Amedisys said its $3.29 billion merger with UnitedHealth Group will close in the second half of 2024, and it plans to divest some home health care centers after the deal closes.
The number and location of the centers that will be sold were not disclosed in the Friday afternoon filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. VitalCaring Group, a Dallas-based home health and hospice company, will acquire the centers. UnitedHealth Group care centers will also be part of the deal, according to the filing.
Amedisys officials said they had no further details beyond the SEC filing.
VitalCaring has operations stretching from Oklahoma to Florida. The company has home health services based out of Lafayette, Metairie, Denham Springs, Mandeville, Houma and Morgan City, along with a hospice center in Hammond.
Baton Rouge-based Amedisys wanted to sell off units to appease federal antitrust regulators and ease the way for its merger with UnitedHealth to go through.
UnitedHealth agreed to buy Amedisys for $101 a share in June 2023. Under the agreement, Amedisys will continue to operate as a wholly-owned subsidiary of UnitedHealth, with an office in Baton Rouge and operations in Nashville, Tennessee.
Shares of Amedisys bounced in after-hours trading. The stock was up more than $1.60, or 1.8%, to $93.46 as of shortly after 5 p.m.