Empath Health on Monday integrated its seven hospice brands under one umbrella. The rebranding is designed to strengthen the organization’s foothold in an increasingly competitive hospice landscape.

A main goal of its new One Hospice Model is to sustain and grow the depth of Empath Health’s community-based hospice services, according to President and CEO Jonathan Fleece.

The Florida-based nonprofit’s seven brands collectively care for one-in-five hospice patients statewide and include Empath Hospice, Hospice of Marion County, Suncoast Hospice, Suncoast Hospice of Hillsborough, Tidewell Hospice and Trustbridge (also Hospice by the Sea and Hospice of Palm Beach County).

“[The One Hospice Model] brings them together on a single platform, pooling an electronic health record, telehealth, data tools and group purchasing to unlock economies of scale through aligned back‑office services and standardized procedures — while preserving each site’s personal community touch,” Tarrah Lowry, chief operating officer for Empath Health, told Hospice News. “It blends nearly 130 years of Florida hospice heritage with the modern infrastructure patients need today.”

Clearwater, Florida-based Empath Health is the parent company of 17 affiliates and two philanthropic foundations. The organization provides care to more than 81,000 patients annually. The nonprofit’s Full Life Care model includes hospice, home health care, palliative care, bereavement, adult day and primary care services, advance care planning, HIV and sexual health services, and pharmacy and medical equipment assistance. Additional services include a Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) and dementia education and caregiving support through Empath’ Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience (GUIDE) model.

The new One Hospice Model is structured to provide more direct referral and community access to Empath Health’s overall network of services/ entire continuum of care. Through the new model, Empath will provide decision-making technology and research support across regional hubs in Tampa Bay, Sarasota, Palm Beach and Ocala, Florida.

Travis Fogle and Brad Perkins serve as new regional presidents of the locations in Tampa Bay and Sarasota, Florida, respectively. Tony Maxwell will oversee clinical operations and community partnerships of the regional hubs in Ocala and Palm Beach, Florida.

The One Hospice Model’s approach is designed to improve access, symptom relief and case management across Empath Health’s clinical, nonmedical and practical services.

A main goal is to provide a “coordinated Full Life Care journey — from the first serious illness conversations through loss and healing — thoughtfully adapted to each community’s resources and needs,” the organization stated in the press release.

The following goals are guiding the model, according to Lowry:

• Keep care personal. Empath’s service area spans forests, beaches, farms and cityscapes — each with its own needs. This model lets local leaders shape care to fit their communities, supported by Empath’s statewide strength. Families still see the same trusted nurses, chaplains and volunteers, with local voices guiding care through advisory boards, volunteer programs and community events.
• Reinvest surplus dollars back to the community. The programs that now make up Empath began with volunteers who saw unmet needs in their own backyards and stepped in to help. That spirit lives on today. Savings from shared resources are reinvested into vital services across the state — like Blue Butterfly grief centers for children, clinical scholarships for nurses, Empath GUIDE dementia coaching and stronger teams in home health, palliative care and PACE day centers — ensuring Empath keeps growing to meet the needs of tomorrow.
• Give every caregiver the same high quality tools. The One Hospice Model keeps care rooted in local communities while surrounding each team with the strength of a statewide network. Colleagues benefit from shared savings that enhance benefits, scalable IT that simplifies their work and access to hospice expertise from across Florida. The model allows nurses, chaplains and social workers to focus fully on their patients — backed by best-in-class support every step of the way.

Empath hinted at the new model’s development in 2023 when Fleece took the helm. His priorities at the time included moving toward ​​”One Empath, One Hospice.” The initiative was seen as “strategically imperative” to ensure financial strength, supportive service sustainability, care standardization and operational and technology infrastructure development, Fleece previously told Hospice News.

The new model is designed to strengthen the outlook of hospice care delivery as providers face myriad sustainability challenges, according to Empath Health. Rising demand, workforce shortages, program integrity and regulatory challenges, economic pressures and a shifting hospice marketplace are just some of the leading issues among today’s leaders.

“[The One Hospice Model] means more families will have access to compassionate hospice care — whether they live in remote rural areas or fast-growing suburbs — while keeping that care affordable,” Lowry said. “It means shared resources can be reinvested where they matter most: at the bedside and in the development of the colleagues who serve there. And it means we can pursue bold innovation to strengthen care without ever compromising the personal connection that has defined Florida’s hospice movement since 1977.”