Senior Living Transformation Co. Taps Former Pine Park Health Exec Lydiard To Lead Newly Acquired Centered Care

The Senior Living Transformation Co. has acquired healthcare analytics and services company Centered Care and hired James Lydiard to lead it as CEO.

Launched in 2023 with the backing of industry veterans Arnie Whitman and Chip Gabriel along with New York City-based Omega Healthcare Investors (NYSE: OHI), among others; the Senior Living Transformation Co. aims to “transform” senior living operations with a tech-enabled, data-driven model that integrates with value-based care frameworks.

In 2023, the company with Omega acquired The Rivers at Maryland Farms, a 113-unit assisted living and memory care community in Brentwood, Tennessee, to serve as a demonstration pilot for the partnership, with newly launched operator Kalven Senior Living on board to manage it.

Lydiard, who most recently worked as chief strategy officer at Pine Park Health, will help launch and lead the company’s health care services business, which includes bringing in primary care physicians to senior living communities with dedicated spaces for residents to receive treatment if needed.

He is taking the reins at Centered Care from Joelle Poe, who helped launch the Senior Living Transformation Co. and is transitioning into a new role as chief transformation officer and partner. Transformation Co. partners Arnold Whitman and Chip Gabriel formed Centered Care as a standalone company when it was founded in 2021.

Senior Living Transformation Co. was attracted to Lydiard’s experience working for both Pine Park and payers in the past, according to Chief Investment Officer Cory Bennett. Centered Care’s mission to collect and make actionable more resident data among disparate systems also made it a natural fit for acquisition.

He noted that Lydiard’s hiring will lend the company more “horsepower” to launch a new clinical care delivery service and accelerate its goals while serving as a “differentiator.” With Lydiard’s hiring and Poelle’s move to a new role as partner, Senior Living Transformation Co. has real estate investment, operating and technology and care service acumen.

“The combination of those kinds of skillsets are going to prove to be really attractive, not only to potential residents, but also to operating partners, investment partners and vendors,” he added.

The company did not immediately provide terms of the new acquisition.

Senior Living Transformation Co. is launching the new health care services business with an eye on preventative care. The company’s thesis is that senior living communities are “uniquely positioned” to “transform the entire healthcare system for good.” Fitting in with that thesis, Centered Care will employ staff who provide data, with added support from medical professionals for prescriptions, planning or care coordination to keep residents well for longer. Senior Living Transformation Co. also is looking to branch out into communities managed by partners and add in these similar clinical spaces.

Bennett added as the industry shifts towards value-based care, SLTC would take on risk within a community it has a presence in.

With Lydiard on board, Senior Living Transformation Co. is partnering with a primary care group in Tennessee and exploring additional healthcare and tech investments, which Lydiard will source and underwrite.

Additionally, Senior Living Transformation Co. is pursuing real estate acquisitions across the country, with Lydiard responsible for setting up healthcare services within them after they change hands.

The company also is seeking to partner with management groups that “share our same vision around care and technology” where “everyone feels aligned, everyone feels incentivized and reaps the economic benefit,” Bennett said.

“This is going to be a transformational year for us,” Bennett said. “We’ve gained a lot of traction here with our Transformation Center.”

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