Shield HealthCare
Shield HealthCare is a Valencia, California-based home medical supplies distributor, founded in 1957 and majority-owned by Henry Schein Inc., that delivers incontinence, ostomy, urological, enteral nutrition, wound care, diabetes, and breastfeeding products directly to over 340,000 U.S. patients and bills Medicare, Medicaid, and managed care plans on their behalf.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1957
- HeadquartersValencia, United States
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Shield HealthCare does
Shield HealthCare is a Valencia, California-based home medical supplies distributor founded in 1957 that serves more than 340,000 patients and caregivers across the United States. The company distributes seven core product categories — incontinence, ostomy, urological, enteral nutrition, wound care, diabetes supplies, and breast pumps — through a direct-to-patient home delivery model supported by warehouses in California, Colorado, Illinois, Ohio, Texas, and Washington. Since Henry Schein Inc. (NASDAQ: HSIC) acquired a majority stake in October 2023, Shield HealthCare has operated within the Henry Schein Home Solutions Affiliated Covered Entity (HSHS ACE) for HIPAA compliance purposes, functioning as the HME (Home Medical Equipment) distribution arm of Henry Schein's broader healthcare distribution network.
The revenue model is transaction-based: Shield HealthCare bills Medicare, Medicaid, Medi-Cal, managed care plans, and private insurances directly on behalf of customers, removing insurance paperwork as a friction point for patients. Operational technology includes the SHARP electronic referral portal (used by physicians, nurses, and WOCNs to submit and track patient referrals in real time), a customer-facing e-commerce catalog at catalog.shieldhealthcare.com, and a partner pricing program at partner.shieldhealthcare.com for home health agencies and hospitals. The company holds CHAP accreditation and HIPAA compliance via the parent ACE structure.
Go-to-market is hybrid: a sales-led referral motion through healthcare professionals combined with community-led acquisition and retention via eight branded condition-specific online communities (OstomyLife, Incontinence, Diabetes, Spinal Cord Injury, Nutrition, Urological, Wound Care, GROW) that publish educational content, host webinars with CE credits for clinicians, and provide lifestyle support. Primary customer segments are individual patients, caregivers, clinicians, managed care organizations, and government agencies; payers are diversified across federal and state programs plus commercial managed care.
Shield HealthCare firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Shield HealthCare
- Legal name
- Shield HealthCare, Inc.
- Website
- https://shieldhealthcare.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1957
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- Shield HealthCare is a Valencia, California-based home medical supplies distributor, founded in 1957 and majority-owned by Henry Schein Inc., that delivers incontinence, ostomy, urological, enteral nutrition, wound care, diabetes, and breastfeeding products directly to over 340,000 U.S. patients and bills Medicare, Medicaid, and managed care plans on their behalf.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Shield HealthCare industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Home Medical Supplies Distribution
- NAICS
- Home Health Care Services (6216), Health Care and Social Assistance (62)
- SIC
- Wholesale-Medical, Dental & Hospital Equipment & Supplies (5047), Orthopedic, Prosthetic & Surgical Appliances & Supplies (3842)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Incontinence & Urological Supplies (Catheters, Briefs, Ostomy Supplies) (HSABAKAH)
Keywords
Where Shield HealthCare is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Valencia
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Shield HealthCare business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Medical Supply Product Sales: Sale of home medical equipment including incontinence supplies, ostomy supplies, urological supplies, enteral nutrition, wound care products, diabetes supplies, and breast pumps. Revenue is generated through direct product sales billed to patients and/or their insurance providers including Medicare, Medicaid, Medi-Cal, and managed care plans.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Insurance-billed medical supplies |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Shield HealthCare product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Shield HealthCare distributes and home-delivers medical supplies across seven core product categories—incontinence, ostomy, urological, enteral nutrition, wound care, diabetes, and breast pumps. The company coordinates insurance billing with Medicare, Medicaid, Medi-Cal, managed care plans, and private insurances, and manages prescriptions, referrals, and ongoing patient education through online communities and a healthcare-professional referral portal (SHARP).
Product overview
Shield HealthCare is a home-delivered medical supplies company established in 1957, operating as part of the Henry Schein Home Solutions Affiliated Covered Entity (HSHS ACE). The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of medical supply products organized across seven core categories: Incontinence Supplies, Ostomy Supplies, Enteral Nutrition Supplies, Urological Supplies, Wound Care, Diabetes Supplies, and Breast Pumps. These products are distributed through a direct-to-patient delivery network with supporting services including insurance billing (Medicare, Medicaid, managed care), prescription management, and an online catalog. Additional digital tools include the SHARP Referral Portal for healthcare professionals and Shield Communities for patient education. The company serves over 340,000 customers nationwide and maintains CHAP accreditation.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- OstomyLife: Online community providing resources, support, and educational content for individuals living with ostomies, including lifestyle tips, product information, and peer support
Products and services
- Incontinence Supplies Adult diapers, pull-ups, briefs, liners and pads, underpads, mattress covers, wipes, cleansers, moisturizers, and barrier creams for individuals managing incontinence.
- Ostomy Supplies Drainable and closed pouches, urostomy pouches, wafers, barriers, moldable rings and paste, belts, irrigation supplies, and other ostomy accessories for ostomates.
- Enteral Nutrition Supplies Feeding tubes, pumps, formulas, emergency gravity kits, backpacks, and accessories supported by on-staff Registered Dietitians.
- Urological Supplies Indwelling/Foley catheters, intermittent and external catheters, leg bags, night drain bags, irrigation systems, syringes, and related accessories.
- Wound Care Products Advanced wound care items including alginate, collagen, foam, hydrocolloid, and hydrogel dressings, plus bandages, gauze, and tape.
- Diabetes Supplies Continuous glucose monitoring systems, blood glucose meters, test strips, lancets, sensors, and receivers for diabetes management.
- Breast Pumps Breast pumps and accessories for breastfeeding mothers.
- Insurance Billing Services Direct billing to Medicare, Medicaid, Medi-Cal, managed care plans, and private insurances on behalf of customers for home medical supplies.
Quantifiable outcome
- 97.7% of customers would recommend Shield HealthCare to friends and family (survey of 4,000 customers by Press Ganey Associates)
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Shield HealthCare
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Shield HealthCare technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Shield HealthCare partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Shield HealthCare competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Comfort Medical: National direct-to-patient supplier of catheters, ostomy, and incontinence supplies with insurance billing support; comparable size and product overlap to Shield's core categories.
- Byram Healthcare: Direct-to-patient distributor of incontinence, ostomy, urological, wound care, and diabetes supplies with national home delivery and insurance billing — closely mirrors Shield HealthCare's core offering, customer base, and reimbursement model.
- Apria Healthcare: Large US home medical equipment provider (now under Owens & Minor) distributing respiratory, sleep, urological, and incontinence supplies directly to patients with insurance billing — directly comparable HME distributor with similar payer mix.
- Lincare Holdings: Major US home respiratory and DME supplier offering direct-to-patient delivery and insurance billing across multiple chronic condition categories; a large-scale peer in the home-delivered medical supply space.
- 180 Medical: Specialist in urological, ostomy, and incontinence supplies with direct-to-patient shipping and insurance billing — a niche-focused peer with overlapping product mix and patient demographic.
Broad incumbents
- McKesson Medical-Surgical: Fortune 10 healthcare distributor supplying medical-surgical equipment and home health products at scale; overlaps with Shield through home health channel and competing national distribution footprint.
- Cardinal Health at-Home: Division of Cardinal Health serving home medical equipment, DME, and urological/incontinence needs of patients nationwide; broad incumbent with overlapping product categories and payer relationships.
- Medline Industries: Largest privately held medical supplies manufacturer and distributor in the US with a growing home health and patient-direct business; broad incumbent competing across wound, incontinence, and DME categories.
- AdaptHealth: National provider of home medical equipment, including sleep, oxygen, incontinence, and urological supplies, with payer-contracted direct-to-patient delivery; comparable distribution model and patient base.
Emerging players
- Hollister Incorporated: Manufacturer with direct-to-consumer programs for ostomy and continence care products; overlaps with Shield's ostomy and urological categories and competes for the same patient demographic through branded direct channels.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Shield HealthCare social profiles
Digital presenceShield HealthCare compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Shield HealthCare financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Shield HealthCare leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Shield HealthCare funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Shield HealthCare M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Shield HealthCare
What does Shield HealthCare do?
Shield HealthCare distributes and home-delivers medical supplies across seven core product categories—incontinence, ostomy, urological, enteral nutrition, wound care, diabetes, and breast pumps. The company coordinates insurance billing with Medicare, Medicaid, Medi-Cal, managed care plans, and private insurances, and manages prescriptions, referrals, and ongoing patient education through online communities and a healthcare-professional referral portal (SHARP).
Is Shield HealthCare a public or private company?
Shield HealthCare is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Shield HealthCare founded?
Shield HealthCare was founded in 1957. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Shield HealthCare based?
Shield HealthCare is headquartered in Valencia, United States, in the North America region.
How does Shield HealthCare make money?
One revenue line is on record: medical Supply Product Sales.
Who are Shield HealthCare's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Comfort Medical, Byram Healthcare, Apria Healthcare, Lincare Holdings and 180 Medical. Broad incumbents are McKesson Medical-Surgical, Cardinal Health at-Home, Medline Industries and AdaptHealth. Hollister Incorporated is listed as an emerging player.
Does Shield HealthCare have an API?
No public API is recorded for Shield HealthCare.
What industry is Shield HealthCare in?
Shield HealthCare's product category is Home Medical Supplies Distribution. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HSABAKAH, Incontinence & Urological Supplies (Catheters, Briefs, Ostomy Supplies). Its NAICS code is 6216 and its SIC code is 5047.