Joining forces, joining futures: hospice at the crossroads

Faced with health-policy changes, increased competition, and limited funding, hospices must either find more efficient ways to provide end-of-life care or risk organizational demise. Increasingly, hospices are re-evaluating their organizations to stretch resources and remain viable. Prevalent restructuring options for addressing environmental pressures are integration, alliance, and collaboration with other organizations. This study examines the restructuring phenomenon by evaluating trends among nonprofit hospices in six states. The study identifies demographic characteristics predictive of organizational decisions to join forces, and it examines the dominant political and economic reasons that propel or impede restructuring decisions. In addition, the study evaluates the results of restructuring actions.