Hospices See Big Opportunities in Direct Contracting, But Care Must Move Upstream

When the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in 2019 announced its Primary Care First Serious Illness Population model, many hospices saw the program as their greatest opportunity for successful participation in the agency’s alternative payment structures. While interest in the program remains high, many providers are shifting their gaze towards the direct […]

Top 10 Largest Hospice Providers of 2020

Despite facing forceful pandemic-related headwinds from COVID-19, mergers and acquisitions and organic growth are fueling market share growth among the organizations listed in the LexisNexis 2020 Top Hospice Providers report. VITAS Healthcare, a subsidiary of Chemed Corp. (NYSE: CHE), led the charge as the largest hospice provider in the United States last year, with 4.42% […]

Top Hospice Trends to Watch in 2021

The year 2020 brought unprecedented disruption to the hospice space, mostly due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The outbreak strained providers ability to provide care, access patients in homes and facilities and to maintain a healthy bottom line in light of lost revenues and rising costs.  Despite these challenges and economic headwinds, hospices adapted, improvised and […]

Hospice Leaders’ 2021 Predictions: Industry Change is Accelerating

In the midst of sweeping industry-wide change, hospices are still contending with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that has affected almost every aspect of their businesses. As this difficult year comes to a close, hospice leaders are looking ahead to 2021 with their minds on leveraging the expansion of telehealth, encouraging equitable access to care, industry […]

Empath Health, Stratum Health Merger Moving Forward

Post-acute care providers Empath Health and Stratum Health have received approval to merge from their boards of directors, clearing the way for the deal to close. Regulatory approval is pending and is expected to come through in Jan. 2021. Empath and Stratum are parent companies of Suncoast Hospice and Tidewell hospice, respectively. Their merged enterprise […]

Suncoast Medical Director Li: Create Stabilization in the Face of Expansion

Carol Li, D.O., recently became medical director for Suncoast Hospice, a member of Empath Health. A hospice and palliative board-certified physician, she first joined Suncoast Hospice in 2018, caring for patients in an inpatient care center. Li received her Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine from Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine in New Jersey and completed […]

Hospice, Home Care Providers Empath Health and Stratum to Merge 

Empath Health, owner of Suncoast Hospice, and Stratum Health, which operates Tidewell Hospice, plan to merge their two companies with an anticipated integration date of January 2023. The two Florida-based companies intend to build a combined, hospice-based integrated care network that would provide home- and community-based services to patients suffering from serious and chronic disease […]