Enos 'prioritizes' hospice business

NEW BEDFORD, Mass. - With its recent acquisition of Cape Medical Supply's hospice segment, Enos Home Medical is becoming a major player in palliative care in the New England region.

Over the past 15 years, hospice has grown to include more than 2,000 patients and now comprises approximately 40% of the company's business mix, said CEO Jon Enos.

“Hospice is our most important business segment,” he said. “It has grown because we prioritized it. With all the reimbursement cuts, it's an easier business to get our heads around. But it is labor intensive and we have had to shuffle our staff around, scheduling multiple shifts to cover the needs of hospice nurses.”

Cape Medical CEO Gary Sheehan said “it was time to move on” from the hospice business so the company could concentrate on its sleep therapy operations across Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Maine.

“We are thrilled Enos has taken over and are confident their expertise in institutional services will suit the needs of our agency partners very well,” Sheehan said.

Enos has found a solid niche in hospice, a category that requires a specialized approach to providing comfort and nurturing services to patients at the end of their lives.

“Most of our managers have dealt with death and dying and some of their family members were customers, so they see what we bring to the table,” Enos said. “We have people who are ingrained in the hospice community.”

The focus on hospice has made financial sense for Enos in that it is not tied to the beleaguered Medicare program. Over the past decade, the company has gone from being 80% Medicare to 10%.

“Instead of getting away from Medicare, I prefer to say we're building up around it,” Enos said.

Even with hospice gaining importance in the Enos portfolio, the company continues to be involved in various HME categories, including respiratory, durable medical equipment, sleep therapy, wound care and incontinence supplies.