Cincinnati, OH-based Chemed Corporation purchases, operates and divests subsidiaries engaged in diverse business activities. The company’s operating businesses are managed on a decentralized basis. Since its inception, Chemed has engaged in twelve significant acquisitions or divestitures of diverse business units.

Chemed currently operates as two wholly-owned subsidiaries: VITAS Healthcare and Roto-Rooter.

VITAS Healthcare (58.1% of total revenues in 2023; up 9.4% from 2022): The segment provides hospice and palliative care services for patients with terminal illnesses. This type of care is aimed at making a terminally ill patient’s last days as comfortable and pain-free as possible. Hospice care is available for patients who have been initially certified or re-certified as terminally ill (a prognosis of six months or less) by their attending physician, if any, and the hospice physician. VITAS offer all levels of hospice care in a given market, including routine home care, inpatient care and continuous care. Over 95% of VITAS’ revenues are derived through Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement programs.

Roto-Rooter (41.9%; up 1.7%): The segment provides plumbing and drain-cleaning services to both residential and commercial customers. This segment provides repair and maintenance services to residential and commercial accounts using the Roto-Rooter registered service marks. Such services include plumbing and sewer, drain and pipe cleaning. They are delivered through company-owned and operated territories, independent contractor-operated territories and franchised locations. This segment also manufactures and sells products and equipment used to provide such services.

In 2019, Roto-Rooter made two separate acquisitions of territories from former franchisees. This was part of Roto-Rooter’s current strategy of franchise acquisition to boost productivity, market share and profitability.