As More Hospices Close Their Doors, Staffing Strains Are Becoming Crystalized

Staffing issues have increasingly been at the root of leading causes behind shuttered hospice programs nationwide. Demographics are pushing up demand for end-of-life care amid long-standing staffing shortages in hospice. Some hospices have been unable to sufficiently fill their ranks to keep up with that demand for care, resulting in them either temporarily limiting new […]

Staffing Gains Propelling VITAS Toward Pandemic Recovery

The interventions that VITAS Healthcare has implemented in response to the industry-wide labor shortage have generated some positive momentum that extends beyond the number of workers on the payroll. VITAS is a subsidiary of Chemed Corp. (NYSE: CHE). Like many in the space, the hospice provider has been fighting an uphill battle against COVID headwinds […]

Florida Awards Chapters Health CON for Pinellas County Expansion

Florida-headquartered Chapters Health System recently received a green light to advance on expansion plans across the state’s west central coast. In August, post-acute care provider Chapters set its sights on expanding its hospice business into Florida’s Pinellas County. The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) recently awarded the company a certificate of need (CON) […]

VITAS Community Access Program Spurs Upward Trend, but Staffing, COVID Headwinds Still Sting

VITAS Healthcare, a subsidiary of Chemed (NYSE: CHE), is seeing the benefits of ongoing community access initiatives as it continues to battle headwinds that started with the COVID-19 pandemic. Since 2020, the company has been beleaguered by the staffing shortage, reduced lengths of stay, and disruption in skilled nursing, senior housing, and to some extent […]

AccentCare, LHC Group, VITAS Execs: Care Continuum Sprawl Central to Hospice’s Growth

Expansion across the care continuum is a key to sustainable growth for hospices, according to executives from some of the industry’s largest companies. The hospice industry has been ripe for growth in recent years, plucking the interest of investors from all walks. Hospices have dug deep into the roots of their growth strategies as competition […]

CMMI Working on Payment Models That Include Palliative Care

The Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) is developing new reimbursement pathways for palliative care. As part of that process, CMMI is applying elements of its Medicare Care Choices Model (MCCM) demonstration, which ended Dec. 31, 2021, according to a new CMMI white paper. MCCM was designed to test the impact of concurrent hospice […]

VITAS Expands in Southwestern Florida

VITAS Healthcare, a subsidiary of Chemed (NYSE: CHEM), has opened a de novo location in Florida that expands its presence into three additional counties. The company’s newest location is in the City of Clewiston, Florida. Unlike some of its competitors, VITAS has focused on de novos for geographic growth rather than acquisitions, in part due […]

Hospice Multiples Unlikely to Drop

A turbulent economy and slight cool-down in deal activity early in the year have led some to question whether the record-high valuations for hospice assets will start to tumble. Like most business sectors, health care has felt the aftershocks of global economic trends such as rising inflation, supply chain disruption, and the continued effects of […]

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 […]

VITAS Deploys New Retention Program to Combat Labor Headwinds

VITAS Healthcare, a subsidiary of Chemed Corp. (NYSE: CHEM), recently launched a targeted hiring and retention wellness initiative designed to ease workforce strains and increase capacity for patient care, paving the way for sustainable long-term growth. The program, which includes one-time retention bonuses, is focused on building up the company’s supply of licensed nurses, nurse […]