Amedisys plants executive roots in Cummins Station

Amedisys, a home health and hospice company, is opening a new executive office in downtown Nashville –- and they are ready for health care networking, partnerships and hot chicken.

The Baton Rouge, La.-based company opted to open an executive office here instead of New Orleans because of Nashville’s greater concentration of health care companies, analysts and thought leaders, said Paul Kusserow, CEO of Amedisys.

State officials said the move will bring an additional 120 jobs to Nashville over the next five years. Amedisys will invest $2.5 million.

Larry Pernosky, who joined Amedisys in April from Humana, has moved to Nashville as chief human resources officer. He is one of several top executives who Kusserow expects to be based in Nashville. Others will, at least temporarily, split time between Nashville and Baton Rouge, where the company has about 900 employees.

“The people I’m bringing onto the executive team strongly liked Nashville. I think the other thing is the ability to move within our regions – it’s smack in the middle of everything we want to get to,” Kusserow said.

The company considered going farther down Interstate 65, but ultimately opted for the vibe of being downtown, which is near an existing Amedisys care center. Amedisys has about 1,300 employees in the Nashville area and has regional operations in north Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee and Kentucky.

"We could have gone down to the Brentwood world," he said. "I think what we're trying to create is a different atmosphere than the classic corporate atmosphere."

The permanent space in Cummins Station near the Gulch will have an open, non-corporate feel, Kusserow said, so executives can “work together and kind of enjoy each other and interact.” There will be just less than three dozen people in the Cummins Station office at the outset.

The company is in a period of change as it looks to broaden its niche in a shifting reimbursement environment.

The company will “think about how to expand the definition of home care” and how to “best deliver in the most effective way,” even though payments from Medicare, Medicare Advantage and Medicaid are being reduced, he said. The company serves about 55,000 patients a day.

“Our business is all about people. We have people who serve people in the most vulnerable situations,” Kusserow said. “We believe we have to go where the talent is; the talent won’t come to us.”

As it expands its capabilities and services, the company is going to need people with new, diverse skills. Because of that, Kusserow and Pernosky said coming to Nashville made strategic sense.

Nashville's barbecue, bluegrass and country music add to the allure of the region -- and enhance its ability to attract strong candidates.

And Pernosky added one important reminder.

"It's all about hot chicken," he said.

Reach Holly Fletcher at 615-259-8287 or on Twitter @hollyfletcher.