Chase Knight, Chief Growth Officer at Empassion Health, has been named to the Future Leaders Awards Class of 2026 by Hospice News.
To become a Future Leader, an individual is nominated by their peers. The candidate must be a high-performing employee who is 40 years of age or younger, a passionate worker who knows how to put vision into action, and an advocate for seniors, and the committed professionals who ensure their well-being.
Knight sat down with Hospice News to share what drew him to the hospice & palliative care industry, the biggest leadership lessons he has learned, his thoughts on the future of the hospice and palliative care industry, and much more. To learn more about the Future Leaders Awards program, visit https://futureleaders.wtwhmedia.com/.
HSPN: What drew you to the hospice and palliative care industry?
Knight: I had the opportunity when working at Caremore (part of Anthem) to be involved in the Aspire/Anthem integration. I met some really talented people and saw the need that was not being met in the market for the most fragile members with serious illness. It struck me, and when I had the chance to be in this space again with Empassion Health, I jumped at the chance to continue this work.
HSPN: How would you describe your leadership style, and how has it changed over time?
Knight: If I’m being honest, I don’t really believe in talking about leadership. Instead, actions are what matter in building a great team and making those around you feel valued and challenged every day.
What I believe most is that people appreciate direct and honest feedback. Everyone wants to know where they stand. And everyone has had a situation in their career where they were not sure how they were doing. If you set clear expectations that are aligned with clear goals and then hold your team accountable and provide direct feedback both positive and constructive, great team members will rise to those expectations.
And if you cannot take yourself too seriously and remember the mission along the way, it makes going to work everyday rewarding and worth the time and effort required to win.
HSPN: What is the biggest leadership lesson you’ve learned while serving the hospice and palliative care industry?
Knight: Patience.
Just because a solution seems crystal clear to you does not mean that it is crystal clear to those around you, both internally and externally. You have to be sure to bring those around you along on the vision and make sure it is being communicated clearly along the way.
HSPN: In one word, how would you describe the hospice and palliative care industry and why?
Knight: Fragmented.
There are many pockets of fantastic palliative and hospice care groups as well as risk bearing organizations looking to make a difference in this space.
Empassion’s goal is to standardize this care at scale across the country. But the industry has yet to tip the scale to offer palliative care and access to appropriate hospice care to every member as a baseline standard. There is more work to do.
HSPN: What do you see as the biggest opportunities and challenges currently facing the hospice and palliative care industry?
Knight: The opportunity is also the challenge at this point. The opportunity is push the industry toward where cancer and kidney care have moved – Patients with cancer and kidney disease receive high quality care across the country and payers and risk bearing groups consider specialty partners a standard.
The challenge is educating the industry on what is possible with serious illness and a palliative/hospice care to make it standard nationally for all members. Change is hard, but we believe we are chipping away at the problem every day and it is only a matter of time before the industry matures in our area.
HSPN: If you had a crystal ball, what do you think will impact the hospice and palliative care industry over the next 5-10 years?
Knight: The number of members with serious illness receiving no palliative and hospice services in America today is still staggering. Unlike some of the other disease categories, palliative and hospice care has matured more slowly for health plans and risk bearing groups. That will have to change in the next 5-10 years. We won’t be able to ignore the lack of access, the poor outcomes, and the cost associated.
So in the next 5-10 years, more responsibility will be pushed to payers, MCOs, and risk bearing groups in the form of formal palliative benefits, hospice carve-in, and alternative approaches to force change in the space to address this problem. The problem must be addressed head on, and it will be over the next 5-10 years.
HSPN: In your opinion, what qualities must all Future Leaders possess?
Knight: I think you have to be relentless in the pursuit of what’s most important, which in my opinion at the highest level is being able to look back year over year in healthcare and say we are doing a better job than we were last year. It can be a grind and sometimes feel like an uphill battle, but you can’t stop.
