Agape Care’s New M&A VP, New CEO Takes Helm at Community Hospice

Agape Care Group Appoints M&A VP Alex Ferguson has stepped into the role of senior vice president of mergers and acquisitions at Agape Care Group. The South Carolina-based hospice and palliative care provider is a portfolio company of the private equity firm Ridgemont Equity Partners. In his new role, Ferguson will assess and prioritize M&A […]

High Turnover in Hospices Correlates to Lower Margins

Elevated turnover rates are nibbling at hospices’ profit margins. A recent, nationwide BerryDunn survey of home health and hospice providers found that those who have experienced high turnover rates also sustained significant blows to their bottom lines. Providers with a turnover rate of 10% or less among staff reported seeing margins rise on average by […]

Publicly Traded Hospice Execs See Signs of Improvement in Labor Market

Some hospice company leaders have signaled the labor market may be showing signs of stabilization. Executives from 13 publicly traded home-based care companies participated last week in Jeffries Financial Group’s annual Nashville Healthcare Services Burr Tour, including contingents from Addus (NASDAQ: ADUS), Amedisys (NASDAQ: AMED), CVS Health (NASDAQ: CVS), Signify Health (NASDAQ: SGNY), and Enhabit […]

Hospices Use Education, Career Incentives to Grow Clinical Workforce

More hospices are building up their clinical ranks through education, training and programs like tuition reimbursement. Investing in these education and career-building programs could yield big returns when it comes to hiring and keeping personnel, according to Phillip Heath, board chair of New Jersey-based Samaritan Life Enhancing Care. Heath will become the organization’s CEO effective […]

Children’s Health Foundation Develops Pediatric Palliative Care Training Program

Children’s Medical Research, Inc., is launching a pediatric palliative care professional training program at the University of Oklahoma Health Science Center (OUHSC). The organization, which does business as the Children’s Health Foundation of Oklahoma, will offer the program to practicing physicians in pediatrics and general family medicine, as well as nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, […]

Former VITAS Manager Becomes VP of Operations; Hawaii E.D. Doc Turns Hospice Medical Director

Former VITAS Manager Returns to Fill Operational VP Role Chemed Corporation (NYSE: CHEM) subsidiary VITAS Healthcare recently named Laury Bliss as its new vice president of operations in southern California. She returns to the company after nearly three years at the helm of San Diego-based The Elizabeth Hospice as its chief strategy officer. Prior to […]

How Immigration Policy Impacts the Hospice Workforce

Current immigration policies are straining hospices’ ability to grow and retain their workforce amid widespread shortages. Immigrant workers help to fill some of the biggest areas of need in the hospice and palliative care labor supply. But national policies are contributing to a diminishing pool of these workers, putting pressure on providers’ capacity to accept […]

Culture, Compensation, Education Are Keys to Hospice Chaplain Turnover

The hospice chaplain shortage is reaching a tipping point. As they work to recruit and retain their chaplain labor force, hospices are contending with a barrage of issues that also can impact patient access. Hospice chaplains are being asked to do more with less time and resources available, which can adversely affect the quality of […]

No Easy Answers on Hospice Turnover Costs

Some hospice providers are walking a tightrope as they decide how to invest in recruitment and retention. Hospices have been pouring financial resources into efforts to bolster their workforce and are seeking ways to balance the costs associated with recruitment that differ from retention expenses. However, the process of calculating and comparing those costs can […]

Hospices Embrace ‘Same-Day Pay’ to Boost Retention

What some hospices are referring to as “on-demand payroll systems” have become a way for employers to get creative financially without stretching their bottom lines too thin. Through these systems, staff can view and access their earnings in real-time, prior to traditional payroll days. With inflation and gas prices soaring, giving employees flexibility in receiving […]