PHS positions to spread 'Minnesota model'

ST. PAUL, Minn. - With 30 years under its belt serving primarily Minnesota and Wisconsin, it's time for Pediatric Home Service to grow on a national scale, says CEO Mark Hamman.

In December, the family-owned company partnered with InTandem Capital Partners, a healthcare services-focused private equity firm to kick-start that growth.

“Over the last couple of years my mother (founder Susan Wingert) and I have talked about trying to expand,” said Hamman. “We want to provide the same outstanding care that we've done here. We feel the Minnesota model is replicable in other parts of the country.”

PHS offers home infusion, enteral nutrition, respiratory and specialty pharmacy services and private-duty nursing to pediatric patients across the state of Minnesota and parts of Iowa and the Dakotas. In August, it added a location in Milwaukee to expand its respiratory and enteral nutrition to the entire state of Wisconsin.

With the backing of InTandem, PHS, which looks to grow both organically and through acquisitions, will spend the first part of 2019 mapping out an expansion plan, says Hamman.

“We're in the process of looking at what makes sense, whether that's offering the full-service line that we provide now or whether it makes more sense to offer partial lines in certain areas,” he said.

Although more and more care is shifting to the home, there's a particular emphasis on keeping medically fragile children out of the hospital setting, says Hamman.

“We can provide the same level of care at home at a much cheaper price,” he said. “Our kids that we take care of are expensive, but we are the experts in how to do it in their home safely and effectively.”