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Compassus says it is pursuing growth through acquisitions, joint ventures and new locations, with a focus on partnerships that integrate its teams into health systems. The company says this model helps identify patients who need post-acute care and coordinate referrals to home health, hospice or palliative services. A federal enrollment moratorium limits some forms of expansion through Nov. 13, unless extended.
Compassus is expanding its focus on health system partnerships as it weighs joint ventures, acquisitions and new locations to grow its home health and hospice business. The Brentwood, Tennessee-based provider says placing its teams alongside hospital case managers can help identify patients earlier and coordinate discharge to appropriate home-based and other post-acute care.
Chris Core, Compassus’ senior vice president and chief growth officer, told Hospice News that the company has an active pipeline spanning joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions, and de novo growth. Compassus has expanded through acquisitions and plans to continue using that route, he said. The company is also selective about potential partners, weighing clinical quality, strategic alignment and the growth potential of particular markets.
Under what Core described as Compassus’ value-based enterprise model, its staff work directly alongside a health system’s case management team. The teams seek to identify patients who may need post-acute follow-up early enough to coordinate their discharge to community-based services. Depending on a patient’s needs, those services may include home health, hospice or palliative care, Core said.
Compassus also says it works to educate referring providers about home health and hospice and to simplify the referral process. Core described providers as facing pressure to see more patients with fewer resources. The company aims to help them understand when in-home care may be appropriate and to make it easier for patients to start receiving services promptly. These are descriptions of Compassus’ approach; the report did not provide outcome data measuring its effects on patient care or costs.
How Embedded Teams Shape Discharge Care
Health systems must arrange follow-up care when patients leave the hospital, and the choice of post-acute provider can affect continuity of care and the support available at home. Embedding Compassus staff within case-management teams puts the provider in the discharge-planning process, potentially allowing earlier discussion of home health, hospice or palliative options.
The partnership strategy also gives Compassus a route to work with health systems in local markets, rather than relying only on standalone expansion. Core said joint ventures allow the company to deliver value for health system partners and their communities. That is the company’s assessment; the source report does not quantify the value, describe specific joint venture terms or provide comparisons with other discharge models.
For patients and referring clinicians, the practical issue is whether this coordination makes it easier to find suitable services and begin care after discharge. Compassus’ stated goals include earlier identification and smoother referrals, but the available reporting does not establish how consistently those goals are achieved across its operations.
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Growth Amid Federal Enrollment Limits
Compassus provides home health, home infusion, palliative and hospice services, among other in-home offerings. The company is backed by TowerBrook Capital Partners, employs more than 10,000 people and operates in 33 states, according to the source report. Its scale and range of services are part of the backdrop to its pursuit of partnerships and acquisitions.
Expansion through new locations faces a temporary federal constraint. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ six-month moratoria took effect May 13, 2026, and were scheduled to run through Nov. 13 unless CMS extends them. The restrictions apply to new Medicare enrollment for home health and hospice providers, including new branches and hospice practice locations, as well as certain ownership changes requiring initial enrollment. Core said the restrictions limit de novo growth, while Compassus continues to consider the other growth routes.
Core said Compassus supports the moratoria as part of CMS’ efforts to strengthen program integrity. He said the company believes providers committed to ethical and responsible care should support temporary measures intended to create a cleaner operating environment. The moratoria are a federal measure; Compassus’ stated support does not establish their effect on fraud or program integrity.
“Efficiency from hospital discharge to [the] right post-acute follow-up, whether that’s hospice or home health or palliative, is really, really critical.”
— Chris Core, Compassus senior vice president and chief growth officer, speaking to Hospice News
Unreported Outcomes and Partnership Details
The report does not identify specific new joint ventures, acquisition targets, planned locations or transaction timelines. It also does not disclose the number or value of opportunities in Compassus’ pipeline, or say which markets the company is prioritizing.
The impact of the embedded model is not quantified in the source material. No patient outcome, referral, cost or readmission data were provided to show how the approach compares with other care-coordination arrangements. It is also not clear how many Compassus operations use this model or how it varies among health system partners.
The duration of the federal restrictions remains subject to CMS action: the moratoria were scheduled to end Nov. 13, 2026, unless extended. The report does not say whether an extension has been announced. It also does not detail how the restrictions may affect individual Compassus growth opportunities or the broader market.
Pipeline and Moratorium Milestones
Compassus says it intends to pursue growth through partnerships, acquisitions and de novo opportunities, while selecting partners based on clinical quality, strategic fit and local growth prospects. Any specific deals or expansion plans would need to be assessed from further company announcements and relevant regulatory filings; none are detailed in the report.
The scheduled Nov. 13 end date for the CMS moratoria is a near-term milestone for providers considering new Medicare enrollment or covered location changes. CMS could allow the restrictions to expire or extend them. Until the agency’s position is clear, the scope of Compassus’ near-term de novo expansion remains uncertain.
Key Questions
What is Compassus changing in its growth strategy?
Compassus is emphasizing joint ventures with health systems alongside acquisitions and de novo growth. Its growth chief said the company has an active pipeline across all three approaches.
What does Compassus mean by embedding teams with health systems?
In the company’s described model, Compassus staff work alongside a health system’s case-management team to identify patients who may need post-acute services and coordinate discharge to appropriate care.
Which services may patients be referred to?
Depending on their needs, patients may be connected with home health, hospice or palliative care. Compassus also provides home infusion and other in-home services.
How do the CMS moratoria affect expansion?
The six-month restrictions limit new Medicare enrollment for home health and hospice providers, including new branches and hospice locations and certain ownership changes requiring initial enrollment. They took effect May 13 and were scheduled to run through Nov. 13, 2026, unless CMS extends them.
Has Compassus shown that its partnership model improves outcomes?
The source report describes the company’s goals and approach but provides no outcome data or comparison establishing effects on patient care, costs or referrals.
Source: rss
