Patients, Progress, and Profits

In the world of hospice (which is a specialized form of palliative care dedicated to caring for patients with limited prognosis), a shifting tide has transformed the industry from a patchwork of small non-profits into a growing sea of for-profit companies that are increasingly consolidated within much larger, national for-profit companies.

While such mergers might offer conceivable benefits in delivering technology and services, this for-profit structure also risks setting up a difficult tug-of-war between meeting the needs of patients and the demands of corporate growth. I wrote and illustrated the following piece last year for The Los Angeles Times, in the context of a spate of negative news stories about hospice, and I am re-posting here to my site for anyone who may have gotten stuck behind a paywall the first time around.

PS. There are earnest, hard-working docs, nurses, chaplains, nurse assistants, social workers, and others giving excellent care within for-profit hospices, and in many locations, for-profit providers have now become the only available agencies offering support. My intent is not to criticize the people striving to provide compassionate care, but the systemic structure that risks putting profits over patients.