St. Louis' Ascension Health has entered into a joint venture with Evolution Health to offer post-acute services to patients in communities served by Ascension Health facilities. Services will include home care, hospice care and infusion therapy. According to a joint press release, the companies' leadership expects revenues for the joint venture to be between
$75 million and $100 million in the first year of operation.
Evolution Health is a division of Greenwood Village, Colo.-based Envision Healthcare, a nine-year-old company whose stock trades on the New York exchange. According to Envision Healthcare's website, the company provides "outsourced" medical services to hospitals, health care systems, health plans, government agencies and consumers. Evolution Health provides care to people with advanced and chronic illness, using multidisciplinary care teams that include nurse practitioners, physician assistants and other clinicians.
According to the release, five of Ascension Health's 23 communities will begin working with the joint venture at the end of the year as part of phase one of the rollout; additional communities will be added over the next three years. "Under the arrangement, Evolution Health will be Ascension Health's exclusive partner" in the provision of hospice, home care and infusion therapy to patients in their homes and other facilities outside its hospitals, according to the release.
Anthony Tersigni, president and chief executive of Ascension Health's parent, Ascension, said in the release that the creation of the joint venture furthers the system's focus on delivering person-centered care as part of an effort to manage the health of populations of patients, including those who are poor and vulnerable. William Sanger, president and chief executive of Envision, said the joint venture is aimed at improving patient outcomes and patient satisfaction.
Ascension Health President and Chief Executive Robert Henkel said in the release that some Ascension Health ministries already provide the types of post-acute services that Evolution Health provides. "We believe there is much to be learned by working with Evolution Health in a way that ensures the most effective and efficient care across our national health ministry …," Henkel said.
Ascension Health is not providing information beyond the press release at this time.
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