Quality of Data on Profit Status Reported Care

For-profit hospice providers differ in both key processes of care 1 Aldridge MD Schlesinger M Barry CL et al. National hospice survey results: for-profit status, community engagement, and service. JAMA Intern Med. 2014; 174: 500-506 Crossref PubMed Scopus (58) Google Scholar and bereaved family member perceptions of the quality of care. 2 Anhang Price R Parast L Elliott MN et al. Association of hospice profit status with family caregivers' reported care experiences. JAMA Intern Med. 2023; 183: 311-318 Crossref PubMed Scopus (4) Google Scholar Recent rapid growth of hospices, formation of national for-profit hospice chains, and acquisition of hospice by private equity firms has raised concerns regarding the quality of hospice care. 3 Aldridge MD Epstein AJ Brody AA Lee EJ Cherlin E Bradley EH The impact of reported hospice preferred practices on hospital utilization at the end of life. Med Care. 2016; 54: 657-663 Crossref PubMed Scopus (22) Google Scholar In response, starting in April 2023 the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services made hospice ownership data public on the Care Compare website to help consumers make informed choices in hospice programs. 4 Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. For the first time, HHS is making ownership data for all Medicare-certified hospice and home health agencies publicly. Available at: https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/press-releases/first-time-hhs-making-ownership-data-all-medicare-certified-hospice-and-home-health-agencies Accessed September 12, 2023. Google Scholar On the Care Compare website, hospice are listed as for-profit, nonprofit, and other category, based on hospices’ self-reported ownership status. In this study, we examined the accuracy of this information.