If you’ve searched “apria healthcare going out of business,” you’re not alone. It’s one of the more common questions patients and families type into Google when they rely on Apria for oxygen concentrators, CPAP machines, or other home medical equipment. A mix of ownership changes, lawsuits, and confusing headlines has fueled a lot of speculation over the past few years.

The short answer is that Apria Healthcare is still very much open and operating. But the rumors didn’t come from nowhere, and understanding where they started can help clear up any confusion. Let’s walk through the company’s history, its ownership changes, and the real reasons people keep asking if it’s shutting down.

How Did Apria Healthcare Become a Major Healthcare Provider?

Apria Healthcare’s roots go back to 1995, when it was formed through the merger of two home health companies, Homedco Group and Abbey Healthcare Services. From there, the company grew steadily, eventually becoming one of the largest names in home respiratory therapy and durable medical equipment in the United States. A big part of that growth came in 2007, when Apria acquired Coram, Inc., adding home infusion and specialty pharmacy services to its offerings.

Over the years, Apria expanded to hundreds of locations nationwide, helping patients manage chronic conditions like COPD and sleep apnea from the comfort of their own homes. This scale is exactly why any hint of trouble at the company tends to spark so much concern; when you’re serving millions of patients, even minor operational hiccups can look like something much bigger from the outside.

What the Owens & Minor Acquisition Actually Changed

In March 2022, Apria was acquired by Owens & Minor, a global healthcare solutions company, in a deal worth roughly $1.6 billion. This wasn’t a sign of financial trouble; it was a strategic move by Owens & Minor to strengthen its position in the home healthcare market. As part of the deal, Apria’s stock was pulled from public trading, and the company became a division within Owens & Minor’s “Patient Direct” business unit.

For everyday patients, this acquisition didn’t mean any interruption in service. Apria kept its own brand name, its own locations, and its own staff. What did change was the corporate structure behind the scenes, along with updated systems and policies as the two companies integrated their operations. That kind of behind-the-scenes shift is often what triggers “going out of business” searches, even when nothing about day-to-day service has actually stopped.

The Truth Behind Apria Healthcare’s Closure Rumors

So where exactly do these shutdown rumors come from? Mostly from a combination of long wait times, frustrating automated phone systems, and delays in getting equipment delivered on time. When patients can’t get a quick answer from customer service, it’s natural to wonder if something worse is going on behind the scenes.

Add to that the confusion caused by new management and updated policies after the Owens & Minor acquisition, and you get a perfect storm for rumors to spread online. In reality, none of this points to an actual closure. Apria continues to deliver equipment, staff its call centers, and serve patients across the country, even if some individual interactions haven’t always been smooth.

Financial and Legal Challenges Faced by Apria Healthcare

Apria has faced its share of legal and financial setbacks, and these are likely the biggest reason the “going out of business” question keeps coming back. Back in 2021, Apria agreed to a $40.5 million settlement over claims that it billed for ventilators some patients never actually needed. On top of that, data breaches in 2019 and 2021 exposed the personal and medical details of close to 1.9 million people, which the company later settled for $6.4 million.

Here’s a quick breakdown of the major issues and how they were resolved:

Big settlements like these tend to make headlines, and headlines about lawsuits and payouts naturally make people nervous about a company’s future. But settling a lawsuit is very different from shutting down; it usually means the opposite, that the company is resolving its issues and continuing to operate under closer oversight.

Changes After the Company Acquisition

Since becoming part of Owens & Minor (now operating under the renamed parent company Accendra Health, Inc.), Apria has leaned into a more digital, home-based care model. The company has rolled out tools like the MyApria platform, which uses AI-powered automation to cut down on manual administrative work and make it easier for patients to manage their care.

These upgrades are aimed at handling rising labor costs and inflation without cutting corners on patient service. Rather than scaling back, Apria appears to be investing in technology and expanding its Patient Direct program, which is generally not the kind of move a company makes when it’s preparing to close its doors.

Apria’s Fraud Settlement and What the Corporate Integrity Agreement Means

The $40.5 million fraud settlement stemmed from allegations that Apria billed Medicare for non-invasive ventilators that some patients didn’t medically need. As part of the settlement, Apria entered into a Corporate Integrity Agreement that required the company to provide regular compliance training and undergo independent monitoring of its billing practices.

While that might sound alarming at first, a Corporate Integrity Agreement is actually a fairly standard tool regulators use with healthcare companies after a settlement. It’s designed to keep the company accountable going forward, not to shut it down. In fact, agreeing to this kind of oversight is usually a sign that a company plans to keep operating and wants to rebuild trust with regulators and patients alike.

Apria Healthcare Locations

Apria currently operates through roughly 270 to 280 branch offices spread across the United States, giving patients access to respiratory therapy and sleep apnea equipment close to home. The company’s website includes a location finder tool where patients can enter their zip code to find their nearest branch and contact details.

This kind of nationwide footprint isn’t something a company maintains while quietly winding down. Keeping hundreds of active branches staffed and stocked with equipment takes real ongoing investment, and it lines up with everything else pointing to Apria staying in business for the foreseeable future.

My Research on Apria Healthcare

After digging through public records, settlement documents, and company announcements, the picture is pretty clear: Apria Healthcare is not closing. The lawsuits and data breaches are real, and they’ve certainly caused headaches for the company and its patients, but they’ve all been resolved through settlements rather than bankruptcy or shutdown proceedings.

What stands out most is that Apria keeps investing in its future, expanding digital tools, growing its Patient Direct program, and maintaining hundreds of locations nationwide. None of that fits the pattern of a company preparing to close.

Conclusion

To sum it up, Apria Healthcare going out of business is more myth than reality. The company has been through ownership changes, legal settlements, and operational growing pains, but it remains a fully functioning provider of home respiratory therapy and medical equipment across the United States. If you or a loved one currently relies on Apria for care, there’s no need to search for a backup provider based on these rumors alone.

As with any large healthcare company, occasional service delays and customer service frustrations are real, but they’re a far cry from an actual business closure. The safest move is always to stay in direct contact with Apria or your insurance provider if you ever have concerns about your specific equipment or service.

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