Providence and Compassus announce joint venture for home-based care services

Providence at Home with Compassus will ensure access to care and improve care delivery

RENTON, Wash., and BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – Providence, a not-for-profit health system serving the Western U.S., and Compassus, a leading national provider of integrated home-based care services, announced today they have signed an agreement to form a joint venture for home health, hospice, community-based palliative care and private duty caregiving services. The new entity will be called Providence at Home with Compassus. In Lubbock, Texas, the Covenant Health hospice program that’s part of the Providence family of organizations will be rebranded as Covenant Health at Home with Compassus.

Under the agreement, Compassus will manage operations for the joint venture, which will include 24 home health locations in Alaska, California, Oregon and Washington, and 17 hospice and palliative care locations in Alaska, California, Oregon, Texas and Washington. The joint venture will also include private duty services in Southern California.

“Serving people in their home, many of whom are at their most vulnerable, is sacred work and a deeply held part of the Providence mission. As our communities age, we have been thoughtfully evaluating how to best meet the growing need for these services,” explains Terri Warren, Providence chief of community services. “Compassus shares our commitment to these services and will enable us to expand access to care in the comfort of home.”

“Compassus has experience partnering with forward-looking nonprofit health systems to leverage combined strengths and resources to deliver high-quality home-based care in more communities,” said Compassus CEO Mike Asselta. “Coupling our operational expertise with Providence’s rich history of impactful collaboration, we will extend compassionate, person-centered care to support more patients and families and allow people to receive care where they live whenever possible.”

Demand for these services will only continue to grow as the population ages. At the same time, the cost of providing care remains on the rise, with pharmaceuticals, medical supplies and the national shortage of health care professionals continuing to drive up expenses. To ensure continuing affordability for patients and communities while expanding access to these services, innovation is essential. Providence chose this joint venture because Compassus brings a proven track record for high-quality home-based care, as well as technology and devices that will further support nurses and other caregivers delivering care in the home.

Compassus provides home-based care services including home health, home infusion, palliative and hospice care. The company’s more than 7,000 team members serve patients across more than 270 locations in 30 states. Compassus has a strong track record of joint ventures with not-for-profit health systems, having forged similar joint ventures with providers such as Ascension, Bon Secours Mercy Health and OhioHealth.

Both organizations are committed to high-quality care and will work closely to ensure continuity of care for patients and their families. In addition, Providence and Compassus will also work collaboratively to support the home health, hospice, palliative and private duty caregivers transferring employment to the joint venture. The new organization will continue to provide spiritually grounded care to help improve quality of life.

While the joint venture is subject to regulatory review, the agreement formalizes the intent of both parties to move forward with the transition and integration.