Literature Review

Enhabit's strategic positioning and 2026 pricing outlook: Navigating regulatory headwinds with valuation resilienceAInvest; by Charles Hayes; 12/10/25 ... Conclusion: Enhabit's strategic initiatives-rooted in efficiency, innovation, and diversification-demonstrate a proactive approach to mitigating 2026's regulatory challenges. By reducing visit intensity, renegotiating payer contracts, and expanding hospice services, the company is positioning itself to maintain profitability even under a 6.4% Medicare cut. Its strong balance sheet and disciplined cost structure further reinforce valuation resilience.Editor's Note: Am I reading this correctly? Leading interventions are "reducing visit intensity" paired with "expanding hospice services"? I understand the importance of maintaining profitabilty. However, what is the core purpose? Examining Enhabit Hospice quality scores on the National Hospice Locator (data from CMS), the first 5 Enhabit hospices that populated had quality scores of 68/100, 60/100, 60/100, 58/100, and 41/100. The national average is 67/100. What kind of care would you want for your family member? For yourself?

Cadre Hospice welcomes Inspire Hospice & Palliative Care, advancing the vision for world-class end-of-life care PR.com, Nashville, TN; by Cadre Hospice; 12/9/25 Cadre Hospice announced today that Inspire Hospice & Palliative Care, a highly respected hospice provider serving Metro Atlanta and North Georgia, is joining the Cadre family. This alignment brings together two mission-driven organizations focused on world-class end-of-life care, trusted clinical leadership, and the belief that extraordinary care begins with extraordinary teams.

Hospice margins dropping despite utilization gains Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 12/9/25 Hospice margins are falling despite record-high utilization, according to data from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC). The commission has released its draft recommendations to Congress, repeating its annual call to eliminate hospice payment rate increases in future years. “For fiscal year, 2027, Congress should eliminate the update to the 2026 Medicare base payment rate for hospice,” MedPAC indicated in its draft recommendations. ... The average Medicare fee-for-service margin for hospices fell to 8% in 2023, down from 9.8% in 2022 and 14.2% in 2020, according to MedPAC. Among for-profit providers, the average 2023 margin was 13.7%, whereas nonprofits in aggregate showed a loss at -1.3%. These numbers exclude cap overpayments and non-reimbursible costs.

As Oregon mulls private equity hospice merger, lawmakers hear of grim financial logic Willamette Week, Portland, OR; by Andrew Schwartz; 12/3/25 Last month’s presentation to a Oregon Senate health care committee came as a for-profit company seeks to assume management of the state’s largest home hospice network. ... The presentation, by Braun and other hospice industry experts, comes as the Oregon Health Authority weighs approval of a major transaction: As part of a multistate deal, Compassus, a for-profit company run in part by private equity interests, is seeking to take over management of home health and hospice assets of the nonprofit Providence Oregon, the state’s largest provider of such services.

Data book: Beneficiaries dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid MEDPAC (Medicare Payment Advisory Commision) and MACPAC (Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission); December 2025 This data book is a joint project of the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC) and the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC). The data book presents information on the demographic and other personal characteristics, expenditures, and health care utilization of individuals who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid coverage. Dually eligible beneficiaries receive both Medicare and Medicaid benefits by virtue of their age or disability and low income. This population is diverse and includes individuals with multiple chronic conditions, physical disabilities, and cognitive impairments such as dementia, developmental disabilities, and mental illness. It also includes some individuals who are relatively healthy.

General Catalyst CEO Hemant Taneja on aligning profit with purposeDNYUZ; 11/23/25 Hemant Taneja, who leads one of the world’s largest venture firms, believes doing good isn’t just the right thing to do. It’s good business. At a moment of technologically driven upheaval, the General Catalyst CEO says leaders must bake positive social impact into a business’s soul from the start. Though Taneja and his wife are signatories of the Giving Pledge, he argues philanthropy is no longer enough. “In times like this, think deeply about your values because that’s going to be your guiding light in how you make difficult decisions,” he tells TIME.

Agape Care Group acquires Community Hospice of Alabama Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 11/19/25 Agape Care Group Hospice (ACG Hospice) has acquired Community Hospice of Alabama. Financial terms of the transaction are undisclosed. Community Hospice operates three locations in the Foley, Bay Minette and Mobile communities in Alabama. Post-transaction, Agape will now provide services in 41 Alabama counties with a total of 11 locations in the state. 

Heartland Hospice changes name to Gentiva Hospice Jacksonville Daily Record, Jacksonville, FL; by Monty Zickuhr; 11/17/25 Heartland Hospice in Jacksonville announced Nov. 17 it has changed its name to Gentiva Hospice. ... Heartland was acquired from ProMedica by Gentiva in 2023. Gentiva says it is a hospice, palliative and home health provider with more than 525 locations in 38 states. It is part of Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, a private investment firm with about $82 billion in assets under management. 

VITAS Healthcare expands hospice care in Florida, now serving Pinellas County PR Newswire, St. Petersburg, FL; by VITAS Healthcare; 11/17/25 ... On Nov. 14, VITAS began accepting hospice-eligible patient referrals in Pinellas County, ensuring that residents in St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Tarpon Springs and surrounding communities have access to expert care close to home. ... The company also began serving Marion County in May 2025.

Linden Capital Partners has acquired Agape Care Group Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 11/13/25 The private equity firm Linden Capital Partners has acquired hospice provider Agape Care Group from Ridgemont Equity Partners for an undisclosed amount. ... The Agape acquisition took place in July and was not publicly announced, though the hospice is now listed on Linden’s website as a portfolio company. Agape Care Group did not immediately respond to Hospice News’ inquiries about the transaction. Agape’s more than 2,100 employees provide hospice and palliative care to over 5,700 patients daily across 10 states. Agape’s previous owner, Ridgemont Equity Partners, acquired the company from the private equity firm the Vistria Group in 2019.

Bankrupt SLO County nonprofit paid for a house and cars. Were they for business? The Tribune; by Chloe Shrager; 11/12/25 Before it went bankrupt in August, a longtime San Luis Obispo County home health and hospice nonprofit paid for the rent on a house in Texas and bought three cars using company funds. Now, federal bankruptcy trustees are questioning whether the purchases — made by Wilshire Health and Community Services — were business related, or rather personal uses of company funds.

Top health system divestments of 2025 Levin Associates; Dylan Sammut; 11/11/25 Throughout 2025, several major health systems have been focusing on downsizing their portfolios by divesting hospitals and other lines of business. Some transactions were from systems seeking to pay down debt, others resulted from bankruptcy proceedings and a number from systems exiting non-core markets. In our LevinPro HC database, we have tracked more than 20 divestments from health systems across various sectors, such as Hospitals, Home Health & Hospice and Physician Medical Groups. Here is a selection of the top health System divestments of 2025 so far.  

New hospice provider opens in Corydon CorydonDemocrat.com, Corydon, IN; Press Release; 11/5/25 Heart to Heart Hospice, one of the country’s largest private providers of hospice care, is expanding its service area in Southern Indiana with the opening of a new location in Corydon to meet needs in six additional counties. The new site, located at 113 N. Oak St., will serve patients and families who reside in Harrison, Floyd, Washington, Clark, Scott and Jefferson counties.