Amedisys shareholders voted overwhelmingly Friday to approve UnitedHealth Group’s $3.3 billion acquisition of the home health and hospice company.
During a special meeting, Amedisys stockholders voted 25,069,466 in favor of the deal to 30,082 against it, according to a Security and Exchange Commission filing. Another 67,374 shareholders abstained. In a separate vote, shareholders approved compensation for Amedisys’ executive officers in connection with the acquisition.
Related: UnitedHealth Group's Optum to acquire Amedisys
The Baton Rouge, Louisiana-based company accepted UnitedHealth Group’s all-cash offer in June and terminated a previous deal it made with Option Care Health in May to buy Amedisys in an all-stock transaction valued at $3.6 billion.
The shareholder vote is one step in what could be a lengthy process in getting the acquisition completed. In an SEC filing last month, UnitedHealth said it received a request for additional information from the Justice Department, extending the waiting period for the deal. The request echoed a similar complication in UnitedHealth’s acquisition of home health company LHC Group earlier this year. That deal was also tied up for several months following a lengthy review by the Federal Trade Commission.
UnitedHealth's planned acquisition of Amedisys and its ownership of LHC Group would create one of the nation’s largest home health companies. Amedisys has 532 locations in 37 states, while LHC Group has 964 locations in 37 states.
UnitedHealth’s expansion into the home health space continues an industry trend that gained traction during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, Humana purchased the remaining 60% interest in Kindred at Home and folded it into its CenterWell brand last year. In March, CVS Health completed its $8 billion acquisition of Signify Health, a technology services company that also offers home health service
