WATERLOO, Iowa—VGM & Associates has announced that Boone Lockard has been promoted to vice president of HME (home medical equipment), respiratory and wellness.
Lockard joined VGM in 2022 with frontline experience as a respiratory therapist, and he has more than 16 years of experience spanning clinical practice, operations, billing, sales and management.
FORT WORTH, Texas—Health care mergers and acquisitions advisory firm VERTESS, announced the closing of four sell-side advisory transactions in December 2025 and January 2026, which the company said represented a significant uptick in health care mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity after a sluggish market in the previous two years.
The transactions were:
FORT WORTH, Texas—Health care mergers and acquisitions advisory firm VERTESS, announced the closing of four sell-side advisory transactions in December 2025 and January 2026, which the company said represented a significant uptick in health care mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity after a sluggish market in the previous two years.
The transactions were:
INDIANAPOLIS—Rehab Medical, a provider of complex rehab technology (CRT), announced the acquisition of Boomer Medical Equipment, doing business as Risch Home Health Care, a home medical equipment provider serving Central Ohio. The acquisition was finalized Jan. 1, 2026.
TYLER, Texas—Choice Health at Home, a provider of home health, hospice and personal care services across the Southwest United States, announced the acquisition of Cy-Fair Health Care in Texas and Alliant Home Health, Palliative and Hospice Care in Colorado (“Alliant”).
WASHINGTON—The 2026 health funding bill that was signed into law Feb. 3 included a change to the qualifying criteria for drugs under Medicare’s home infusion benefit that may expand access to some drugs if an infusion pump is required for administration.
BURKBURNETT, Texas—HomeWell Care Services, a national franchise provider of in-home care for seniors and homebound individuals, has been acquired by Main Post Partners, a private equity firm based in San Francisco.
WASHINGTON—The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced an increase in the expenditure cap for in-home and community-based services for veterans with certain complex medical conditions.
CONCORD, New Hampshire—Granite VNA announced Sarah Love, a family support specialist for Healthy Families America (HFA), was recently honored with New Hampshire Home Visiting Learning Hub’s Shining Star Award.
HUDSON VALLEY, New York—Angels on Call Homecare, a homecare provider serving communities across New York, announced it has been named a Best in Class Employer by Caregivers of New York, recognizing the organization's employee recognition program, specialized training pathways and clinical support infrastructure.
TAMPA, Florida—Activated Insights, a workforce analytics and compliance training company serving the homecare, long-term care and post-acute care industries, announced the winners of the 2026 Best of Home Care Awards.
Presented for the past 13 years by Activated Insights, the Best of Home Care Awards recognize homecare agencies across North America that excel in building strong care teams and delivering high-quality care.
WASHINGTON—The United States Senate passed a bipartisan funding bill that included a provision that will extend telehealth access for Americans enrolled in Medicare through the end of 2027.
The Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies (CONNECT) for Health Act will expand coverage of telehealth services through Medicare, make COVID-19 telehealth flexibilities permanent, and make it easier for patients to connect with their doctors.
ALEXANDRIA, Virginia & WASHINGTON—On Jan. 22, representatives reintroduced Gerald's Law as a standalone bill to permanently protect burial benefits for veterans who receive hospice care furnished by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) outside of a VA facility. The bill was reintroduced by Reps. Jack Bergman (R-MI) and Nikki Budzinski (D-IL).
OWINGS MILLS, Maryland—The Board of Certification/Accreditation (BOC) announced it is now accepting nominations for its Certificant of the Year (COY) Award. This award honors a BOC-certified professional for achievements in service, research and outreach.
DALLAS—Elara Caring, a provider of skilled home health, hospice, behavioral health and personal care services, announced that it has entered into an agreement for an investment from Ares’ Private Equity Group and DaVita.
NEW YORK—VNS Health and iCircle, two nonprofit organizations, announced they are partnering in the hopes of making long-term care more accessible and supportive for individuals across Western, Central and the Southern tier of New York.
OVERLAND PARK, Kansas—WellSky has announced new artificial intelligence (AI)-powered referral management workflows aimed at helping home health and hospice providers centralize intake, manage referral complexity and efficiently process growing volumes of patient referrals.
LOUISVILLE, Kentucky—Caring Senior Service, a non-medical, personalized homecare services company, announced it has opened a new location at 11360 Bluegrass Parkway in Louisville, Kentucky.
WILLOW GROVE, Pennsylvania—Artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots, digital darkness events and counterfeit medical products are the most significant health care hazards according to the Emergency Care Research Institute (ECRI). ECRI, an independent nonprofit organization, emphasized the importance of “prevention over reaction” in “Top 10 Health Technology Hazards for 2026” report, Jan. 21.
LAKEWOOD RANCH, Florida—Empath Health announced that its board of directors has elected Jan Miller as chair of the board of trustees. Miller succeeds Ben Hayes, who served as chair from 2023 to 2026 and will continue supporting Empath Health’s mission through his ongoing service to the organization.
