But a Dunedin mother with an intellectually disabled son said the announcement yesterday revealed little and failed to allay her family's fears.
Idea Services, the operational arm of IHC, announced last month it was seeking to move out of providing some services, including home support.
In Dunedin, IHC also closed its only respite house, in Wycolla Ave, St Clair, last month.
IHC chief executive Ralph Jones announced yesterday Idea Services was ''in talks'' to ensure about 850 families in New Zealand would be able to choose to move over to HealthCare NZ.
HealthCare NZ also wanted to manage three of the five respite bases Idea Services runs, he said.
Spectrum Care wanted to manage the other two bases in the Wellington region, he said.
Due diligence processes to transfer respite and home support were under way, he said.
''We know that families want certainty and we are pleased to be able to share the next step as part of our commitment to ensure uninterrupted services.
''People in some parts of the country were particularly concerned that we were the only provider in town. With HealthCare NZ, people can still receive home support where they do now.''
An IHC spokesman declined to comment on what the talks could result in for Dunedin residents with intellectual disabilities, such as whether the respite house in Wycolla Ave would reopen.
''Due diligence is under way. We will update further when we know more,'' he said.
Healthcare NZ Community Health Otago manager Virginia McCall, who is based in Dunedin, referred questions to Healthcare NZ Community Health general manager Sean Conroy.
Mr Conroy did not return calls from the Otago Daily Times yesterday.
Kate and Reg Hall live in their Ocean View home with their son Lucas (26). They had used the Wycolla Ave respite house and are using the home support service.
Mrs Hall was disappointed IHC was communicating information on change via the media rather than directly to families. The family had questions it wanted answered ''to allay our fears - this whole process continues to be extremely unsettling for families and causing unnecessary stress''.
The path IHC had taken to exit the services had been ''cold, uncaring and calculating'', she said.
