Literature Review

Hospice organizations: 5 tips for building a direct-to-consumer campaign McKnights Home Care; by Andrew Robinson; 10/22/25 [... Why] are so many hospice organizations so reliant on waiting for families to find you through referrals? Referrals usually come too late. And families are left scrambling to make sense of their options. This is why direct-to-consumer marketing is not only appropriate, it’s essential. Here are five tips on how to effectively create and execute hospice direct-to-consumer marketing.

Ex-employee sued bankrupt SLO County hospice group 3 times. Here's whyMSN San Luis Obispo County, CA; 10/13/25 A former employee of Wilshire Health and Community Services filed three lawsuits against the organization in the past two years, accusing the now-bankrupt nonprofit of violating numerous labor laws including using unfair pay practices, gender-based discrimination and wrongful and retaliatory termination.

Home health & hospice's top advocacy priorities TIMSHME.com; by Steve Landers; 10/5/25 The National Alliance for Care at Home (the Alliance) is the largest organization representing, advocating for and convening providers of home-based care, representing over 1,500 organizations and more than 10,000 agencies serving millions of people nationwide. ... Last month, the Alliance convened more than 230 frontline providers and leaders in Washington to advocate for these priorities.  ... Advocates shared the key issues impacting care, why it matters and what Congress should do about it.

Study: PE-owned hospices have highest profits, lowest spending on direct patient care McKnights Home Care; by Liza Berger; 10/8/25 Compared to publicly traded company-owned and other for-profit hospices, private equity (PE)-owned hospices reported the highest profits and lowest spending on direct patient care and nonsalary administrative services, a study published Tuesday in Health Affairs revealed. The study, which used 2022 Medicare cost reports, compared revenue and expense data across four hospice ownership models: PE-owned, publicly traded company-owned, other for- profit, and not-for-profit. The sample consisted of 2,989 freestanding hospices ... [Across] the board, not-for-profits spend about 20% more on direct patient care services than other for-profits. And that seems to be driven by a pretty big difference in nurse salaries, which to us implies that staffing tends to be better at or at least more robust at not-for-profits. ... A body of research has found that for-profit hospice ownership, including private equity, is associated with poorer quality, higher rates of complaints, a higher number of live discharges, and a higher hospitalization rate compared with not-for-profit ownership.

Uplift Hospice acquires Grace Hospice, Medical Group Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 10/2/25 Uplift Hospice has acquired Tucson, Arizona-based Grace Hospice & Palliative Care and Grace Medical Group for an undisclosed amount. The transaction not only boosts the company’s average daily census and builds density in their Arizona service region, it will also help them scale their small but growing home-based primary care and palliative care businesses. Uplift currently has one medical group active in Nevada and is seeking to expand those services across their footprint, which also extends into Texas. 

CMS telehealth waivers, virtual hospice re-certification, expire Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 10/1/25 The regulatory flexibilities related to telehealth that the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic have expired. This includes the ability of hospices to perform patient re-certification face-to-face encounters via telehealth. Also expiring are waivers that expanded the scope of practitioners eligible to provide telehealth services, as well as flexibilities that removed geographic requirements and expanded originating sites for telehealth services, including or federally qualified health centers and rural health clinics. The government’s failure to extend or make permanent the telehealth re-certification waiver is a “grave mistake,” according to Tom Koutsoumpus, CEO of the National Partnership for Healthcare & Hospice Innovation (NPHI).

Commentary: New York must act now to protect quality hospice care Times Union; by Cara Pace, Liz Krueger and Amy Paulin; 9/30/25 When your loved one is entering the final stage of their life, who would you rather manage their care: a nonprofit solely dedicated to providing the highest quality care possible? Or a private entity seeking to maximize profits? ... However, for-profit hospices now account for 70% of the market, up from 5% 35 years ago. This comes despite studies showing that for-profit hospices provide fewer essential services, employ less skilled staff, receive a higher volume of complaints and contribute less to their communities than their nonprofit counterparts. ... That's why we introduced legislation (S.3437/A.565) to prohibit the state from approving new applications for the establishment, construction or increased capacity of for-profit hospice entities. The two existing for-profit providers would not be touched, though their capacity to expand would be limited. The legislation now awaits Gov. Kathy Hochul’s signature.Editor's Note: For-profit or non-profit status alone does not speak to the quality of care provided by the individual hospice. Some for-profits provide excellent care; some non-profits do not. This article speaks to evidence-based data, quality scores, patterns, trends, and cumulative results from CAHPS, HIS (which is being replaced by the HOPE Tool, effective today), and more. Examine quality scores in your services with the National Hospice Locator (ranked by scores), provided by National Hospice Analytics.

Uplift Hospice acquires Stoneridge in Arizona Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 9/17/25 Uplift Hospice has acquired Stoneridge Hospice in Arizona for an undisclosed amount. Uplift’s footprint stretches across the southwest and into the mountain states with locations in Texas, Arizona and Nevada. The Stoneridge transaction adds density to its Arizona operations and brings the company’s average daily census up to 500 patients. The owners of Stoneridge were looking to exit the business and were more concerned about cultural alignment than the financial terms, according to Uplift CEO Owen Lawrie. 

Senior health, home health & hospice stocks Q2 highlights StockStory; by Kayode Omotosho; 9/10/25 ... Looking ahead, the industry is positioned for tailwinds from an aging population, increasing chronic disease prevalence, and a growing preference for personalized in-home care. Advancements in remote monitoring and telehealth are expected to enhance efficiency and care delivery. However, headwinds such as labor shortages, wage inflation, and regulatory uncertainty around reimbursement could pose challenges. Investments in digitization and technology-driven care will be critical for long-term success. The 7 senior health, home health & hospice stocks we track reported a mixed Q2. As a group, revenues beat analysts’ consensus estimates by 2%.

Pennant announces home health acquisition in Wyoming Pennant Group, Eagle, ID; Press Release; 9/3/25 The Pennant Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: PNTG), the parent company of the Pennant group of affiliated home health, hospice, home care and senior living companies, announced today that effective September 1, 2025, it has acquired a premier home health agency and outpatient therapy operation in Wyoming. Both businesses, which will continue operating as Healing Hearts Home Health and Healing Hearts Outpatient Therapy, will serve communities in Gillette and Moorcroft, expanding Pennant’s service area in the region.

VIA Health Partners acquires primary care company Equity Health Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 9/4/25 North Carolina-headquartered VIA Health partners has expanded into the home-based primary care arena with the acquisition of Equity Health. Financial terms were undisclosed. Michelle Schmerge, president and founder of Equity Health, established the company about five years ago. Equity Health’s model involves offering a full spectrum of primary care services in the home, with the goals of reducing burden on caregivers, reducing hospitalizations and improving chronic disease management. ... VIA Health Partners is an independent, community-based not-for-profit provider of hospice and serious illness care, serving more than 5,000 patients and families daily across 38 counties across the Carolinas.

Publicly traded hospice companies seeking acquisitions, reporting substantial growth Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 8/28/25 The nation’s largest hospice companies are seeing significant hospice growth amid executive changes and rising interest in M&A. These are the key themes that emerged during this year’s second quarter earnings season, in which publicly traded home health and hospice companies report their financial results, guidance for the remainder of the year and other key announcements. ...