National Nonprofit Day: Differences Between Nonprofit and For-Profit Hospices 

Today, on August 17, we celebrate nonprofit organizations all over the world as they continuously strive to make a positive impact within their communities.  

Transitions LifeCare is a nonprofit founded in 1979 under the name Hospice of Wake County and began its journey with one staff member and 20 volunteers. We have since grown tremendously to include our palliative care program, more service area, many new partnerships, and the area’s first free-standing hospice facility. In honor of National Nonprofit Day, here are a few key differences between nonprofit hospice organizations like TL and for-profit hospice providers.  

For starters, nonprofits can hold fundraisers and accept donations from the community to raise money for direct patient care. This is prohibited when it comes to for-profits. Nonprofit organizations take any profits made at the end of the year and add them back towards innovative programs and services within the company. On the other hand, for-profits use their profits elsewhere.  

For-profit hospices spend more money on things like advertising whereas nonprofits spend more money on non-reimbursable patient care, bereavement counseling, educational programs, volunteer teams, and palliative care. Nonprofits will treat anyone, regardless of ability to provide proper insurance or expenses, and they historically have a lower live discharge rate. Transitions LifeCare’s live discharge rate is the lowest in our community, which is important for patients and caregivers because it ensures continuity of care and coordination of medical equipment, medications and other medical supplies.  Overall, nonprofit organizations prioritize consistent education within the organization and community to keep quality of care at a high standard across the board.  

Both for-profit and nonprofit hospices’ goals align in providing good end-of-life care and support to patients and their families. These are just a few differences that can influence the decision of which hospice provider to use for your loved ones or yourself when the time comes. At Transitions LifeCare, it will always be our mission to care for individuals and families with compassion, support, and expertise as they navigate the end of life or life-changing illness.