LAFAYETTE, La. (Dec. 12, 2011) – LHC Group Inc. (NASDAQ: LHCG), a national provider of home health and hospice services, has been honored as one of the nation’s most successful companies by two national publications.

For the fifth consecutive year, LHC Group has been named one of “America’s 100 Best Small Companies” by Forbes magazine. In addition, LHC Group has been recognized as one of the nation’s “100 Fastest-Growing Companies” by Fortune magazine for the second consecutive year.

Keith G. Myers, chairman and CEO, said the national recognition is a tribute to the skill and compassion of the company’s 8,000 employees at more than 300 locations in 19 states. 

“At LHC Group, everything we do is centered on one principle: It’s all about helping people,” Myers said. “We’ve grown from a single home health agency in rural Louisiana into a national healthcare provider serving 80,000 patients every year, because we’ve never forgotten a simple fact – we’re here to provide high-quality, compassionate health care to the men and women who put their trust in us.”

Earlier this year, LHC Group also earned national recognition for its quality of care. Nearly 40 percent of the company’s home health providers are rated among the nation’s 2011 “HomeCare Elite,” an independent ranking of home health quality and performance. The 2011 HomeCare Elite list, compiled annually by OCS HomeCare and DecisionHealth, names the top 25 percent of home health agencies in the United States.

LHC Group is also the only home health company in the country pursuing 100 percent Joint Commission accreditation. Established in 1988, The Joint Commission’s home care accreditation program addresses a home care organization’s performance in specific areas to help ensure patient care and services are provided in a safe manner.

About LHC Group Inc.
LHC Group Inc. is a national provider of home health and hospice services, providing quality, cost-effective health care to patients within the comfort and privacy of their home or place of residence. LHC Group provides a comprehensive array of post-acute healthcare services through home health, hospice and private duty locations in its home-based division and long-term acute care hospitals in its facility-based division.

Certain matters discussed in this press release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, such as statements about the company’s future financial performance and the strength of the company’s operations. Such forward-looking statements may be identified by words such as “continue,” “expect” and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including changes in reimbursement, changes in government regulations, changes in LHC Group’s relationships with referral sources, increased competition for LHC Group’s services, increased competition for joint venture and acquisition candidates, changes in the interpretation of government regulations and other risks set forth in Item 1A.  Risk Factors in LHC Group’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. LHC Group undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.