Kinnser Software, founded in 2003 by Chris Hester in Austin, Texas, revolutionized the home health sector with innovative web-based solutions before being acquired by Mediware (now WellSky) in 2017. The company grew to dominate approximately 20% of the global therapy management software market, with its flagship product—Kinnser Agency Manager—becoming the most widely used solution for home health agencies. Processing over 18 million billable home visits by 2014, Kinnser’s software significantly improved efficiency and care coordination for thousands of healthcare providers before evolving into WellSky’s comprehensive healthcare technology ecosystem that continues to shape home health, hospice, and private duty care services today.
Foundation and Early Development
Kinnser Software was established in 2003 by Chris Hester with a clear mission to create innovative web-based solutions that would deliver clinical and business results specifically for the home health industry. The company initially targeted small to medium-sized home health agencies with software designed to simplify agency management and reduce paperwork burdens. This focus on addressing specific operational challenges in the home healthcare sector quickly established Kinnser as a valuable technology partner for agencies seeking to modernize their operations.
The company’s early success stemmed from its emphasis on usability, developing solutions that were intuitive and accessible to healthcare professionals who were not necessarily tech-savvy. According to founder Chris Hester, this focus on user experience was intentional from the beginning, resulting in software that typically required just a few hours of training for staff to become proficient. This approach differentiated Kinnser in a market where many competing solutions were complex and difficult to implement, especially for smaller agencies with limited IT resources.
As Kinnser grew, it expanded its product offerings while maintaining this core commitment to usability and practical functionality. The company developed a reputation for delivering software that addressed real-world challenges faced by home health agencies, from clinical documentation and scheduling to billing and compliance. This alignment with industry needs drove rapid adoption and positioned Kinnser as an emerging leader in healthcare technology.
Growth and Market Expansion
Kinnser Software experienced remarkable growth throughout its independent operation. In 2013, the company reported revenue growth of 40%, exceeding management expectations and earning recognition from Deloitte as the 135th fastest-growing technology company in the United States. This extraordinary performance reflected both the increasing demand for digital solutions in healthcare and Kinnser’s ability to effectively meet the specific needs of its target market.
By 2015, Kinnser had significantly expanded its reach, serving more than 40,000 users across over 1,000 agencies in the home health, hospice, and home care fields. The company’s flagship product, Kinnser Agency Manager, processed over 18 million billable home visits in 2014 alone, demonstrating its critical role in home health operations nationwide. Thousands of clinicians and staff at hundreds of home health agencies and therapy companies relied on Kinnser’s solutions for daily operations, from scheduling and documentation to billing and financial reporting.
This period of growth also saw Kinnser diversify its product portfolio, introducing specialized solutions for hospice providers, private duty agencies, and therapy practices. These targeted offerings addressed the unique requirements of each care setting while maintaining the user-friendly approach that had become Kinnser’s hallmark. The company’s expansion strategy successfully balanced growth with continued innovation, enabling it to establish a dominant position in the home health technology market.
Comprehensive Product Portfolio
Kinnser developed a suite of integrated software solutions designed to address the specific needs of different segments within post-acute care. These products shared a common philosophy of simplifying complex processes while ensuring regulatory compliance and promoting collaboration among care team members.
Kinnser Agency Manager
The flagship product, Kinnser Agency Manager, emerged as the most widely-used software for home health agencies, combining point-of-care clinical tools, administrative functions, and billing capabilities in a single web-based application. This comprehensive solution helped agencies increase profit, improve communication, and coordinate care for patients through a range of integrated features.
One popular feature was automatic Medicare eligibility verification, which performed checks immediately at patient intake and weekly throughout the episode of care. This functionality helped agencies avoid providing services to patients whose Medicare coverage had changed, preventing potential reimbursement denials and financial losses. The system also facilitated secure submission of claims to fiscal intermediaries and insurance companies via the internet, streamlining the revenue cycle.
Kinnser Agency Manager included a proprietary HIPAA-compliant messaging system called K-mail, which connected internal staff for better collaboration while also linking external parties such as payers, labs, therapy companies, and physicians. A distinctive aspect of this system was that messages could be attached directly to a patient’s online chart, ensuring that all care-related communications were centralized and accessible to authorized team members. This feature significantly improved care coordination and reduced the risk of important information being overlooked.
Kinnser ADL for Private Duty Care
For agencies providing non-medical personal care services, Kinnser developed Kinnser ADL (Activities of Daily Living), a specialized solution designed to streamline operations in the private duty sector. Available as both a web-based application and mobile app for iOS and Android devices, Kinnser ADL offered flexibility for managing caregivers providing in-home support services.
The software featured a streamlined patient management system with real-time access to patient records, comprehensive care plans tailored to individual needs, and automated reminders for caregivers to ensure compliance with treatment plans. Its scheduling capabilities included intelligent tools that adapted to availability and patient needs, geo-tracking of visits to ensure accountability, and easy adjustments when changes were necessary.
Kinnser ADL also provided powerful caregiver management features, including GPS-enabled timecards for verifying visits, automatic shift reminders, and missed visit alerts. Agencies could send nightly text and email reminders with shift details, maps, schedules, and notes to team members, ensuring they had the information needed to provide quality care. The platform’s Family Portal allowed family members to view current shift logs, caregiver clock-ins, and activities performed, enhancing transparency and trust.
Kinnser Link and Mobile Solutions
Recognizing that clinicians often work in areas with limited connectivity, Kinnser developed Kinnser Link (later rebranded as WellSky Offline), a mobile application that allowed home health and hospice clinicians to complete documentation even without internet access. Using any web-enabled tablet, the app loaded scheduled documents into a HIPAA-compliant environment so clinicians could work offline and later sync their saved information when connectivity was restored.
This mobile solution offered several advantages, including improved accuracy through point-of-care documentation, reduced overtime and errors by eliminating redundant data entry, increased submission speed for clinical notes, and enhanced security through encryption. For agencies serving rural areas or patients in locations with poor network coverage, this functionality proved particularly valuable, enabling clinicians to maintain productivity regardless of connectivity challenges.
Kinnser Hospice
To address the specialized needs of end-of-life care providers, Kinnser developed Kinnser Hospice, a solution designed with input from successful hospice organizations and industry consultants. This product accommodated the unique regulatory, reporting, and collaboration requirements of hospice agencies while streamlining operations and supporting quality care delivery.
The software was structured around actual hospice processes, making it intuitive for staff to learn and use effectively. Like other Kinnser products, it emphasized ease of implementation, typically requiring just a few hours of training for staff to become proficient. To facilitate adoption, the company provided on-site training at client facilities, demonstrating a commitment to customer success that contributed to Kinnser’s strong reputation in the hospice sector.
Market Position and Industry Impact
Kinnser Software established itself as a dominant player in the healthcare technology market, particularly in home health and therapy management segments. According to industry data, the company held approximately 20% of the global therapy management software market share, positioning it as the market leader. Its closest competitor, NextGen Healthcare, held approximately 18% of the market, illustrating Kinnser’s competitive strength in this specialized sector.
The company’s customer base was predominantly located in the United States, with 97.5% of its clients based in America and the remaining 2.5% in Canada. Within the U.S. market, Kinnser’s solutions were especially popular among agencies with 100-249 employees, followed by those with 20-49 employees. This distribution reflected the company’s successful targeting of small to mid-sized organizations that needed comprehensive technology solutions without the extensive IT resources available to larger enterprises.
Beyond market share, Kinnser’s impact on the home health industry was transformative, helping drive digital adoption in a sector that had historically relied on paper-based processes. By providing accessible, web-based solutions that aligned with clinical workflows, Kinnser enabled thousands of agencies to improve operational efficiency, enhance care coordination, and strengthen financial performance. This technology adoption contributed to broader quality improvements and cost reductions in home-based care delivery across the country.
Acquisition and Evolution into WellSky
A pivotal moment in Kinnser Software’s history came in May 2017 when it was acquired by Mediware Information Systems, a portfolio company of private equity firm TPG Capital. This acquisition marked the beginning of a new chapter for Kinnser, integrating its specialized home health solutions into a broader healthcare technology ecosystem. Following the acquisition, Chris Hester, who had served as Kinnser’s president for 14 years, took on the role of president of Mediware’s home care division, ensuring continuity in leadership and vision.
In September 2018, Mediware underwent a comprehensive rebranding, changing its name to WellSky and consolidating more than 30 unique healthcare and human services brands under a single identity. This transformation represented a strategic decision to create a unified platform serving multiple care settings rather than maintaining a “house of brands,” as explained by WellSky CEO Bill Miller. As part of this process, Kinnser’s offerings were rebranded under the WellSky name while maintaining their core functionality and continuing to serve their established user base.
The rebranding coincided with significant investments in research and development, with WellSky committing nearly $50 million to enhance analytics capabilities, strengthen security measures, and develop engineering talent. These investments aimed to build upon the strengths of component companies, including Kinnser, while creating new synergies across the combined organization. As Miller noted, “We’ve been strong in analytics historically, but we’re going to get even stronger,” highlighting the company’s commitment to continued innovation.
WellSky’s transformation of Kinnser’s products exemplifies the company’s strategic evolution. Kinnser Agency Manager became WellSky Home Health, continuing as “the most widely used home health software”. Similarly, Kinnser ADL evolved into WellSky Personal Care, serving the private duty market, while Kinnser Link was renamed WellSky Offline. These rebranded solutions benefited from integration with WellSky’s broader technology platform while preserving the features that had made them successful under the Kinnser brand.
Contemporary Impact and Future Direction
Today, WellSky serves more than 10,000 customer sites worldwide, including hospital systems, blood banks, government agencies, human services organizations, home health providers, and hospice agencies. The company operates internationally, with a presence in the United States, Canada, Ireland, Britain, South Africa, Holland, and other countries. This global reach represents a significant expansion of the market originally served by Kinnser Software, demonstrating the enduring value and scalability of its solutions.
WellSky has continued to enhance the products originally developed by Kinnser, introducing new capabilities such as predictive analytics for hospitalization risk assessment, electronic visit verification to prevent billing fraud, and integrated platforms that connect home-based care with the broader healthcare ecosystem. Recent developments include the launch of SkySense, an AI-powered tool to streamline clinical operations, and new partnerships with organizations like Meals on Wheels America to improve care for seniors.
The company has also strengthened its market position through strategic acquisitions, including MEDTranDirect, Rock-Pond, and BlueStrata in 2018, further expanding its capabilities in complementary areas of healthcare technology. This growth strategy, combined with ongoing product innovation, ensures that the solutions originally developed by Kinnser continue to evolve and address emerging challenges in healthcare delivery.
Conclusion
Kinnser Software represents a remarkable success story in healthcare technology innovation. Founded in 2003 with a focus on serving the specific needs of home health agencies, the company grew to become the market leader in its segment before being acquired by Mediware (now WellSky) in 2017. Throughout its independent existence and continuing under the WellSky brand, Kinnser’s solutions have helped thousands of healthcare organizations improve operational efficiency, enhance care coordination, and strengthen financial performance.
The company’s emphasis on creating user-friendly, workflow-aligned solutions established a new standard for healthcare technology design and implementation, particularly in the home health sector. This approach, combined with a deep understanding of the regulatory and operational challenges faced by home-based care providers, enabled Kinnser to develop products that delivered measurable value while remaining accessible to organizations of all sizes.
Today, as part of WellSky’s comprehensive healthcare technology ecosystem, Kinnser’s innovations continue to evolve and expand, supporting the delivery of high-quality care across diverse settings and populations. This enduring impact reflects the company’s successful fusion of technological expertise and healthcare domain knowledge—a combination that remains essential for driving meaningful improvements in care delivery and outcomes across the healthcare continuum.
