For funeral homes
Hospice ownership and chains: what it means for partnerships
Most Medicare hospices are for-profit, and many belong to larger groups. Knowing who owns a hospice tells you who decides on partnerships and how its staff are organized. Here are the facts from CMS data.
Checked against the sources listed below on October 20, 2026. General information, not legal advice. Rules differ by state; check yours.
Who owns hospices today
The CMS Hospice Enrollments file we loaded in October 2026 lists 5,689 hospices. HospiceCompare analysis of CMS data:
| Ownership | Hospices | Share |
|---|---|---|
| For-profit | 4,350 | 76% |
| Nonprofit | 854 | 15% |
| Government, or government and nonprofit | 106 | 2% |
| Other or not stated | 379 | 7% |
For-profit hospices also grew fastest in Medicare patients between 2014 and 2024. See the hospice market in your area.
How to look up a hospice's owners
CMS publishes a Hospice All Owners file, updated quarterly. It lists each enrolled hospice's owners, individuals and organizations, with ownership percentages and dates, and flags owner types such as private equity company, holding company, real estate investment trust and chain home office. Search it by the hospice's name or CMS Certification Number (CCN), which is on every hospice page on this site.
Source: [2]
Recent CMS rules on ownership
- The 36-month rule: if a hospice's majority ownership changes by sale within 36 months of its first Medicare enrollment or its last change of majority ownership, its Medicare provider agreement and billing privileges do not pass to the new owner, who must enroll as a new hospice. There are exceptions, such as internal restructuring or the death of an owner.
- A six-month nationwide moratorium on Medicare enrollment of new hospices took effect May 13, 2026. It can be extended.
- CMS stopped implementing its Hospice Special Focus Program for poorly performing hospices in February 2025 to evaluate it further.
What ownership means for your outreach
Ownership is not a measure of care. Look at family survey scores and size for that. Ownership helps you know whom to talk to:
- A single local hospice, nonprofit or for-profit, usually makes decisions in town. Start with the executive director or clinical manager.
- A hospice that is one office of a larger group may have a community liaison for your area and company-wide policies on gifts and vendor relationships. Ask for both.
- A government hospice, such as one run by a county or a public hospital, may have public procurement and ethics rules. Ask what applies.
- Ownership can change. Check the CMS file again before a big conversation.
The hospice market tool shows the ownership of every hospice near your funeral home.
Common questions
What share of hospices are for-profit?
76%: 4,350 of the 5,689 hospices in the CMS enrollment file we loaded in October 2026. HospiceCompare analysis of CMS data.
How can I find out who owns a hospice?
Search the CMS Hospice All Owners file on data.cms.gov by the hospice's name or CMS Certification Number. It lists owners, percentages and owner types.
What is the hospice 36-month rule?
If a hospice's majority ownership changes by sale within 36 months of its first enrollment or its last majority ownership change, its Medicare billing privileges do not pass to the new owner, with some exceptions.
Sources
- Hospice Enrollments (CMS (data.cms.gov))
- Hospice All Owners (CMS (data.cms.gov))
- 42 CFR 424.550: Prohibitions on the sale or transfer of billing privileges (36-month rule) (eCFR (42 CFR Part 424))
- Medicare Program; Implementation of a Nationwide Moratorium on the Medicare Enrollment of Hospices (May 15, 2026) (Federal Register)
- Hospice Special Focus Program (CMS.gov)
- Medicare Post-Acute Care and Hospice: by Provider (CMS (data.cms.gov))
See the hospices around your funeral home
Enter your ZIP code, city or address. The free market tool shows every Medicare hospice within 10, 25 or 50 miles on a map, who owns each one, how many Medicare patients it cared for, and which are growing. If you want it on paper, the partnership report is a free PDF; we ask only for an email address to send it.
Open the hospice market tool