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SeekingAlpha.comHackensack hospital sells hospice programTue May 10, 2011 10:57 am | about: AMED
NEWS PROVIDED BY: McClatchy
May 10--
Hackensack University Medical Center has sold its hospice operation to a Louisiana company that had purchased the hospital's home health care program in 2009.
Amedisys Inc., which specializes in home health care and hospice services, announced the purchase of the hospital's eight-bed inpatient unit last week for an undisclosed sum.
The unit, housed in the top floor of the for-profit Prospect Heights Care Center on Prospect Avenue in Hackensack, will remain in the same location with its current staff, said Hackensack spokeswoman Nancy Radwin.
"This transition of care will proceed over a period of time and is subject to customary closing conditions and approvals," Radwin said.
The Baton Rouge firm has not determined whether it will expand the unit, said Jacqueline Chen Valencia, Amedisys' senior vice president of marketing.
"Providing high-quality patient care is one of our company's main operating tenets, and we are excited about the opportunity to extend our high-quality hospice service into New Jersey, said William F. Borne, Amedisys' chief executive officer.
"We have worked closely with HUMC since acquiring their home health operations in 2009 to provide patients a seamless transition of care from the hospital to home. We are eager to expand this relationship to hospice services," he said.
For-profit corporations have been acquiring hospice programs nationwide, said Donald Pendley, president of the New Jersey Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. In New Jersey, about one-third of the state's 58 hospice programs are operated by for-profit companies, he said.
"For-profits normally focus on patients in nursing homes while the non-profits deal a lot with patients still in their homes," Pendley said. "It doesn't really matter whether it's for-profit or non-profit running the program. What's important is that if the patient or family is not happy, they have a federal right to transfer to another hospice program and both programs are required to assist in the transition."
Hospital officials said the sale will not change the quality of care for patients.
"At HUMC, our focus is always on providing the most advanced, top-quality care possible to the people we serve, either directly or by partnering with providers who share our philosophy," said Dianne Aroh, executive vice president, chief nursing and patient care officer at HUMC. "We believe this vision is shared by Amedisys, and by completing this transaction and working together to streamline the transition of care to our patients, we will strengthen the end-of-life care being provided to our community."
E-mail: williamsb@northjersey.com
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