Home Health Care Services Industry Profile

Companies in this industry provide a range of skilled nursing and other health care services, as well as personal care services, to patients in their homes. Major companies include Amedisys, Apria, CenterWell Home Health, and Lincare (all based in the US), along with Cera Care (UK), LVL Médical (France), and SE Health (Canada).

Expenditures on home health services vary significantly from country to country, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Most Europe countries spend a significant amount for outpatient care, which include home-based curative and rehabilitative care and ancillary services. Funding sources include private pay, taxation (in those countries with nationalized health care systems), compulsory or voluntary insurance, and charitable contributions or funding from nongovernmental organizations.

The US home health care industry includes about 34,000 establishments (single-location companies and branches of multi-location companies) with combined annual revenue of about $85 billion.

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Health reform efforts are driving down reimbursement for medical services, including home health care, and payments are increasingly based on whether providers meet quality standards. At the same time, care is being pushed into lower-cost settings, giving home health agencies an advantage as they provide an alternative to costly nursing home and hospital care. Populations are aging in nations around the globe, and elderly residents increasingly prefer to stay in their homes.

Home health firms struggle with thin margins, making efficiency the top priority. Qualified nurses ...