Mertz Taggart

02/03/2026

February is American Heart Month.

While the spotlight is often on cardiovascular health, the broader takeaway applies across healthcare: better outcomes depend on consistent, long-term care delivered beyond the hospital setting.

Across home-based care, behavioral health, infusion therapy, and other specialty services, providers supporting chronic condition management and preventive care play an increasingly critical role in the healthcare ecosystem.

These same fundamentals—clinical quality, operational discipline, and scalability—are also shaping how healthcare services businesses are evaluated in today’s M&A market.

American Heart Month is a timely reminder that strong healthcare systems are built on providers delivering sustainable, outcomes-driven care in the communities they serve.

01/30/2026

We’re looking forward to being in San Diego for the NATSAP Annual Conference this February.

Members of the Mertz Taggart team — Kevin Taggart, Sandra Zervoudakis, and Peter Thiessen — will be attending and available throughout the conference. If you’re planning to be there and would like to connect for a confidential conversation, feel free to reach out ahead of time.

📍 San Diego, CA
📅 February 9–12, 2026

You can contact us at info@mertztaggart.com or connect directly with one of our team members to coordinate time.

01/20/2026

As interest rates declined and buyer confidence improved, home-based care M&A activity rebounded in 2025, with transaction volume moving closer to levels seen in 2022 and 2023.

Q4 closed out the year with stronger activity, driven in part by increased hospice transactions and continued sponsor-backed acquisitions.

To learn more about the Home-Based Care M&A activity that marked the fourth quarter of 2025, read the full report below.

https://www.mertztaggart.com/post/q4-2025-home-based-care-m-a-report

The recap of Home-Based Care M&A activity is now available in our M&A Report! Read all about the transactions that marked Q4 2025!

01/19/2026

Join us at the NATSAP Annual Conference this February in San Diego.

NATSAP continues to be an important forum for leaders across behavioral health, therapeutic education, and treatment services to connect, share perspectives, and discuss the evolving landscape of care delivery and organizational stewardship.

📍 San Diego, CA
📅 February 9–12, 2026

As the conference approaches, we’ll share additional details on who from the Mertz Taggart team will be on site and available for conversations.

We look forward to being part of the dialogue.

01/15/2026

In 2025, Mertz Taggart launched Behind the Curtain with a simple goal in mind: to create a more transparent, educational forum where healthcare business owners could hear directly from operators, buyers, and industry leaders—without the sales pitch.

The idea was to go beyond headlines and market commentary and instead explore how decisions are actually made, what drives value in today’s M&A environment, and how owners can better position their businesses long before a transaction is on the table.

Over the course of the year, Behind the Curtain evolved into a focused webinar series featuring candid conversations, practical insights, and perspectives grounded in real transaction experience. Each session reinforced the same theme: informed owners make better long-term decisions.

As we look ahead to 2026, we plan to continue expanding Behind the Curtain with more conversations that bring clarity to an often opaque process and spotlight the realities of healthcare M&A.

Thank you to everyone who joined us, shared feedback, and helped shape the direction of the series. More to come.

🔎 Explore the series: https://www.mertztaggart.com/behind-the-curtain

01/12/2026

Today is National Pharmacist Day!

Pharmacists are among the most trusted professionals in healthcare — supporting medication safety, patient education, immunizations, and continuity of care across communities.

We’re grateful for the role pharmacists play within the healthcare services ecosystem and the impact they make every day.

01/06/2026

What do strategic buyers really look for when acquiring home care businesses?

We recently shared a written article summarizing insights from Rich Tinsley, Chief Development Officer at Help at Home, as part of Mertz Taggart’s Behind the Curtain webinar series. The discussion offered a candid look into how one of the most active strategic buyers evaluates home care M&A opportunities.

A few key takeaways:
• Culture comes first — buyer interest often starts with how owners think about caregivers, clients, and long-term stewardship
• Compliance matters more than ever — not just on paper, but in daily operations
• Sustainable economics win — buyers prioritize durability over short-term margin optimization
• Market and state dynamics matter — reimbursement stability and labor conditions play a major role

If you’re considering a transaction — or simply want to understand how strategic buyers view the market — the full article breaks this down in detail.

👉 Read the full article here:
https://www.mertztaggart.com/post/what-strategic-buyers-really-look-for-in-home-care-m-a-insights-from-help-at-home

Behind the Curtain - a webinar series that bridges the gap between healthcare industry buyers and sellers by gathering valuable insights — helping owners understand what drives buyer interest and what may hold them back. This time, Rich Tinsley, CDO at Help at Home shared his insights on what Stra...

01/05/2026

Hospice News recently published coverage highlighting renewed momentum in the hospice transaction landscape, with activity picking up toward the end of 2025. Mertz Taggart was pleased to be included as part of the broader market discussion.

Thank you to Hospice News for the coverage and continued focus on the hospice M&A space. Read the article here: https://hospicenews.com/2025/12/30/the-hospice-ma-locomotive-gains-momentum-in-2025/

The winds have changed in the hospice merger and acquisition landscape in 2025. Activity slumped as the year began, but picked up steam as more strategic

12/23/2025

As we close out 2025, we want to extend our sincere appreciation for the trust and collaboration we’ve shared throughout the year.

Supporting home-based care and behavioral health companies as they navigate growth, transition, and long-term planning remains a responsibility we value deeply.

Thank you for your partnership and the confidence you place in our team.

Wishing you a warm holiday season and a successful year ahead.

12/03/2025

The Mertz Taggart team will be at Treatment Center Investment & Valuation Retreat West, and we invite attendees to stop by Booth #12 to connect with us.

We’re also proud to sponsor the panel discussion: Investor Appetite & Growth Opportunities in Behavioral Health - Exploring today’s most attractive service models, the 2025 M&A landscape, opportunities with REITs, and where leaders should focus for future growth.

If you’re attending, we’d welcome the chance to meet and discuss what we’re seeing across the behavioral health market.

Please reach out to us at info@mertztaggart.com to arrange a confidential discussion during the conference.

/IDD

12/02/2025

We are pleased to announce the closing of three recent behavioral health transactions. Mertz Taggart provided exclusive M&A advisory services to these transactions, representing the sellers:

​​​​- An ABA provider based in the northeast - Mertz Taggart provided exclusive sell-side advisory services. This company is a platform investment for a large private equity group based in North America. ​

- St. Joseph's Addiction Treatment & Recovery Centers - A CARF-accredited behavioral health provider offering detox, residential, outpatient, and mobile services. This is a platform investment for a private equity group based in the Northeast.

- Modern Recovery Services and Avery's House - A multi-state provider for inpatient mental health services to teens and adolescents. They also offer a virtual platform delivering IOP, therapy, recovery coaching, and medication management.

​​​​​​​​​​These transactions highlight the strength and focus of our Behavioral Health M&A team. Whether you're considering a sale or simply exploring your strategic options, our team is here to help - with deep market knowledge, proven ex*****on, and tailored guidance every step of the way.

​​​​​​​​​​​To learn more about Mertz Taggart and our transaction history, click the following link: https://www.mertztaggart.com/transactions

/IDD

11/11/2025

Mertz Taggart is pleased to announce the successful sale of Clarity Counseling Center, a leading outpatient mental health provider based in Wilmington, North Carolina. Mertz Taggart acted as the exclusive sell-side advisor in this transaction.

Founded by Karin Kassab, Clarity Counseling Center has built a strong reputation for delivering compassionate, evidence-based mental health services throughout the region. Under Karin’s leadership, the organization grew into a trusted resource for individuals and families seeking high-quality counseling and psychological care.

“I can’t overstate how much the Mertz Taggart team’s partnership has meant to me. They stood by me through every twist and turn—always steady, patient, and confident in the process. They believed in the business, and in me, long before a closing table ever appeared. I’m deeply grateful for their persistence, guidance, and unwavering commitment to seeing this through the right way.” - Karin Kassab, Founder, Clarity Counseling Center.

Congratulations to Karin Kassab and the entire Clarity Counseling Center team on this milestone. We look forward to following their continued success and impact in the behavioral health community.

​​​​​Interested in learning more about this deal or the current M&A landscape?

Reach out to our Behavioral Health experts via email at info@mertztaggart.com