Gentiva Health Services Announces Joint Venture With Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center

ATLANTA, Sept. 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Gentiva Health Services, Inc. (NASDAQ: GTIV), the largest provider of home health and hospice services in the United States based on revenue, announced today it has entered into a home health joint venture with Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center ("Wake Forest Baptist"), a fully integrated medical center located in Winston-Salem, N.C.

The joint venture, called Wake Forest Baptist Health Care at Home ("Care at Home"), provides a complete program of post-acute solutions for seniors with complex health issues who need help adjusting to living at home after they are discharged from a hospital setting. This partnership enables physicians and home health professionals to work together to increase care coordination, improve outcomes and reduce the level of hospital re-admissions.

"The opportunity to innovate and improve care has been a priority for us throughout our history," said David Causby, president of Gentiva's Home Health Division. "We are pleased to be able to partner with a leading organization such as Wake Forest Baptist as part of our national care transitions efforts."

"One of the major differences in this care model is the integration of physician leadership to provide continuity in overseeing each patient's journey from the hospital to their home by helping manage the more complex, acute patients in partnership with home health professionals until their primary care team can resume care," said Jeff Williamson, M.D., professor of geriatric medicine and clinical director of the Sticht Center.

Pamela W. Duncan, P.T, Ph.D., professor of neurology and director of Innovations and Transitional Outcomes at Wake Forest Baptist, said "The partnership will provide better care for patients and is an example of how industry and academics can come together to promote health care improvements."

Care at Home offers patients technological innovation, enhanced clinical training and social outreach programs to deliver a higher level of care to patients at high risk of returning to the hospital setting. Care at Home's physician team will include nationally known geriatricians, neurologists and internists working alongside other health care providers such as nurse practitioners, pharmacists and therapists to co-manage and provide an exceptional level of care.

About Gentiva Health Services, Inc.

Gentiva Health Services, Inc.(www.gentiva.com) is the nation's largest provider of home health and hospice services based on revenue, delivering innovative, high quality care to patients across the United States. Gentiva is a single source for skilled nursing; physical, occupational, speech and neurorehabilitation services; hospice services; social work; nutrition; disease management education; help with daily living activities; and other therapies and services. GTIV-G

About Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center

Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center (www.wakehealth.edu) is a fully integrated academic medical center located in Winston-Salem, N.C. The institution comprises Wake Forest School of Medicine, a leading center for medical education and research; Wake Forest Baptist Health, the integrated clinical structure that includes nationally ranked Brenner Children's Hospital; Wake Forest Innovations, which promotes the commercialization of research discoveries and operates Wake Forest Innovation Quarter, an urban research and technology park; plus a network of affiliated community hospitals, physician practices, outpatient services and other medical facilities. Wake Forest Baptist clinical programs and the School of Medicine are regularly ranked among the best in the country by U.S. News & World Report.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this news release, including, without limitation, statements containing the words "believes," "anticipates," "intends," "expects," "assumes," "trends" and similar expressions, constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are based upon the Company's current plans, expectations and projections about future events. However, such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These factors include, among others, the following: economic and business conditions; demographic changes; changes in, or failure to comply with, existing governmental regulations; the impact on our Company of healthcare reform legislation and its implementation through governmental regulations; legislative proposals for healthcare reform; changes in Medicare, Medicaid and commercial payer reimbursement levels; the outcome of any inquiries into the Company's operations and business practices by governmental authorities; compliance with any corporate integrity agreement affecting the Company's operations; effects of competition in the markets in which the Company operates; liability and other claims asserted against the Company; ability to attract and retain qualified personnel; ability to access capital markets; availability and terms of capital; loss of significant contracts or reduction in revenues associated with major payer sources; ability of customers to pay for services; business disruption due to natural disasters, pandemic outbreaks, terrorist acts or cyber-attacks; availability, effectiveness, stability and security of the Company's information technology systems; ability to successfully integrate the operations of acquisitions the Company may make and achieve expected synergies and operational efficiencies within expected time-frames; ability to maintain compliance with its financial covenants under the Company's credit agreement; effect on liquidity of the Company's debt service requirements; and changes in estimates and judgments associated with critical accounting policies and estimates. For a detailed discussion of certain of these and other factors that could cause actual results to differ from those contained in this news release, please refer to the Company's various filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the "Risk Factors" section contained in the Company's annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2012.

SOURCE Gentiva Health Services, Inc.