The foundation’s board officers for its 2025 fiscal year will include a new board chair

SARASOTA, Florida—The Tidewell Foundation board of trustees announced its new board officers for its 2025 fiscal year. The Florida-based nonprofit hospice provider, which is a member of Empath Health, was established in an effort to provide philanthropic support to Tidewell Hospice and Empath’s not-for-profit affiliate organizations.

The company has acquired the hospice operations from Intrepid USA in cities across Missouri & Texas

MCKINNEY, Texas—New Day Healthcare, a home-based services provider, announced the acquisition of hospice operations in Missouri and Texas from Intrepid USA, a full-service home health agency. The company said these hospice operations aim to further its existing service line offerings and operations.

During the week of Nov. 11-15, the company plans to highlight the value of hospice & specialized care for veterans

PLANO, Texas—Heart to Heart Hospice, a hospice care service provider, will recognize National Hospice Week from Monday, Nov. 11 through Friday, Nov. 15, a week that was designated by the National Alliance for Care at Home as a time to focus on the value of end-of-life care and the caregivers who serve patients and their families.

New system for hospice providers will provide assessment-based quality data

BALTIMORE—The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has released the first draft of its hospice outcomes and patient evaluation (HOPE) tool, a new assessment tool for hospices. The HOPE tool was developed to replace the hospice item set (HIS) as part of the hospice quality reporting program (HQRP). 

Agape Care Group will provide hospice & palliative care in Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas & Georgia with new hospice location acquisitions

SPARTANBURG, South Carolina—Agape Care Group (ACG), a provider of hospice and palliative care and portfolio company of Ridgemont Equity Partners, has acquired select Crossroads Hospice locations in Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas and Georgia. Crossroads Hospice will continue to operate in Tennessee, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

Congressman Earl Blumenauer’s Hospice CARE Act legislation would update hospice benefits & payment structures

WASHINGTON—Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), a senior member of the Ways and Means Committee, introduced the Hospice Care Accountability, Reform and Enforcement Act (Hospice CARE Act) in an effort to modernize Medicare’s hospice benefit, which has remained largely unchanged since its inception in 1982. 

The National Alliance for Care at Home release information on how it plans to carry forward the two organizations work

ALEXANDRIA, Virginia & WASHINGTON—The National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) and the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) unveiled its new name and logo as well as the initial website of the new national organization that will carry forward the work of serving homecare, home health, hospice and palliative care providers as they deliver patients care in their own homes and communities

OhioHealth at Home in partnership with Compassus aim to enhance care coordination in Marion, central Ohio, Lexington & Athens

COLUMBUS, Ohio & BRENTWOOD, Tennessee—Compassus, a national provider of integrated home-based care services, and OhioHealth, a nonprofit health care outreach of the United Methodist Church, announced the finalization of their partnership for home health and hospice services to be called OhioHealth at Home in partnership with Compassus.

Steve Landers, MD, MPH, has been named the inaugural CEO of the newly merged alliance

WASHINGTON— Dr. Steven Landers has been named the inaugural chief executive officer (CEO) of the newly merged NAHC-NHPCO Alliance (The Alliance). A national leader and innovator in home health, primary care and aging services, Landers brings almost two decades of experience as a physician, executive leader and health policy advocate to The Alliance, which represents care at home and community providers across the country.

The acquisition will create the region's largest team of hospice & palliative care certified physicians & specialists

CLEVELAND, Ohio—Hospice of the Western Reserve (HWR), a premier provider of hospice and palliative care services in Northern Ohio, has completed its acquisition of Hospice of North Central Ohio (HNCO). This strategic alliance aims to expand access to high-quality, comprehensive end-of-life care across a broader region.

Traditions Health announced its Lawrenceville, Georgia branch is now a Level Five Partner with We Honor Veterans

FRANKLIN, Tennessee—Traditions Health announced its Lawrenceville, Georgia branch is now a Level Five Partner with We Honor Veterans, a program of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO). Traditions Health of Lawrenceville is one of only seven hospices in the state of Georgia to have earned Level Five status. 

Expansion into Florida allows long-term care residents to benefit from ISNP model of care

FRANKLIN, Tennessee—American Health Plans, a division of American Health Partners, has announced its partnership with Empath Health, a not-for-profit hospice and home-based health care organization. Their partnership seeks to grow American Health Advantage of Florida, an Institutional Special Needs Plans (ISNP) providing Medicare Advantage coverage to the long-term care population of Florida.  

The grant will support art-related grief and bereavement programming for Tidewell Hospice

SARASOTA, Florida—Tidewell Foundation received a grant of $5,050 from the Eugene H. and Elizabeth Hull Fund of the Manatee Community Foundation (MCF) to support Tidewell Hospice grief services in Manatee County.

The grant will support art-related grief and bereavement programming for Tidewell Hospice, which provides 13 months of grief support services, free of charge, to family members of Tidewell patients after their loss.

In a town hall update, alliance presents next steps going forward and calls for grassroots support from both memberships.

WASHINGTON—The new group formed by the recent merger of the National Association for Homecare and Hospice (NAHC) and the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) has already gotten to work advocating in the industry—even though it doesn’t yet have a name or CEO. 

Victor Contreras allegedly submitted false claims for hospice services

LOS ANGELES—A Ventura County physician who worked for two Pasadena hospices pleaded guilty to defrauding Medicare out of more than $3 million by billing the public health insurance program for medically unnecessary hospice services.

Victor Contreras, 68, of Santa Paula, pleaded guilty to one count of health care fraud.