Avera at Home Gets Personal with Kore Cares Joint Venture

South Dakota-based Avera@Home recently formed a joint venture with personal care provider Kore Cares in a move that grew its service line and geographic reach in the state.

Avera@Home Hospice offers hospice, home health and home medical equipment services throughout the Upper Midwest. It had long partnered with Kore Cares before officially joining forces. Starting this fall, it will begin transitioning staff and patients of its existing personal care services line to Kore Cares through several phases of the JV’s launch.

The joint venture’s aim is to provide a wider base of patients while also offering diversified types of care and services. 

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“This initiative will have a tremendous impact on our communities,” Gabrielle Hoing, owner and co-founder of Kore Cares, said in an announcement.

Following the deal’s close, Hoing will transition to CEO of the joint venture.

Avera@Home is part of the Avera Health system, which serves South Dakota and surrounding areas of Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska and North Dakota through six regional locations. The health system consists of 37 hospitals, 215 primary and specialty care clinics, 40 senior living facilities and home health, hospice and sports and wellness facilities.

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Kore Cares will retain its name to provide “continuity” for patients and referral sources, according to the announcement.

Established in 2016, Kore Cares is based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and provides personal, home-based care services to seniors in that area. Its services include nursing care, meal preparation, companionship, housekeeping, transportation, assistance with activities of daily living and companionship, and a senior care coordination program.

“By expanding access to care in the home, we empower individuals to make decisions about their care that are in line with their goals and priorities,” Hoing said.

The JV is currently honing its focus on expanding access to home care for seniors across South Dakota.

Seniors are projected to make up 27.5% of South Dakota’s overall population by 2030, a rise from 17.5% currently, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Even as demographics drive up demand for serious illness and end-of-life care, public awareness is driving down utilization. Nearly 50% of residents in a 2020 statewide survey indicated that they were not aware of health care services and support options available to seniors.

Hospice utilization in the Mount Rushmore State ranked low in nationwide comparisons during 2018, reaching 43.2% among Medicare decedents, according to the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. This lagged behind the national average of 50.3% that year.

“This is an essential part of the care continuum, especially as these patients are some of our most vulnerable,” Avera@Home CEO Sandy Dieleman said in the announcement. “These services are vital in helping patients maintain their independence, especially as more and more of our population wants to age in place.”

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