Capital Caring-Chapters Affiliation Closes as Organization Begins ‘New Advanced Illness Care Era’

Capital Caring Health and Chapters Health System have officially joined forces as their affiliation plans solidify.

The two nonprofit hospice and palliative care providers recently closed on an affiliation they announced at the end of last year. Capital Caring and Chapters Health will each retain their individual branding post-transaction.

The affiliation will mean that more clinical resources will be available to a wider range of serious and terminally ill patients in a number of settings, according to Chapters Health President and CEO Andrew Molosky. The two providers have growth and innovation in their immediate sights, he said in a recent combined statement.

“For the past several years, Chapters Health has been on an aggressive and ambitious trajectory to change the way chronic illness management and end-of-life care is administered in our communities,” Molosky said. “We are thrilled to finalize the affiliation with Capital Caring Health, which for both organizations officially begins a new era in advanced illness care.”

Together the combined organization will have a workforce of 4,000 employees and 3,000 volunteers and anticipates serving more than 100,000 patients annually.

Florida-based Chapters Health System first signaled an affiliation with Virginia-based Capital Caring Health in December of 2022.

The nonprofit provides hospice, palliative and home health care, as well as durable medical equipment and pharmacy services, across 34 Florida counties and four in Georgia.

With the affiliation, its network expands to Capital Caring’s hospice and palliative care service region in Maryland, Virginia and Washington D.C.

Their combined footprint makes the deal one of the largest nonprofit collaborations of hospice and palliative care providers in the country, according to Tom Koutsoumpas, president and CEO of Capital Caring Health.

“Chapters Health and Capital Caring Health are changing the health care landscape by dramatically strengthening our combined not-for-profit missions,” Koutsoumpas said. “Together we provide the best possible outcomes for patients, families and our dedicated team members.”

The affiliation was one of three in 2022 for Chapters, following Cornerstone Hospice & Palliative Care and Hope Healthcare. The organization also offers hospice and palliative care services through five other brands: Chapters Health Palliative Care, Good Shepherd Hospice, Hospice of Okeechobee, HPH Hospice and LifePath Hospice.

Capital Caring is focusing on growing its home-based primary care service line in addition to swelling its hospice and palliative care imprint. The organization told Washington Business Journal that it is eying expansion of these services in Maryland and northern Virginia.

Cost-sharing factors also propelled the affiliation forward. The deal will bring Capital Caring and Chapters Health under a unified electronic medical records system. This will allow for more efficient use of staffing time and resources while also driving down overall costs of care delivery and medical supplies. 

Joining forces will also give both Capital Caring and Chapters Health leverage in demonstrating cost-savings potential to insurers and help curb impacts of inflation and soaring labor-related expenses the organizations indicated.

Capital Caring is a founding member of Advanced Illness Partners (AIP), a direct contracting entity established by seven nonprofit hospices. Beginning in 2020, AIP transitioned from direct contracting to the Accountable Care Organization Realizing Equity, Access, and Community Health model (ACO REACH).

“As we officially welcome the Capital Caring Health team into the Chapters Health family, we are excited to work in lock step with our shared mission to constantly elevate home and community-based, end-of-life care,” Molosky said.