Hospices Welcome VBID’s Demise, But Questions Remain

In case you missed it, Hospice News has launched a new specialty publication for palliative care professionals. You can subscribe to Palliative Care News here: Subscribe today! The Medicare Advantage hospice carve-in will be carved back out by the end of this year. Many operators were glad to see it go, but the questions the […]

‘Suncoast’ Film Points a Lens at Hospice Families’ Experience

The recently released independent feature film, “Suncoast,” tells the story of a teenage girl and her mother wrestling with the approaching death of their sibling and son, respectively. The film is based on director Laura Chinn’s personal experience as her brother Max received inpatient care at the Suncoast Hospice Care Center, an actual facility operated […]

Empath Health Launches New PACE Center

Empath Health has opened a new PACE (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly) center in Tampa, Florida. The center will operate under the organization’s Empath LIFE (Living Independence for the Elderly) brand. This is the second PACE center that the nonprofit senior care health system has opened and the first such program in its […]

2023’s Most Impactful Hospice Deals

A rich mix of hospice merger and acquisition (M&A) activity at the end of 2023 is fueling trends into next year. Hospice M&A activity has diverged from the frenzied pace set in recent years. The hospice space in the last five years has seen record-breaking multiples, a prevalence of private equity-backed platform transactions and large-scale […]

Adult, PACE, Palliative Centers Unveiled Amid Hospice Closures

Empath’s New Adult Day Center Empath LIFE has opened a new adult day center in Tampa, Florida, which will also provide caregiver education and respite services, among others. The LIFE program is a member of Florida-based nonprofit post-acute care provider Empath Health. Services at the program’s new facility include adult day services, primary and skilled […]

How Quality, Utilization Will Shape Hospice M&A in 2024

Investment trends in the hospice industry have meandered in recent years, impacting providers’ approaches to growth in 2024. The mix of hospice buyers has become more diverse during the past five years to include more private equity investors, large health and hospital systems and home health companies, along with payers. These trends will have lasting […]

Hospice Providers Empath Health, Trustbridge to Pursue Affiliation

The nonprofit post-acute care providers Empath Health and Trustbridge have signed a memorandum of understanding to begin an affiliation between the two organizations. Discussions of a potential affiliation began about a year ago, according to Empath Health CEO Jonathan Fleece. The organizations had a prior connection through the Florida Hospice and Palliative Care Association, as […]

How 3 Hospice Companies Are Beating the Workforce Shortage

Though most U.S. hospice providers have the same problem — a workforce shortage — many seek to address it using unique solutions. Worsening workforce shortages have been keeping hospice leaders awake at night for several years running. Rising turnover due to the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the crisis, leading some hospice providers to shut down their […]

3 Nonprofit Hospice Providers to Watch in 2023

Though nonprofit hospices now represent a smaller slice of the industry than in years past, they continue to care for more than half of patients in the United States who elect the benefit. The number of hospices operating nationwide rose to 5,358 in 2021, according to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC). This is a […]

Tidewell Hospice Develops Simulation Lab for Clinical Training

Tidewell Hospice, an affiliate of Empath Health, has enhanced its clinical training program with a simulation lab in its Bradenton, Florida location. The lab is designed to give new hospice clinicians hands-on experience and hone their skills before they go out to engage directly with patients and families. A centerpiece of the lab is two […]