Viventium Acquires Perks4Care to Combat Caregiver Retention Crisis

BERKELEY HEIGHTS, N.J. – March 19, 2026 – In a strategic move to address the escalating caregiver shortage in the post-acute care sector, human capital management (HCM) provider Viventium has announced its acquisition of Perks4Care, a rewards and recognition platform designed specifically for the healthcare workforce. The deal, which officially closed in December 2025, integrates a specialized retention tool into Viventium’s existing suite of services, signaling a significant shift toward more nuanced solutions for workforce stability.

This acquisition arrives as the post-acute care industry grapples with an unprecedented labor crisis, threatening access to care for millions of vulnerable Americans. By incorporating Perks4Care, Viventium aims to equip providers with a powerful mechanism to improve caregiver engagement, appreciation, and ultimately, retention.

A Deepening Crisis of Care

The backdrop for this acquisition is a dire workforce shortage with profound societal and economic consequences. The post-acute care sector, which includes home health, hospice, and long-term care facilities, is facing a critical deficit of frontline workers. Projections from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics indicate a need for approximately 765,800 new home health and personal care aides each year through the next decade, largely to replace those leaving the profession. Industry analysts project a total shortfall of over one million direct care workers by 2030.

High turnover rates, frequently exceeding 60%, are driven by demanding work conditions, emotional burnout, and wages that often lag behind other industries. This exodus has tangible effects on healthcare delivery. Since 2020, the long-term care sector has lost hundreds of thousands of employees, leading to facility closures and reduced capacity. A recent industry report found that nearly half of all nursing homes were forced to limit new admissions due to staffing shortages, creating care deserts in some communities and placing an immense strain on the 53 million unpaid family caregivers who provide an estimated $600 billion in uncompensated care annually. The economic toll extends further, with projections suggesting a potential loss of $290 billion in annual GDP by 2030 if the crisis remains unaddressed.

Beyond the Paycheck: A New Approach to Retention

It is within this challenging environment that Viventium's integration of Perks4Care presents a targeted intervention. The platform moves beyond traditional compensation models to focus on the psychological drivers of employee loyalty and motivation. Perks4Care enables healthcare organizations to create customized rewards programs, awarding caregivers points for meeting operational goals, receiving positive feedback, or demonstrating exceptional service. These points can then be redeemed for a wide array of gift cards.

This model is rooted in research suggesting that non-cash incentives can be more powerful than direct financial bonuses. "Research consistently shows that points-based rewards can be more effective than direct cash incentives," explained Linda Donev, co-founder of Perks4Care. "Employees are often more motivated to accumulate points and redeem them for something personally meaningful, rather than seeing a cash reward absorbed into daily expenses. Points also allow agencies to recognize caregivers more frequently, reinforcing appreciation and engagement over time."

The platform was developed by Donev and Joe Kraus, industry veterans with over 30 years of experience in post-acute care. Their background as founders of Soneto, an operations management system used by hundreds of providers, gave them firsthand insight into the persistent challenges of caregiver retention. Their goal was to build a solution from the ground up that genuinely understands and addresses the caregiver experience.

The Strategic Evolution of HR Technology

Viventium's acquisition represents a key evolution in the HR technology landscape, highlighting a trend toward hyper-specialized solutions within broader HCM platforms. While many large HCM providers offer generic tools for employee engagement, Viventium is doubling down on its exclusive focus on the healthcare market. By acquiring a platform built by post-acute care veterans for the post-acute care workforce, the company gains a significant competitive differentiator.

This move strengthens Viventium’s value proposition, shifting its role from a provider of essential administrative functions like payroll and HR to a strategic partner in solving the industry's most pressing business problem: workforce stability. For healthcare organizations, the return on investment is not just about streamlined operations but about reducing the staggering costs associated with recruitment and turnover.

"Improving the caregiver experience is central to Viventium's mission," stated Navin Gupta, CEO of Viventium. "Perks4Care gives providers a simple but powerful way to recognize caregivers in real time. By bringing Perks4Care into the Viventium ecosystem, we are helping post-acute care organizations build cultures where caregivers feel appreciated and valued."

A Career-Long Commitment to Valuing Caregivers

Perhaps the most innovative aspect of the Perks4Care platform is its fundamentally caregiver-centric design. In an industry where professionals frequently move between different agencies and facilities, recognition is often lost with each transition. Perks4Care was built to solve this problem by creating a portable, persistent record of a caregiver’s achievements.

"One of Perks4Care's distinguishing features is that it is truly caregiver-centric," said Joe Kraus, co-founder of the platform. "Because caregivers often move between healthcare organizations over the course of their careers, recognition should follow them. With Perks4Care, caregivers earn points that never expire, collect badges that reflect their achievements, and build a recognition profile that stays with them throughout their professional journey."

This approach fundamentally reframes employee recognition from a company-specific perk to a career-long validation of a professional’s skills and dedication. It acknowledges the individual's contribution to the healthcare system as a whole, not just to a single employer. For the unsung heroes on the front lines of post-acute care, this form of lasting, portable appreciation may prove to be the most valuable incentive of all, fostering a renewed sense of purpose and loyalty in a field that desperately needs it.