Health-care Overhaul Includes Pilot Program of House Calls for Elderly Patients

Posted on July 15, 2010 by blogeditor

If you’re on the fence about attending the Gulf Coast Home Care Conference this coming week maybe today’s Washington Post story will get your attention. Jim Pyles has impacted federal healthcare policy for many years. Jim will be speaking on the last day of our Gulf Coast Conference. He will share his insight about the home health impact of PPACA, the Patient Protection and Accountable Care Act. In this article he shares one aspect of PPACA, the Independence at Home Act, which involves a pilot program for the complex chronically ill having physician home visits.

Health-care Overhaul Includes Pilot Program of House Calls for Elderly Patients
This is just one topic Jim Pyles will cover. You won’t want to miss hearing about the future of home health under PPACA.
Thanks, and we hope to see you at the Beau Rivage.

Warren Hebert, HCLA

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Gentiva Purchases United of Baton Rouge & Odyssey Hospice

Posted on June 10, 2010 by blogeditor

Gentiva, Inc., purchased Baton Rouge based United Home Care Services in late May. The owner of United was Ron Strother and the agency had been run by Ron’s daughter Amy for a period of time. United had locations in Prairieville, Lafayette, Eunice, Lake Charles and Monroe. (Not to be confusing there is another United Home Care owned by Danny Jones located in West Monroe and Minden. Also United Home Health of Shreveport, owned by Kareem Meiki is a third company named United.)

This acquisition is Gentiva’s second in Louisiana, as they purchased Mid State Home Health from Mark Brown in June of 2009.

Gentiva also announced their intent to purchase Odyssey Healthcare, a very large hospice company, for $1 billion. The new deal would create the largest home health/hospice provider in the US with operations in 30 states and an initial census of 14,000 patients. Read more at this link Gentiva, Odyssey Deal Creates Largest U.S. Home Health, Hospice Provider

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Lewis Computers sold to HEALTHCAREfirst

Posted on June 10, 2010 by blogeditor

Mergers and acquisitions are in the home health news frequently. This past Monday’s news of Lewis Computers sale to HEALTHCAREfirst impacts a large number of Louisiana providers that use Lewis software.

First about Lewis and HEALTHCAREfirst. The joint press release from Lewis and Healthcare First quoted long time industry leader Jeff Lewis. “The biggest advantage of this new arrangement is how it will benefit our customers. Lewis customers will still have the same solutions they depend on and so will HEALTHCAREfirst’s – but both will now have stronger products and even better support from the combined company.”

HEALTHCAREfirst President and CEO, Bobby Robertson, has been a participant in HomeCare Association of Louisiana events for many years. “We are thrilled with the opportunity to create the industry’s strongest and most complete solution provider. As with HEALTHCAREfirst, Lewis has great people and very unique offerings that will allow our combined company to fully enable agencies of all sizes to focus on patient care instead of paperwork,” says HEALTHCAREfirst President and CEO Bobby Robertson. “We fully intend to make the most of this opportunity. Customers of both companies will continue to receive exactly what they expect and need while seeing their solutions grow even stronger as our technology and services continue to advance.”

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