Gentiva(R) to Enroll All of Its Approximately 300 Home Health Offices in National Quality Improvement Campaign

BALTIMORE, Jan. 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Gentiva Health Services, Inc. (NASDAQ: GTIV) , the nation's largest provider of comprehensive home health and related services, today announced that all of its approximately 300 home health offices nationwide are committed to being among the first such agencies to enroll in a new national quality improvement campaign designed to reduce avoidable hospitalizations of seniors, support their desire to remain safely at home and potentially save Medicare and Medicare Advantage programs billions of dollars in hospital costs.

At a kickoff summit earlier today, Gentiva Chief Nursing Executive Susan Sender, RN, presented to the sponsors enrollment forms representing each Gentiva home health office and demonstrating the Company's commitment to this important voluntary initiative, even though Gentiva's overall rate of patients requiring unplanned hospitalizations is already well below the national average. Launched by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Home Health Quality Improvement (HHQI) Support Center, the "HHQI National Campaign 2007" unites home health community stakeholders in a shared vision over the next year to enhance patient care that will reduce avoidable hospitalizations, increase patient independence at home and limit Medicare's hospital expenditures. The sponsors have said that home health locations signing up for the initiative by 12:01 a.m. on January 13 will be designated as "HHQI Premier Agencies," with the opportunity to use a special logo in their marketing materials.

Based on data collected annually by CMS, approximately 28% -- or over a million -- of the nation's more than 3.7 million Medicare homecare patients face unplanned hospitalizations each year. While the percentage is unchanged since measurement began more than three years ago, a January 2006 nationwide study by Briggs Corporation said that a reduction in the hospitalization rate to 25% could help more than 110,000 patients remain safely at home each year and save Medicare more than $2.7 billion annually. Sender represented Gentiva on a national steering committee designed to oversee and ensure success of the Briggs project.

Through Gentiva's commitment to clinical excellence, the Company has achieved a rate of unplanned hospitalizations of approximately 22%. "Based on our industry leadership thus far, Gentiva is pleased to join the campaign and reinforce our commitment to further reduce avoidable hospitalizations," Sender said. "A lower rate can help more patients to lead independent and productive lives at home, while reducing the burden on families and hospitals. For individual home health agencies, this renewed commitment to quality is also good since it can attract new patients and strengthen relationships with physicians and other patient referral sources focused on clinical excellence. And on a national level, it can demonstrate to legislators and other government officials that ongoing public support of homecare is a wise investment which can yield greater contributions to national healthcare quality and efficiency, including potential cost savings for the Medicare program and its managed care counterpart, Medicare Advantage."

Each month beginning in March, the HHQI campaign will focus on a different homecare best practice in such critical areas as disease management, falls prevention, medication management, and other programs that can help to reduce avoidable and costly hospital stays. The sponsors will provide participating agencies with a monthly intervention packet that includes educational tools and resources, information sharing, and individual agency reports.

Sender noted that Gentiva has participated extensively in public policy programs designed to enhance homecare quality and has also led the industry in clinical excellence by investing in a wide range of its own quality initiatives, including:

  -- Implementation of nationwide proprietary care protocols.
  -- Creation of the industry's first online university for clinician
     training and continuing education.
  -- Online performance improvement programs providing local offices with
     target information to assist them in improving their outcomes.
  -- Development of groundbreaking specialized therapies and programs for
     patients undergoing joint replacements, experiencing balance problems,
     suffering from heart or lung diseases, or dealing with brain injuries
     or illnesses.

She noted that Gentiva's specialized programs have issued extensive national outcomes surveys documenting their ability to help individuals recover more effectively, manage their illnesses at home, remain independent and avoid unnecessary hospitalizations.

Additional information on the HHQI National Campaign 2007 is available at http://www.homehealthquality.org/.

About Gentiva Health Services, Inc.

Gentiva Health Services, Inc. is the nation's largest provider of comprehensive home health and related services. Gentiva serves patients through more than 500 direct service delivery units within over 400 locations in 35 states, and through CareCentrix(R), which manages home health services for major managed care organizations throughout the United States and delivers them in all 50 states through a network of more than 3,000 third-party provider locations, as well as Gentiva locations. The Company is a single source for skilled nursing; physical, occupational, speech and neurorehabilitation services; hospice services; social work; nutrition; disease management education; help with daily living activities; respiratory therapy and home medical equipment; infusion therapy services; and other therapies and services. Gentiva's revenues are generated from federal and state government programs, commercial insurance and individual consumers. For more information, visit Gentiva's web site, http://www.gentiva.com/, and its investor relations section at http://www.gentiva.com/investors. GTIV-G

Forward-Looking Statement

Certain statements contained in this news release, including, without limitation, statements containing the words "believes," "anticipates," "intends," "expects," "assumes," "trends" and similar expressions, constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are based upon the Company's current plans, expectations and projections about future events. However, such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others: the Company's ability to successfully integrate the operations of The Healthfield Group, Inc., acquired on February 28, 2006, and to achieve expected synergies and operating efficiencies within expected time frames or at all; the possibility that revenues may be lower than expected following the transaction; the possibility that difficulties in maintaining relationships with employees, customers, or suppliers may be greater than expected following the transaction; the Company's ability to service debt incurred as a result of the transaction; general economic and business conditions; demographic changes; changes in, or failure to comply with, existing governmental regulations; legislative proposals for healthcare reform; changes in Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement levels; effects of competition in the markets in which the Company operates; liability and other claims asserted against the Company; ability to attract and retain qualified personnel; availability and terms of capital; loss of significant contracts or reduction in revenues associated with major payer sources; ability of customers to pay for services; business disruption due to natural disasters or terrorist acts; a material shift in utilization within capitated agreements; and changes in estimates and judgments associated with critical accounting policies and estimates. For a detailed discussion of certain of these and other factors that could cause actual results to differ from those contained in this news release, please refer to the Company's various filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including the "Risk Factors" section contained in the Company's annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended January 1, 2006.

  Media Contact:
         David Fluhrer
         631-501-7102, 516-589-0778
         david.fluhrer@gentiva.com