Amedisys Inc. (Nasdaq: AMED) and Contessa Health are teaming up with the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) to offer at-home care services to patients in Central Arkansas.

The parties involved announced a joint venture this week that will allow Contessa and Amedisys to deliver care across the full continuum in the home in a new region.

“Contessa is now able to deliver recovery care at home, rehabilitation at home, palliative and primary care at home, while leaning on Amedisys’ capabilities in the region to deliver home health,” Contessa Health CEO Travis Messina said in an email to Home Health Care News. “This full care at home platform will provide the Little Rock community greater access to care in the comfort of their own home.”

The JV demonstrates the capabilities of Amedisys and Contessa together, while increasing the addressable market for Contessa’s high acuity services in Arkansas, Messina said.

“UAMS is leading the ambitious goal of making Arkansas the healthiest state in the region, and this strategic initiative supercharges that vision,” Cam Patterson, chancellor and CEO of UAMS Health, said in a statement. “We are thrilled to partner with Contessa and Amedisys to bring this first-of-its-kind model to the region and the first Comprehensive Care at Home program to the state. We look forward to giving our patients an innovative option that delivers on our commitment of community-focused, patient-centered care.”

Amedisys Inc. acquired Contessa Health in June of 2021 for $250 million.

A year later, the home health giant considers Contessa Health a core part of its business.

Between Contessa’s capabilities – hospital-at-home, SNF-at-home and palliative care services – and the traditional home health and hospice services provided by Amedisys, the two companies can now offer comprehensive value to health systems and other partners.

“UAMS continues to push the state of Arkansas forward with their innovation and ability to positively impact the well-being of their community, while looking to decrease the total cost of care,” Messina said. “Additionally, Amedisys operates two home health care centers in the region, providing an established market presence to deliver high-quality care at home.”

The goal of the JV is to ultimately unload patients to the home to optimize hospital bed space, Messina said.

“As UAMS looks to alleviate demand for hospital beds, this creates an opportunity to decant their medical center with a live program by early 2023, making it a much faster process than building physical beds within Little Rock,” he said.