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Healthcare Dealmakers—UHG, Amedisys close merger; Walgreens acquired and more Fierce Healthcare; by Dave Muoio; 9/5/25 Healthcare mergers and acquisitions are in no short supply as providers, health tech companies, retailers and other industry players look to expand their businesses and gain a competitive edge. Here’s a roundup of new deals that were revealed, closed, rumored or called off during the month of August.

VIA Health Partners acquires primary care company Equity Health Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 9/4/25 North Carolina-headquartered VIA Health partners has expanded into the home-based primary care arena with the acquisition of Equity Health. Financial terms were undisclosed. Michelle Schmerge, president and founder of Equity Health, established the company about five years ago. Equity Health’s model involves offering a full spectrum of primary care services in the home, with the goals of reducing burden on caregivers, reducing hospitalizations and improving chronic disease management. ... VIA Health Partners is an independent, community-based not-for-profit provider of hospice and serious illness care, serving more than 5,000 patients and families daily across 38 counties across the Carolinas.

Publicly traded hospice companies seeking acquisitions, reporting substantial growth Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 8/28/25 The nation’s largest hospice companies are seeing significant hospice growth amid executive changes and rising interest in M&A. These are the key themes that emerged during this year’s second quarter earnings season, in which publicly traded home health and hospice companies report their financial results, guidance for the remainder of the year and other key announcements. ... 

Cambia, BCBS North Dakota announce strategic affiliationBecker's Payer Issues, by Jakob Emerson; 8/21/25Cambia Health Solutions and Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota plan to enter a strategic affiliation that would bring the Fargo-based insurer under Cambia’s management while maintaining its local governance and mutual status. The agreement would integrate BCBSND into Portland, Ore.-based Cambia, alongside its Regence Blues plans in Idaho, Oregon, Utah and Washington, according to an Aug. 21 news release. Cambia will assume responsibility for operations, including claims, IT, financial reporting and plan performance. BCBSND employees will become Cambia employees, though the health plan will keep its local name, board of directors and foundation. Its reserves and philanthropic resources will also remain in North Dakota.

BrightSpring taking modest approach to M&A in 2025 Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 8/15/25 BrightSpring Health Services (Nasdaq: BTSG) is taking a slow and steady look at acquisition opportunities through the remainder of the year. The company is allowing the dust to settle on the divestiture of its community living business to Setiva for $835 million before once again investing heavily in acquisitions, according to CEO, President and Chairman Jon Rousseau. The divestiture is expected to close in the fourth quarter. But that doesn’t mean that BrightSpring is out of the market for deals. 

Pennant Group expands through Amedisys acquisition Pulivarthi Group; 8/12/25In a significant shift within the healthcare landscape, the Pennant Group has announced its intention to acquire home health and hospice agencies presently owned by Amedisys and UnitedHealth. This move marks an essential strategic expansion into the Southeast U.S., a region already experiencing increasing demand for quality home health services. ... This post provides an in-depth analysis of the home health acquisition landscape while addressing key challenges such as reimbursement issues, staff retention, and access to care for vulnerable patients.

St. Croix Hospice to acquire Mayo Clinic Health System hospice operations in Northwest and Southwest WisconsinWVNews West Virginia's News; Press Release by St. Croix Hospice; 8/1/25 St. Croix Hospice and Mayo Clinic Health System (MCHS) have entered into a definitive agreement for St. Croix Hospice to acquire MCHS's hospice operations in Northwest and Southwest Wisconsin. The agreement is subject to regulatory approval and is expected to close later this quarter. The organizations have been longstanding partners in Midwest care, with St. Croix Hospice serving as a leading agency for hospice patients referred outside MCHS.

How rising tariffs could affect hospice M&A Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 7/11/25 ... Tariffs tend to raise prices and often trigger interest rate increases by the Federal Reserve. This makes financing debt more expensive, and many buyers in the M&A market rely on borrowing to make acquisitions. This can have a “ripple effect” on the M&A landscape, including in hospice, according to Cory Mertz, managing partner of the M&A advisory firm Mertz Taggart. “Tariffs raise costs, which can tighten debt markets and make capital more expensive,” Mertz told Hospice News in an email. “Since M&A is largely driven by both debt and equity investors, a higher cost of capital tends to put downward pressure on valuations. This can lead some buyers to pause or redirect their investment elsewhere, while some potential sellers may hold off on going to market.”

Creach Family Holdings acquires Freudenthal Home-Based Healthcare to expand in-home care services Associated Press, Overland Park, MO; Press Release; 7/2/25 Creach Family Holdings, LLC (CFH), a privately held investment firm focused on healthcare technology and tech-enabled services, today announced the acquisition of Freudenthal Home-Based Healthcare, a leading provider of in- home health services based in St. Joseph, Missouri. ... Freudenthal Home-Based Healthcare will continue to operate under its existing name and will become part of CFH’s growing Home Health and Hospice group which includes Faith Home Health and Hospice, with headquarters in Overland Park, KS.

New Day Healthcare to enter new state with acquisition of Heritage Home Healthcare Home Health Care News; by Morgan Gonzales; 6/18/25 Home-based provider New Day Healthcare announced Wednesday that it agreed to acquire Heritage Home Healthcare, marking its first foray into a new state. With a team of over 900 caregivers, Heritage Home Healthcare provides home care, hospice and skilled nursing services to more than 1,100 patients daily across New Mexico. The acquisition brings New Day’s total deal count to 15. ... Texas-based New Day Healthcare offers home health, hospice, pediatric, clinical decision support and personal care services in Texas, Missouri, Kansas, Illinois and now New Mexico. The company’s 10,000 team members help service nearly 180,000 patients annually.

h/care acquires home health, hospice provider VNA of Ohio Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 6/4/25 The health care management organization h/care has acquired the home health and hospice provider Visiting Nurse Association of Ohio (VNA). Financial terms were undisclosed. VNA was established in 1902 by 13 women seeking to provide care to the seriously ill. The organization has been considering a sale for some time, according to Ryan Haller, CEO and founding principal of h/care. The two companies connected through mutual industry relationships, Haller said. 

Hospice propelling growth for publicly traded home-based care companies Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 5/23/25Hospice has emerged as a growth engine for publicly traded home-based care companies, several of which are on the hunt for acquisitions. Hospice has buoyed growth for several companies as they battle home health-related headwinds, including reimbursement pressures. Companies like VITAS Healthcare (NYSE: CHE), which only provide hospice and palliative care, also saw substantial growth. ... VITAS attributes the revenue growth to an 11.9% increase in days-of-care and a geographically weighted average Medicare reimbursement rate increase of approximately 3.2%. Hospice is also fueling growth at Addus Homecare (Nasdaq: ADUS). ... Similar trends exist for other publicly traded companies, including Aveanna Healthcare (Nasdaq: AVAH), Enhabit Inc. (NYSE: EHAB), The Pennant Group (Nasdaq: PNTG) and BrightSpring Health Services (Nasdaq: BTSG).

Cybersecurity in Mergers and Acquisitions CybersecurityNews.com; by CISO Advisory; 4/30/25 Cybersecurity in mergers and acquisitions is crucial, as M&A activities represent key inflection points for organizations, offering growth opportunities while introducing significant security challenges. In today’s threat landscape, cybersecurity has become a decisive factor in M&A success, with studies showing that over 40% of deals face serious cybersecurity issues post-acquisition.