Growth and Medicare-reimbursement in the same sentence? It doesn't happen often, but at Celtic Healthcare, a world-class home healthcare provider headquartered in Mars, Pennsylvania, it's a reality.
For the second year in a row, Celtic Healthcare has made the Pittsburgh 100, the Pittsburgh Business Times' ranking of the Pittsburgh area's fastest-growing, privately-held companies.
Celtic Healthcare's current strategic growth is a result of several recent acquisitions and a strong focus on organic growth - a strategy implemented in 2005.
As a practicing physical therapist directly out of college, Celtic Healthcare Founder and CEO Arnie Burchianti noticed a stark disconnect between the various disciplines of healthcare providers that were caring for a patient. Nurses weren't communicating their patients' needs to physical therapists and physical therapists weren't communicating with occupational therapists and so on. As a result, patients weren't receiving top-notch care. At Duquesne University, Burchianti was taught that integrated healthcare was the key to quality care, and he immediately understood the need for an organization that practiced this vital concept. In 2000, Arnie set out to form a Medicare-certified home healthcare agency, centered on strong multi-disciplinary communication and streamlined information technology. At a time when Medicare-certified agencies were closing left and right, Burchianti was confident that his unique model would blossom.
At that time, and even currently, each sector of healthcare is under pressure, being forced to continually deliver high quality healthcare services with declining reimbursement and increased regulatory oversight due to the changing political, legislative, and regulatory landscape in the United States. As a result, Burchianti decided to become one of the greatest providers of home healthcare services and formulated the mission of partnering with hospitals by acquiring their home healthcare divisions, which oftentimes are not their primary focus or profit center.
"In 2006, Celtic Healthcare put this mission into motion by acquiring the homecare division of Carlisle Regional Medical Center in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, which was the first of three recent acquisitions. Celtic also purchased Geriatric Care Management Services in 2006, which is known today as Celtic Geriatric Care Management Services," says Kurt Baumgartel, COO.
In 2008, Celtic Healthcare acquired Jameson VNA, part of the Jameson Health System in New Castle, Pennsylvania, and Forum Health at Home, the homecare division of the Forum Health System in Youngstown, Ohio. This smart, strategic growth has led Celtic Healthcare to the rank of #5 out of Pittsburgh's 100 fastest growing companies by the Pittsburgh Business Times in 2007 and now to be honored again in the #16 position in the 2008 Pittsburgh 100 list.
"Even though we see our growth figures daily, it's always an honor to receive recognition for this," says CEO Arnie Burchianti. "And to be honest, we know it's not stopping here either. In healthcare, as long as the primary focus is on the patients' well being, it translates into satisfied employees, a strong corporate culture, and plenty of opportunities for growth and expansion."
"We give all of the credit to our employees. Since our 2008 ranking is a result of financial data from 2005-2007, this year's award primarily reflects organic growth, which we owe all to our team of staff," says Mike Eperesi, Vice President of Financial Services. "With all of our acquisitions in 2008, we look forward to next year's ranking."
About Celtic Healthcare
Celtic Healthcare, Inc. (Celtic) is a leading multi-state, full-continuum home healthcare services provider. Headquartered north of Pittsburgh in Mars, PA, Celtic offers a comprehensive array of home health-related services, including: Geriatric Care Management, Living Assistance Services, Homecare, Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Speech/Language Pathology, Medical/Surgical Nursing, Mental Health Nursing, Medical Social Services, Palliative and Hospice Care, through an integrated multi-organizational approach. Celtic Healthcare was named #1 Large Company in the 2007 "Best Places to Work in Western Pennsylvania" and was ranked in the Top 20 in both the 2007 and 2008 list of Pittsburgh's 100 fastest growing companies by the Pittsburgh Business Times. CEO Arnie Burchianti has been honored as a two-time finalist in the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award and is a well-known national speaker on healthcare-related subjects.
For more information, visit www.celtichealthcare.com or call 1.800.355.8894.
