Kindred, Genesis Form ‘Groundbreaking’ Post-Acute Collaboration

Two of the nation’s largest post-acute care providers are forging a “strategic clinical collaboration,” through which they intend to offer complementary, coordinated services.

The relationship between Genesis HealthCare (NYSE: GEN) and Kindred Healthcare (NYSE: KND) is the first of its kind in the post-acute space, Genesis CEO George V. Hager said in a press release issued Tuesday.

“I am excited to embark on this new groundbreaking clinical relationship with Kindred,” Hager stated.

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Genesis is one of the largest skilled nursing operators in the country, with about 500 skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) and assisted/senior living communities in 34 states.

Kindred used to be a competitor in the SNF space, but in November announced that it is exiting that industry, to double-down on its other divisions, including long-term acute care hospitals (LTACHs), inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs), and home health and hospice. Kindred became the largest home health provider in the nation after acquiring Gentiva Health for $1.8 billion in 2014.

Kindred would closely partner with other SNF providers going forward, CEO Benjamin Breier said in November when announcing the company’s depature from the skilled nursing field. Now, Genesis is officially moving into this role of close partner.

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A Genesis/Kindred collaboration makes sense because they have different core and non-core businesses, the companies stated in their press release. In addition to its SNFs, Genesis wholly owns a staffing firm and a company offering in-home services through outpatient therapy agencies. In addition to its home health/hospice, LTACH, and IRF divisions, Kindred does post-discharge follow-up for patients through an “AfterCare” telephone service.

The idea is that through shared data tracking and analysis, smooth transitions between care settings, and other efforts, the two companies can improve patient outcomes and position themselves for success in the evolving health care system. Payment reforms that began under the Affordable Care Act have incentivized more coordinated care of patient populations.

Other stated goals of the collaboration include: supporting the development of post-acute networks for different patient populations and services; developing better processes and tools for post-acute care discharge planning and transitions; promoting physician collaboration and integration across the continuum of care.

“Through this collaborative relationship, Kindred and Genesis will build upon our abilities to deliver quality, share best practices and improve care transitions in local markets across all post-acute settings in order to meet patients where and when they need care,” Breier stated in Monday’s press release. “Our future will be driven by collaborative efforts to deliver coordinated post-acute care with other providers, enabled by technology and data-driven care management capabilities. We believe that working with Genesis is an important step in driving effective patient-centered care solutions and proactively addressing the changing health care marketplace.”

The collaboration will not limit the companies’ relationships with other providers, according to the release. The companies did not mention any financial terms of the collaboration.

Kindred and Genesis did not immediately return phone calls from Senior Housing News on Tuesday evening. 

Written by Tim Mullaney

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