organic growth and M&A activity,” he said. “We continue to see that as a big opportunity for us, not only today, but in the future. I think the biggest change that we continue to see is this ability to really connect home care into health care. Our ability to support our caregivers even more than they’ve ever been supported before – with this team of social workers, nurses, community health workers – and to start connecting folks back into the health care system is a really huge opportunity for us.”

O’Rourke also added that, while Help at Home is not focused on other service lines, it does want to create opportunities for wraparound services for clients – such as transportation, meals and pharmacy services, for example. 

“We’re always working to fulfill the growing demands of seniors and disabled individuals who want home care services allowing them to live as independently as possible in their own homes,” Help at Home Senior Area Leader Jennifer Clayton said in a statement. “We want to extend a warm welcome to caregivers, clients and our payer partners throughout the Peach State to Help at Home.”

The post Help at Home Announces Three Acquisitions, Expands In Key State appeared first on Home Health Care News.

At Home Helpers, the biggest change that has taken place over the past year has to do with data and informatics. The company is using the information gleaned from this data to make decisions at a macro and micro level.

“We’ve really made investment in data and informatics, to support our franchisees – so that they can be more efficient, more profitable, more effective – and to support the families that we serve, and the caregivers that we serve in their ability to have information, to make good decisions, as they’re delivering exceptional care,” Home Helpers President and CEO Emma Dickison said during a panel discussion at Home Health Care News’ FUTURE conference last week.

Dickison noted that information that resulted from this data was especially helpful across a large franchise brand like Home Helpers.

Cincinnati-based Home Helpers is a home care franchise that provides personal care, nutrition and companionship care, among other services. The company has 348 franchise locations, and serves about 1,500 communities across 39 states.

On its end, HCR Home Care has focused on improving retention at the company, and has made specific changes in order to accomplish this.

“Post-covid, our focus has been on the employee, and on how we keep these caregivers employed and supported,” HCR Home Care President Suzanne Turchetti said during the discussion. “We’ve invested in a lot of technology. We have a rewards program we use for our caregivers, and that’s showing early indications of higher retention, and we’re really making sure that we’re supporting our caregivers, not only with professional growth, but also the personal challenges that prevent them from coming to work.”

Founded in 1978, HCR Home Care is a provider of home care and home health services across New York state.

Some of the personal challenges HCR Home Care is helping employees address include food insecurity, or even housing issues, according to Turchetti.

The company has received an ARPA grant from the federal government to support these efforts.

“Our employees, I always say, are the heart of our organization, and if we don’t take care of that heart, then we don’t have anyone to take care of those patients,” she said.

Employee retention is especially at HCR Home Care because the company experienced a rough patch in the business during the COVID-era. During this period, the company had an extremely high turnover rate.

Since then, HCR Home Care has started to turn things around.

“One of the things that we started during the later years of Covid, probably late 2022, is what we call our ‘grow our own’ model,” Turchetti said. “We have a home health aide training program that’s licensed by New York State. We bring in folks who are new to the health care world, and we train them and pay them for their training. We have seen a huge improvement in retention for the people that we bring through our training program versus the people who are already certified.”

Before this, HCR Home Care mostly focused on recruiting aides that already had industry experience. The company has seen its turnover rate transform from being in the low 70s to dropping down to 40%.

Similarly, Help at Home has also set its sights on improving conditions for caregivers.

“They’ve got the toughest job every day, they face that threshold,” Help at Home President Tim O’Rourke said during the discussion. “They have to take care of people in their home, and it’s our job to support them. We’ve invested a ton in technology and in resources to actually support caregivers.”

Based in Chicago, Help at Home has more than 180 branch locations across 12 states. It provides personal care services to more than 66,000 clients via more than 53,000 caregivers.

One key investment for Help at Home has been AI-enabled technology that recruits 24/7, a platform that enables the company to bolster its recruitment efforts.

Help at Home has also invested in data that allows the company to enable more successful caregiver, client matching.

The company has also implemented 24/7 support for caregivers.

“At any point, any time, the caregiver can reach out and actually get a human being to talk to them and help them when they need it,” O’Rourke said. “At the end of the day, we’ve actually invested in an entire care team to support the caregiver in what they do every day.”

Ultimately, Dickison believes that Home Helpers needed to revamp its hiring process. This meant being open to candidates who didn’t fit their typical hire criteria.

“We’ve had to look at how and who we hire completely differently, using tools and resources,” she said. “We learned through a study that was done about personas and psychographics that really align to various positions in the caregiving vertical. Leveraging that data, [we discovered that] we tended to hire the same type, the same type, the same type. We always wanted that full-time person that was going to be with you 40 hours a week, plus overtime. We really bypassed some really good candidates in those personas that weren’t going to be lifelong.”

The post Home Care Leaders Are Embarking On New, Future-Facing Paths To Find Success appeared first on Home Health Care News.

To become a Frontline Honoree, an individual is nominated by their peers. The candidate must be a dedicated, high-performing frontline worker who delivers exceptional experiences and outcomes; a passionate worker who knows how to put their vision into action for the good of older adults and aging industry professionals; and an advocate for older adults, their industry, and their peers.

Home Health Care News caught up with Haehl to discuss their time in the home health care industry.

HHCN: What drew you to this industry?

Haehl: I grew up in a caring family and community. I learned to look for needs, and then strive to meet those needs. Caring for those in Home Health has been a driving passion for me. Being a Home Health Aide has afforded an opportunity for me to, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

HHCN: What’s your biggest lesson learned since starting to work in the industry?

Haehl: Continuing to gain a greater skill set, working as a team, and treating each client as unique and valuable are essential to great care. Each person has a varied set of factors that matter in the scheme of providing clients with highly skilled and personalized care.

HHCN: What’s your favorite part about your job?

Haehl: The “paycheck of the heart” can’t be put in the bank. It makes me feel rich! When a client smiles and says, “Thank you for all you do,” it is like sunshine in my soul.

HHCN: What do you want society (or the general public) to know about your job?

Haehl: Home Health Aides are the “eyes” and the “ears” who alert the team of professionals to any needs that require their attention. We provide the compassionate, hands-on care day in and day out. We are often the very “lifeline” for our clients.

HHCN: What may be one thing leaders don’t know, that you wish they universally knew, about your job?

Haehl: Essential home healthcare workers, such as aides, are the “hidden warriors” in the healthcare world. Day in and day out, they provide care for a wide variety of clients who struggle with every kind of condition. Clients who are well cared for at home thrive and don’t merely survive.

To view the entire Frontline Honors Class of 2023, visit frontlinehonors.agingmedia.com/

The post Frontline Honors: Grace Haehl, Help at Home appeared first on Home Health Care News.

To become a Frontline Honoree, an individual is nominated by their peers. The candidate must be a dedicated, high-performing frontline worker who delivers exceptional experiences and outcomes; a passionate worker who knows how to put their vision into action for the good of older adults and aging industry professionals; and an advocate for older adults, their industry, and their peers.

Home Health Care News caught up with Lockett to discuss their time in the home health care industry.

HHCN: What drew you to this industry?

Lockett: My grandmother had dementia and I used to enjoy helping her because when I did, she was much better. She would laugh and talk and eat with me and she wouldn’t for anybody else, so that made me feel really good.

HHCN: What’s your favorite part about your job?

Lockett: Helping people, seeing a smile, seeing how happy they are and giving them a better quality of life. A lot of times, they are down and, if you do something small, maybe something that’s not important to you, but it is to them and makes them happy, that is my favorite part of this job.

HHCN: What do you want society (or the general public) to know about your job?

Lockett: I love it! I would do this until the day I die. I love people and I love helping people. This job is a blessing and it’s healing. It means a lot to me to help other people.

To view the entire Frontline Honors Class of 2023, visit frontlinehonors.agingmedia.com/

The post Frontline Honors: Delisa Lockett, Help at Home appeared first on Home Health Care News.

Overall, there were 25 total deals reported, according to data from the M&A firm The Braff Group.

That quarterly number is in line with the first and second quarters. It’s down significantly from 2021 highs, which is expected, but also below pre-pandemic levels.

“We’ve previously reported that the mergers and acquisitions market has been in a prolonged slowdown since the end of 2022,” The Braff Group wrote in its quarterly report. “Early in the year, we were cautiously optimistic that we might begin to see the beginnings of a rebound in the second half of 2023. But with the Fed not ruling out additional rate hikes and fears of a recession, though less acute, nevertheless lingering, buyers are still largely playing it safe by not playing at all.”

Therefore, while it’s likely that proposed rules are playing a part in stagnant dealmaking – both in home health care and home- and community-based services (HCBS) – macroeconomic trends may be playing an even larger factor.

Private equity dealmaking overall also remained down, for instance.

“Perhaps the most important thing to note in the data is the overall consistency of the patterns among the sectors,” The Braff Group noted. “A quiet Q2 2020 when COVID struck. A pick-up in deal flow in the third and fourth quarters of 2020. A remarkable 2021 fueled by cheap debt, pent-up demand and the emergence from lockdowns. A strong start to 2022, due in part to overhang from 2021. And a fall-off towards the end of 2022, and even a bigger pull-back in 2023, due to inflation and an increase in interest rates to tamp it down. This pattern is not constrained to health care services.”

Regardless, the home health final rule coming down in home health care should trigger more activity in Medicare-certified home health care.

In the third quarter, The Braff Group reported 12 Medicare-certified home health deals, three hospice deals, nine private-duty deals and one Medicaid-based deal.

“On the home health and hospice front, support appears to be building to eliminate reimbursement cuts proposed by CMS for Medicare-certified providers, and hospice received at 3.1% increase in rates,” The Braff Group wrote. “Most importantly, current market conditions notwithstanding, in low volume markets, the most attractive firms can still command market premiums.”

New Day Healthcare, Help at Home stay busy

As for the home-based care services providers that were acquisitive in the third quarter, New Day Healthcare and Help at Home helped lead the way.

Based in Fairview, Texas, New Day Healthcare is a relatively new – but growing – home-based care provider. Its main focus is Medicare-certified home health care, but it also providers home care and hospice.

Just last week, it acquired Pathfinder Home Health, a home health provider in Texas. Prior to that, it acquired AdvantageCare Home Health in September. The company has made eight acquisitions to date.

“Our M&A strategy is very disciplined,” New Day CEO G. Scott Herman recently told Home Health Care News. “We won’t stray from that discipline. We understand that quality companies are built from quality contributors. We don’t mind companies that need help. But we’re not really interested in large-scale turnarounds.”

Still, the company plans to remain acquisitive in the near-term future.

Meanwhile, Help at Home – a provider of home care, mostly of the HCBS variety – has continued to grow.

In August, the company the Chicago-based company announced that it had acquired the Ohio-based Berkshire Homecare and the Indiana-based My Care at Home.

“These organizations are a great fit for Help at Home and allow us to extend our service coverage within these two key states,” Help at Home COO Ray Smithberger said in a statement. “We look forward to bringing Help at Home’s innovative care coordination value proposition, enhanced caregiver support and quality services to more clients in Ohio and Indiana.”

The post Outside Of A Few Busy Providers, Home-Based Care Dealmaking Remained Slow In Third Quarter appeared first on Home Health Care News.

On the buyer side, that due diligence includes checks around financials, compliance and a whole lot of other numbers.

But one factor that can fly under the radar is employee tenure.

“Tenure is a very important factor in our decision-making process as we evaluate potential partners to become part of our Help at Home family,” Rich Tinsley, chief development officer of Help at Home, told Home Health Care News. “We value long-tenured employees at every level of an organization. Tenure definitely makes the acquisition more attractive to us.”

Home-based care leaders told HHCN that a company’s workforce — and collective experience and dedication — is playing an even larger role these days in M&A.

Employee tenure – both at the caregiver and back-office level – can be an indicator of a company’s stability, resilience and positive culture.

Based in Chicago, Help at Home has more than 180 branch locations across 12 states. It provides personal care services to more than 66,000 clients via more than 53,000 caregivers.

“Our company has an average client and caregiver relationship of 4-plus years, which is reflective of the importance that we place on tenure,” Tinsley said. “We focus on like-minded organizations that place the same amount of importance we do on supporting the caregiver. It’s a win-win at the end of the day, when you have purpose-driven and supported caregivers doing their very best to care for their clients.”

Culture isn’t something that is necessarily quantifiable, however. That’s what makes M&A deals so risky in certain situations. Tenure, however, can be a data point for buyers to look into.

“Strong tenure is an indication that there is a strong culture,” Kris Novak, managing director of home health, hospice, home care and pediatrics at The Braff Group, told HHCN. “It tells me that your staff is dedicated and committed. If they’ve stayed for a long time, clearly they’re aligned on what the mission of the organization is. Given what we do in home care, home health, hospice, pediatrics — the greatest asset is the people.”

The Braff Group is an M&A advisory firm that specializes in senior care dealmaking.

Before joining the firm earlier this year, Novak was the vice president of mergers and acquisitions at the Baton Rouge, Louisiana-based Amedisys Inc. (Nasdaq: AMED).

With his background, Novak has intimate experience talking to providers about culture and quantifying the value of a well-run organization. If the people are staying on longer more often than not, that could lead to growth and is a very attractive attribute for a buyer.

“If you have employees saying that they feel like they have meaningful work, are being developed and feel appreciated — in this labor environment — that’s critical,” Novak said. “The demand for services right now is clearly very strong. All organizations are struggling from a labor perspective and so that’s your biggest lever for organic growth: having clinicians that can take care of more patients.”

Good culture fit

Tinsley said that in his experience, tenure and compliance track records are two good indicators that caregivers and care supervisors will remain with Help at Home beyond an acquisition.

“That’s key for us,” he said. “We want to manage the cultural integration strategy so that it ensures a smooth transition from the two cultures to one cohesive culture that enables our employees to thrive. We believe that the caregiver-first mindset is the key to success. If that is woven into the company’s culture, it’s a great match for us.”

There is so much unknown that goes into deals. So, if a buyer can feel more confident in the culture fit before a deal is finalized, it makes a world of difference.

“When I get a deal book and an [agency] is highlighting how long their employees have been there, I immediately think, ‘This sounds like I’m going to be stepping into something that has a recipe for success,’” Avid Health at Home CEO Jen Lentz told HHCN. “Any company who values their length of employment — whether it’s office or field staff — means that they are looking at culture and that people want to stay there.”

Avid Health at Home is a home care platform created in conjunction with the acquisition of For Papa’s Sake Home Care by private equity firm Havencrest Capital Management.

Improved outcomes

Tenure isn’t just about retention, it’s also about the care that’s being provided.

“There’s always been a correlation between tenured staff and the quality of patient care that’s delivered,” Novak said. “Obviously there’s efficiency there because they’ve done it for a long time and they’re able to be really productive from a financial perspective. But even more importantly, typically a tenured clinician is providing excellent care. That’s going to lead to higher STAR ratings and better patient satisfaction.”

With all of those elements coming together, providers are able to tell better stories to referral sources, Novak added.

The importance of tenure is different based on the organization and based on the type of worker, too.

“Caregivers and the supervisors at the branch levels — those who touch the clients — are most important in smaller acquisitions,” Tinsley said. “As prospective acquisitions get larger, the branch administration and regional leadership tenure start to play a larger factor in a successful change management execution.”

That’s why, for providers looking to sell in the near- or long-term, it’s important to keep track of tenure and be as self-aware as possible about delegation and the hierarchy.

The post Why Employee Tenure Can Make Or Break A Home-Based Care Deal appeared first on Home Health Care News.

The company will lay off nearly 800 employees in the state as of Nov. 4.

Kristen Trenaman, the VP of public relations and marketing at Help at Home, told Home Health Care News that the state’s reimbursement and regulatory environment has made it tough to recruit, hire and retain caregivers.

“Help at Home has made the decision to exit Alabama in-home personal care operations across the state, which was not made lightly,” Trenaman said in an email. “We take our responsibility to provide the safest, in-home personal care services to our clients very seriously. Taking that responsibility into account, we believe we had no choice but to make that very difficult decision not to renew our annual contract effective Sept. 30, 2023.”

Based in Chicago, Help at Home Help at Home has more than 180 branch locations across 12 states. It provides personal care services to more than 66,000 clients via more than 53,000 caregivers.

The company has five main offices in Alabama – in Gardendale, Montgomery, Northport, Evergreen and Mobile. Its 785 in-state workers help provide care across 57 counties. It will offer severance packages to all full-time employees, as well as “retention packages.”

“The current reimbursement and regulatory environment for Medicaid-funded in-home care has made it difficult to recruit, hire and retain workforce and we have not been able to overcome these challenges in the state of Alabama,” Trenaman said. “We are working with the state and AAAs to transition 1,100 clients and their caregivers to other providers and/or the state’s Personal Choices program wherever possible.”

Medicaid reimbursement for HCBS has generrally gotten much better across the majority of states since the onset of COVID-19.

Federal funding has enabled states to bolster HCBS programs, but it is Help at Home’s belief that Alabama has not done enough. Other providers have previously told HHCN that the reimbursement landscape in Alabama is difficult to manage.

In certain states – such as Massachusetts, for example – Medicaid HCBS rates have begun to rival billing rates for private-pay home care services.

On the other end, Alabama is one of 10 states that hasn’t accepted federal funding to expand its Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act, according to AL.com, which first reported Help at Home’s Alabama exit last week.

With razor-thin margins, it’s tough for HCBS providers to succeed in some states. Recruiting and retaining talent is already tough throughout the country for home-based care providers, but without the ability to raise wages, workers are generally lost to other options – whether in health care or elsewhere.

Help at Home is exiting Alabama at a time when it is growing elsewhere. It has been one of the most aggressive acquirers in home-based care over the last couple of years.

In August, it announced acquisitions in Indiana and Ohio. In March, it acquired an Atlanta-based provider. In January, it expanded its footprint in Pennsylvania with a rather large acquisition.

Last year, it became one of the largest HCBS providers in New York after two simultaneous acquisitions.

“We have no plans to exit other states as this is an isolated situation specific to the state’s approach to Medicaid-funded home care supports and services,” Trenamen said. “Help at Home continues to be committed to meeting the growing demand for in-home care for Medicaid populations in our core states, expanding into new states, enabling more seniors and disabled populations to age-in-place in their own homes while we continue our growth strategy moving forward.”

The post Help at Home Lays Off 785 Employees, Exiting Alabama Due To Reimbursement Challenges appeared first on Home Health Care News.

Help at Home makes two more acquisitions

The Chicago-based Help at Home announced this week that it has acquired the Ohio-based Berkshire Homecare and the Indiana-based My Care at Home.

“We want to extend a warm welcome to the Berkshire Homecare and My Care at Home caregivers, clients and payer partners to Help at Home,” Help at Home COO Ray Smithberger, said in a statement. “These organizations are a great fit for Help at Home and allow us to extend our service coverage within these two key states. We look forward to bringing Help at Home’s innovative care coordination value proposition, enhanced caregiver support and quality services to more clients in Ohio and Indiana.”

A home- and community-based services provider, Help at Home has 180 branch locations across 12 states. Its network includes more than 65,000 clients and 50,000 caregivers.

The company has been aggressively expanding within its key markets over the last few years.

Berkshire Homecare serves the Cleveland area, including the Lorain and Cuyahoga counties. My Care at Home is headquartered in Shelbyville, Indiana.

“The company’s continued growth in Indiana with the My Care at Home transaction coincides closely with the state’s planned transition to managed long-term services and supports (MLTSS) in 2024,” Help at Home added in its press release. “As the leading Indiana-based home care provider with distinctive value-based care capabilities, Help at Home is positioned as a partner of choice to payers in supporting the unique needs of seniors and chronic populations such as dual-eligibles in conjunction with the MLTSS transition.”

Addus completes Tennessee Quality Care acquisition

Addus HomeCare Corporation (Nasdaq: ADUS) has finalized its deal to acquire Tennessee Quality Care — a home health, hospice and private-duty nursing provider.

The price tag was $106 million.

“We are excited to add the clinical services of Tennessee Quality Care to our operations as we expand our market coverage to all three levels of home care in Tennessee,” Addus Chairman and CEO Dirk Allison said in a statement. “Tennessee Quality Care has an excellent reputation and strong market presence, which will enhance our ability to reach more patients and families in this important market.”

The Franklin, Tennessee-based provider serves an average daily census of about 1,800 patients through 17 locations in over 50 counties. The provider’s biggest service line is home health care, but it also provides private-duty nursing and hospice care.

Addus funded the acquisition through a combination of cash on hand and a revolving credit facility.

“This is a very strategic acquisition for as it allows us to offer all three levels of home-based care in an attractive market,” Allison added on the company’s second-quarter earnings call.

The Frisco, Texas-based Addus currently provides home-based care services to about 47,500 individuals through 203 locations across 22 states.

Amber Personal Care acquires Healing Hearts Home Health

Amber Personal Care has acquired Healing Hearts Home Health.

“We are thrilled to join forces with Healing Hearts Home Health,” Amber Personal Care President Sophia Akrami said in a statement. “Our shared vision and commitment to exceptional care will enable us to make a lasting impact on the lives of countless individuals in our community.”

Based in Greenwood Village, Colorado, Amber Personal Care offers home care services, dementia care, post-surgery support and physical disability support.

Healing Hearts is also based in Colorado and provides home health care to seniors.

Knute Nelson and Walker Methodist join forces

Knute Nelson and Walker Methodist, two faith-based, non-profit organizations, are set to merge into one entity.

The strategic partnership is set to be finalized at the beginning of 2024.

“Both Walker Methodist and Knute Nelson are well-respected leaders in the aging services field,” Knute Nelson CEO Mark Anderson said in a press release. “A successful merger of these two organizations would mean that we could scale appropriately, continue to be relevant and appealing to customers and job seekers, as well as allow us to better optimize technologies.”

Knute Nelson provides home health, senior housing and assisted living, among other services, in 43 counties in Minnesota and North Dakota. The company plans to grow into the metro marketplace with the new partnership.

Currently, Knute Nelson serves more than 8,500 individuals per year through about 1,100 team members.

Walker Methodist owns and manages 19 senior living communities in Minnesota and Wisconsin and serves more than 3,000 people annually, with about 1,000 team members.

National Church Residences acquires in-home medical company

The Ohio-based National Church Residences has acquired At Your Door Visiting Healthcare Services, an in-home medical service and primary care provider.

The acquisition will allow the National Church Residences team to offer home-based care and hospice services through At Your Door in its communities throughout the state.

“At Your Door’s model of providing primary care and in-home medical services for senior housing communities complements everything National Church Residences believes in by helping seniors remain living in their homes,” National Church Residences President and CEO Susan DiMickele said in a statement. “With the addition of At Your Door’s home-based primary care services, we can offer patients a full continuum of care for seniors living in our communities.”

All of At Your Door’s team members have received offers to become National Church Residences employees, the company announced. That includes owner Angela Hoff and COO Larry Hoff.

The post Transactions: Help at Home Acquires 2 Home Care Agencies; Addus Completes Tennessee Quality Care Deal appeared first on Home Health Care News.