Industry M&A shift toward caregiver KPIs and operational excellence mirrors what families increasingly demand from home care equipment providers
O’FALLON, MO — May 13, 2026 — A notable transformation is underway in the home-based care industry. According to a new report from Home Health Care News, M&A buyers have moved well beyond their former fixation on scale and speed, now scrutinizing billable hours, genuine growth trajectories, workforce retention, and caregiver performance metrics before closing deals. SonderCare, a premium home hospital bed manufacturer, sees the same shift playing out at the family level — where the demand for professional-grade equipment to match professional-grade care has never been stronger.
The Industry Is Getting Serious About Quality
The home-based care M&A landscape has matured considerably. “Two to three years ago, we were seeing a lot more focus on scale and speed,” said Jen Lentz, CEO of Avid Health at Home, in the Home Health Care News report. “I think now you’re looking at a much more sophisticated buyer.” Lentz noted that today’s buyers are focused on “billable hours, true growth stories, workforce retention and overall caregiver KPIs” — indicators of sustainable, high-quality operations rather than growth that looks impressive on paper but frays under examination.
Mike Trigilio, CEO of HouseWorks, echoed the sentiment, underscoring the importance of technology investment in building durable care organizations. The company eliminated 20% of its operating costs in the second half of 2025 through technology implementation, a strategic move reflecting a broader industry shift toward leaner, more accountable operations. David Kerns, CEO of The LTM Group, put it plainly: “A bad acquisition, it’s kind of like a dog getting fleas. You literally can just ruin the whole organization.”
Industry-wide data reinforces the narrative. According to Pitchbook, home-based care deal flow increased 22.4% in 2025. PwC analysts project the M&A market will continue to gain strength in both volume and value through 2026 — but only for assets demonstrating clean operations, measurable caregiver outcomes, and sustainable growth.
A Parallel Demand From Families at Home
For SonderCare, the industry’s quality reckoning is a familiar story — just told at a different scale. Families who choose home care over institutional settings are making the same kind of calculated judgment that sophisticated investors are now applying to acquisitions: they want care infrastructure that actually works, not equipment that merely looks the part.
“What we’re seeing in M&A mirrors exactly what we hear from families every day,” said Ben Martin, President of SonderCare. “Everyone is asking harder questions now — about outcomes, about safety, about whether the tools supporting care at home can actually hold up. Families shouldn’t have to settle for equipment that doesn’t match the level of care their loved ones deserve.”
The connection is direct. As home-based care organizations invest in caregiver retention, operational rigor, and technology to earn buyer confidence, the patients those organizations serve are returning to homes where equipment quality varies enormously. A professionally trained caregiver arriving at a home equipped with a substandard bed faces a fundamental mismatch — one that affects both safety outcomes and caregiver ergonomics.
SonderCare’s Role in the Quality Equation
SonderCare designs its home hospital beds specifically to close that gap. The company’s Aura Premium Hospital Bed — certified to International Hospital Standard and registered with the FDA — delivers the full positioning suite required for professional home care: Trendelenburg, Zero Gravity, Cardiac Chair, and FallSafe Ultra-Low Height, which lowers the platform to just 10 inches to significantly reduce fall risk. The Aura Platinum adds furniture-grade upholstered panels in Crypton fabric, preserving the residential feel of a home while meeting clinical safety standards.
For families caring for two individuals, the Aura Companion Bed offers a split-king configuration with independent positioning controls — allowing each person to adjust their side while both benefit from synchronized hi-lo height adjustment for safe transfers.
“The industry conversation about quality metrics applies just as much to the bed in the room as it does to the caregiver at the bedside,” Martin added. “We built SonderCare to be the equipment answer to that question — hospital-grade functionality in a bed that doesn’t turn a home into a clinical space.”
SonderCare’s white-glove delivery service includes full setup, installation, and a complete feature walkthrough, ensuring that both family caregivers and professional aides can use the equipment safely from day one. The company’s 5-year comprehensive parts warranty provides the long-term reliability that families and care organizations need when planning for extended home care.
The Road Ahead
As the home-based care industry continues to consolidate around quality — measured in caregiver retention, billable outcomes, and operational transparency — SonderCare believes the same standard must extend to every element of the care environment, including the equipment at its center.
Families navigating home care decisions can explore SonderCare’s full line of home hospital beds at www.sondercare.com/beds/ or contact the company’s bed experts directly for personalized guidance.
About SonderCare
SonderCare is a premium home hospital bed manufacturer dedicated to enhancing safety, comfort, and dignity for individuals aging in place or requiring home care. With over 25 years of healthcare expertise, SonderCare’s FDA-registered, hospital-grade beds combine medical functionality with furniture-grade residential design. The company’s product line includes the Aura Premium, Aura Platinum, and Aura Companion beds, featuring FallSafe ultra-low height technology, full positioning suites, and white-glove delivery service. For more information, visit www.sondercare.com.
Media Contact
Ben Martin
President, SonderCare
info@sondercare.com
www.sondercare.com
