8-K

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

Form 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE

SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

DATE OF REPORT (DATE OF EARLIEST EVENT REPORTED): April 18, 2011

Commission File Number: 0-24260

Amedisys, Inc.

(Exact Name of Registrant as specified in its Charter)

Delaware	11-3131700
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)	(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

5959 S. Sherwood Forest Blvd., Baton Rouge, LA 70816

(Address of principal executive offices, including zip code)

(225) 292-2031 or (800) 467-2662

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

¨ Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

¨ Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

¨ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

¨ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Section 7 - Regulation FD

Item 7.01. Regulation FD Disclosure.

On April 18, 2011, Amedisys, Inc. (“we,” “us,” “our” or the “Company”) issued a press release entitled “Amedisys Signs Definitive Agreement to Acquire Beacon Hospice, Inc.,” a copy of which is furnished herewith as Exhibit 99.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K.

The information presented in Item 7.01 of this Current Report on Form 8-K and Exhibit 99.1 attached hereto shall not be deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section, unless we specifically state that the information is to be considered “filed” under the Exchange Act or specifically incorporate it by reference in any filing under the Securities Exchange Act of 1933, as amended, or the Exchange Act.

Section 9 - Financial Statements and Exhibits

Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(d) Exhibits.

99.1 Press Release dated April 18, 2011 entitled “Amedisys Signs Definitive Agreement to Acquire Beacon Hospice, Inc.” (furnished only)

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Signatures

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Company has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

AMEDISYS, INC.
By:	/s/ Dale E. Redman
	Dale E. Redman
	Chief Financial Officer and Duly Authorized Officer
DATE:	April 18, 2011

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Exhibit Index

Exhibit No.	Description
99.1	Press Release dated April 18, 2011 entitled “Amedisys Signs Definitive Agreement to Acquire Beacon Hospice, Inc.” (furnished only)

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EX-99.1

Exhibit 99.1

	Amedisys Signs Definitive Agreement to Acquire Beacon
	Hospice, Inc.
	Proposed Transaction to Add 1,300 Hospice Patients and
	Expand Regional Presence

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana (April 18, 2011) - Amedisys, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMED), one of America’s leading home health and hospice companies, today announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Beacon Hospice, Inc.

Beacon Hospice is headquartered in Boston, Mass., and is regarded as one of the premier hospice companies in the New England region. Founded in 1993, Beacon has grown to include 23 free-standing locations and one inpatient unit, serving the states of Massachusetts (11), Maine (5), New Hampshire (5), Rhode Island (2) and Connecticut (1). Total annualized revenue for Beacon in 2010 was approximately $80 million. This transaction remains subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals, and is expected to add $0.05 to $0.07 to Amedisys’ earnings in 2011 excluding one-time transaction related costs. The parties have agreed in the definitive agreement to a purchase price of approximately $125 million, subject to customary adjustments.

“This acquisition aligns with our strategy of providing a continuum of at-home health care, of which hospice continues to be a significant area of focus both clinically and in terms of growth,” said William F. Borne, Chief Executive Officer of Amedisys, Inc. “Adding Beacon Hospice to the Amedisys Hospice Care portfolio will be a great complement to our home health business, with many of Beacon’s hospice locations matching the market presence of our existing home health care centers.”

James T. Robinson, Executive Vice President of Amedisys Hospice Care added, “With an average daily census of approximately 1,300 patients, the addition of Beacon will increase the number of hospice patients under our care by nearly 40 percent. This will also allow us to significantly expand our hospice footprint in the New England market, adding to our existing presence in New Hampshire.

“Beacon Hospice has a strong reputation of providing high-quality, innovative, compassionate care,” Robinson said. “We believe the combination of our two outstanding hospice organizations will benefit our patients, employees, and investors. Together, we are building a premier hospice organization poised to care for the needs of the communities we serve.”

About Amedisys, Inc.

Amedisys, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMED) is a leading health care company focused on bringing home the continuum of care. Amedisys delivers personalized health care services to patients and their families, in the comfort of patients’ homes, with approximately 10 million patient care and education encounters per year. Amedisys has two divisions, home health care and hospice. The Company’s state-of-the-art advanced chronic care management programs and leading-edge technology enables it to deliver quality care based upon the latest evidence-based best practices. Amedisys is a recognized innovator, being one of the first in the industry to equip its clinicians with point-of-care laptop technology and referring physicians with an internet portal that enables real-time coordination of patient care seamlessly. Amedisys also has the industry’s first-ever nationwide Care Transitions program. Amedisys Care Transitions is designed to reduce unnecessary hospital readmissions through patient and caregiver health coaching and care coordination, which starts in the hospital and continues throughout completion of the patient’s home health plan of care. For more information about the Company, please visit: www.amedisys.com.

This press release includes statements that may constitute “forward-looking” statements, usually containing the words “believe”, “estimate”, “project”, “expect”, “anticipate” or similar expressions. Forward-looking statements inherently involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements. Many of the factors that could cause or contribute to such differences are described in the Company’s periodic reports and registrations statements filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and include, but are not limited to the following: general economic and business conditions, changes in or failure to comply with existing regulations or the inability to comply with new government regulations on a timely basis, changes in Medicare and other medical reimbursement levels, ability to complete acquisitions announced from time to time, and any financing related thereto, the ability to meet debt service requirements and to comply with covenants in debt agreements, adverse changes in federal and state laws relating to the health

care industry, demographic changes, availability and terms of capital, ability to attract and retain qualified personnel, ongoing development and success of new start-ups, ability to successfully integrate newly acquired agencies, changes in estimates and judgments associated with critical accounting policies, business disruption due to natural disasters or acts of terrorism, and various other matters, many of which are beyond management’s control. By making these forward-looking statements, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these statements for revisions or changes after the date of this release.

Our company website address is www.amedisys.com. We use our website as a channel of distribution for important company information. Important information, including press releases, analyst presentations and financial information regarding the Company is routinely posted on and accessible on the “Investor Relations” subpage of our website, which is accessible by clicking on the tab labeled “Investors” on our website home page. We will also use our website to expedite public access to time-critical information regarding the Company in advance of or in lieu of distributing a press release or a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) disclosing the same information. In addition, we make available on the Investor Relations subpage of our website (under the link “SEC filings”) free of charge our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, ownership reports on Forms 3, 4 and 5 and any amendments to those reports as soon as practicable after we electronically file such reports with the SEC. Further, copies of our Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws, our Code of Ethical Business Conduct and the charters for the Audit, Compensation and Nominating and Governance Committees of our Board are also available on the Investor Relations subpage of our website (under the link “Corporate Governance”).

Contacts:
For Investors:	For Media:
Amedisys, Inc.	Amedisys, Inc.
Kevin B. LeBlanc	Jacqueline Chen Valencia
Director of Investor Relations	Senior Vice President Marketing & Communications
225.299.3391	225.299.3688
kevin.leblanc@amedisys.com	jacqueline.chen@amedisys.com

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