Clearwater, FL — Empath Health, one of the nation’s largest nonprofit integrated care networks, has introduced the One Hospice Model, a new statewide framework designed to unify Florida’s leading not-for-profit hospice providers under one coordinated system. The initiative aims to preserve the compassionate, community-based focus of local hospice care while enhancing it with the scale, innovation, and accountability of a larger network.
The model brings together seven long-standing hospice organizations—Empath Hospice, Hospice of Marion County, Suncoast Hospice, Suncoast Hospice of Hillsborough, Tidewell Hospice, and Trustbridge (Hospice by the Sea and Hospice of Palm Beach County). Collectively, these affiliates care for approximately 20% of Florida’s hospice patients and have served their communities for decades, with five of them operating for more than 40 years.
“Families deserve hospice that puts mission before margin,” said Jonathan D. Fleece, President and CEO of Empath Health. “By uniting Florida’s most trusted not-for-profit hospices under one model, we keep local relationships intact and ensure every person facing serious illness receives Full Life Care—supported by the strength and expertise of an entire network.”
The One Hospice Model maintains local leadership through regional hubs located in Tampa Bay, Sarasota, Palm Beach, and Ocala. These hubs are led by regional presidents Travis Fogle (Tampa Bay), Brad Perkins (Sarasota), and Tony Maxwell, PA (Ocala/Palm Beach), who oversee clinical operations and maintain ties with local communities. Meanwhile, centralized enterprise teams support technology integration, quality improvement, and research initiatives across the state.
The new framework also enhances access to Empath Health’s broader continuum of services. Families entering care through any Empath-affiliated hospice can be seamlessly referred to other support offerings across the network, including skilled home nursing via Empath Home Health, early symptom management through Empath Palliative Care, elder day-center programs from Empath LIFE/PACE, and grief counseling and children’s bereavement services through Empath Grief Care and Blue Butterfly. Additional services include dementia care education through Empath GUIDE and HIV/AIDS support via EPIC.
Empath’s nonprofit model stands in contrast to the growing number of for-profit hospice providers, as the organization reinvests a significant portion of its revenue into care delivery, workforce development, and community programs. It also publicly reports quality metrics that consistently surpass national benchmarks.
With the launch of the One Hospice Model, Empath Health offers a new vision for hospice care—one that blends the trust and compassion of local organizations with the strength and resources of a statewide network, creating a scalable and mission-driven approach to end-of-life care.
