Home Healthcare & Hospice

Option Care Health Inc. has agreed to be acquired by Clayson, Dubilier, & Rice LLC and McKesson Corp. for $5.8 billion, sending its shares up as much as 33 percent to $31.11 on Tuesday. The definitive agreement values the infusion therapy provider at $32.05 per share, a 37 percent premium over its closing price of $23.37 on Monday before the announcement. CD&R will serve as controlling shareholder with 51 percent ownership, while McKesson will hold the remaining 49 percent. The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2027, subject to customary closing conditions including approval by Option Care Health shareholders, after which the company will cease trading on the Nasdaq exchange. Option Care Health has cancelled its live conference call and withdrawn its previously disclosed financial guidance, which had projected low to mid single digit sequential revenue growth and mid-single-digit growth in adjusted EBITDA.

Nichii Holdings Chairman Hiroshi Shimizu, in an interview, revealed a policy of partnering with municipalities and operators to sustain regional elderly care systems. He also indicated plans to invest 30 billion yen over four years starting this fiscal year to improve on-site response capabilities at roughly 1,900 care locations nationwide. Specific partnership measures envisioned include cost efficiency through joint purchasing of supplies and personnel support such as dispatching care assistants. Regional elderly care businesses face a harsh environment due to labor shortages and other factors, and Shimizu noted that "there are limits to what Nichii can do on its own."

BrightSpring Health Services shares rose 4.8% in the afternoon session after BMO Capital analyst Sean Dodge reiterated an Outperform rating and a $70 price target on the company. The reaffirmed target signals continued analyst confidence in the healthcare services provider and its long-term business outlook. The stock was trading at $60.00, up 4.8% from the previous close. BrightSpring shares are up 56.3% since the start of the year but remain 17.7% below their 52-week high of $72.91. The company's biggest recent move came two months ago, when the stock dropped 17.5% despite reporting second-quarter revenue growth of 23% year-on-year to $3.87 billion and non-GAAP profit of $0.45 per share, a sell-the-news reaction tied to valuation and margin concerns.

Addus HomeCare agreed on September 14 to acquire the personal care division of AccentCare for an anticipated $275 million, a deal expected to add roughly $280 million in annualized revenue, nearly a fifth of the company's current revenue base. The AccentCare operations serve an average daily census of about 13,700 customers across a 10-state footprint, deepening Addus in Texas, Illinois, California, and Arizona while adding a foothold in Colorado, Georgia, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Washington. The purchase covers only personal care, leaving AccentCare's hospice and home health operations out of the deal, and will be funded through Addus's revolver and cash on hand rather than new share issuance. The transaction has not closed and still requires regulatory approval and customary closing conditions. The deal follows Addus's second-quarter results, reported August 3, when net service revenues rose 8.0% to $377.4 million and adjusted EBITDA climbed 11.9% to $49.2 million, with personal care up 6.8% organically and hospice up 11.1% organically. Addus carried $64.3 million in debt and generated $40.0 million in quarterly operating cash flow ahead of the acquisition.

AIA Thailand has partnered with VitalLife Wellness Centre, under Bumrungrad Hospital Public Company Limited, or BH, to open a wellness centre serving high-net-worth and high-spending clients, with services starting in January 2027. Mr Ekarat Thitimun, Chief Insurance Business Officer of AIA Thailand, said the partnership aims to offer medical technology and innovations backed by scientific evidence to design personalised health care and meet anti-ageing needs. The services cover in-depth health assessments, hormone balance and nutritional analysis, genetic factor evaluation, and health rehabilitation. Clients in the AIA Prestige Club, numbering more than 100,000, can access the services directly, and if complex diagnosis or treatment is required, they will be connected seamlessly to BH's network of specialist doctors. Assistant Professor Dr Phonkrit Teekakeerikul, Chief Executive Officer of VitalLife Wellness Centre and Esperance, and Chief Science Officer of BH and VitalLife Wellness Centre, said the partnership expands the scope of wellness from specialised services to an ecosystem of life that links health care with protection and long-term planning, with the goal of elevating Thailand to become a global wellness hub.

MindMaze Therapeutics announced the launch of MindMotion Lite by the end of 2026, a tablet-based solution that brings the full range of MindMotion neurotherapeutic activities into the home. The new product delivers all neurotherapeutic activities available on MindMotion GO through a tablet, significantly reducing the hardware requirements for home deployment while retaining full-body rehabilitation capabilities and supporting teleconsultation and remote management. CEO Zach Henderson said the AHA/ASA guidelines updated in August 2026 emphasize sufficient rehabilitation intensity and continuity of care after stroke, yet access to continued neurotherapy after patients return home remains a critical gap, and MindMotion Lite is designed to help close it. The company said the tablet-based format is designed to enhance patient experience, streamline distribution, and reduce home deployment costs compared with MindMotion GO, supporting a more scalable and capital-efficient expansion of its home-based offering. MindMaze Therapeutics will preview MindMotion Lite at upcoming clinical, healthcare and investor conferences, with further details on commercial availability and launch markets to be shared closer to launch.

About 70% of Generation Z healthcare workers in the United States expect to explore new roles over the next year, according to a survey released on Wednesday by Harris Poll, commissioned by education services company Strategic Education and Workforce Edge. The findings point to a retention challenge for U.S. healthcare employers already facing a projected shortage of nearly 500,000 workers by 2038. Yet 65% of Gen Z respondents said they ultimately hope to remain with one employer for five years or more, and nearly all said job stability was important to them. Across all age groups, 59% of healthcare workers said they expect to seek a new role over the next year. The survey, conducted online from June 12 to July 1, covered 1,514 healthcare employees and 304 employers, and found that nearly half of employers cited a lack of career growth or training as the top reason workers leave, while only about one in four employees trusted their employer to invest in their future. Employers also appear to be reassessing artificial intelligence in workforce planning, with about 79% saying AI skills would be critical for employees to remain competitive, down from 89% a year earlier.

Decent Holding Inc. announced it now operates over 550 community service centers across China, serving more than 180,000 paid members, as it advances an AI-powered health data infrastructure strategy. The company is developing a platform that, with user authorization and in compliance with data privacy laws, will integrate data from wearables, home health equipment, and smart sensors to build digital health profiles for personalized preventive care. Management expects the growing, privacy-protected data ecosystem to enhance AI model development and open collaboration opportunities with healthcare providers, research institutions, and technology partners. The platform is not intended to provide medical diagnosis or treatment.

Asia Plus Securities says the Ministry of Public Health aims to push Thailand to become the regional hub for Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products, or ATMP Hub, within four years by upgrading ATMP industry standards covering cell production, storage, and transport, while requiring operators to meet GMP standards and obtain Cell Bank certification. The research team views this as directly positive for MEDEZE as the leader in Thailand's cell banking business, with over 50% market share and the country's first legally registered cell bank, reflecting readiness to expand into the ATMP business with leading medical institutions. If the ATMP Sandbox project makes concrete progress, it will be a key driver for the development of the anti-aging and regenerative medicine business, which has high growth potential. Currently, the company is awaiting registration of products for knee osteoarthritis and facial skin degeneration, and expects to start recognizing commercial revenue from 2027 onwards. Meanwhile, the growth of the ATMP industry provides structural support for the longevity business in the long term. BDMS stands out for expanding preventive health and anti-aging medicine services through WellEra and BDMS Wellness Clinic, covering anti-aging and regenerative medicine. Although the current revenue share is not high, it is a high-margin business that attracts high-purchasing-power customers. BH has a strength in VitalLife, which has been in the longevity business for over 20 years and is recognized by the premium medical tourism segment, thus also likely to benefit from the megatrend of anti-aging and health restoration medicine in the long term. The research team picks MEDEZE as the top stock for this theme due to the clearest growth potential in the ATMP business within the group, with a preliminary fair value of 8.00 baht based on historical P/E plus two standard deviations at 40.29 times, implying 22% upside, and recommends buying. BDMS and BH have opportunities to benefit from the long-term growth of the longevity and regenerative medicine business, with DCF-based fair values of 23.00 baht and 200.00 baht, respectively.

Mr Sara Lamsam, Chief Executive Officer of Muang Thai Life Assurance, disclosed first-half 2026 operating results. Total premiums received grew approximately 9%, with unit-linked products posting standout first-year premium growth of around 500%. The company is deploying a strategy to address the ageing society through the Life Span–Health Span–Wealth Span concept, which links longevity, health, and financial security together, so that Thai people can live longer with quality and have sufficient funds after retirement. Mr Sara noted that although people are living longer, the gap between healthy life years and average life expectancy can stretch to 11 years, while medical costs are rising due to medical inflation of about 10% per year. This makes Wealth Span — the period when one has enough money — a critical variable that is often overlooked. Muang Thai Life has therefore developed flexible products, such as allowing part of the life sum assured to be used for medical expenses upon reaching retirement age, and linking elderly care services to policies, to support a society where family structures are changing and the number of single people or elderly without caregivers is increasing. The company also places importance on building health literacy and developing T-shaped personnel to advise customers throughout their lives, with a capital adequacy ratio of approximately 490%, reflecting financial stability.

Pheeraphat Technology Public Company Limited, or PRAPAT, disclosed that its business performance in the first half of 2025 is expected to grow from the first half of the previous year, with OEM machinery such as the STEWARD brand automatic dishwasher and the PEERAPAT brand floor scrubber as the main drivers. For the second half, the company is advancing its Team Work Emotion strategy and highlighting three new businesses: a machinery business with multiple payment models to generate recurring income; a Sustainable Engineering business developing green system projects using heat pump technology and MBR wastewater treatment units, with a backlog to be recognized as revenue in the second half; and a senior wellness business that will begin market testing through partners with adult diapers and consumable products in the third quarter. In international markets, Vietnam, particularly Phu Quoc Island, continues to grow, while in Bangladesh a joint venture has been established with a 45 percent stake to import chemical products targeting hotels, laundries, and hospitals. The company maintains its target of double-digit earnings growth this year.