Hospices acquired by private equity (PE) firms or publicly traded corporations (PTC) are seeing overall declines in visit minutes, according to a study released in Health Affairs on Aug. 3, 2026.  
 
The study followed Medicare claims sampled from 2010 to 2021 and submitted by organizations listed in a database of PE and PTC acquisitions.  
 
Hospices obtained by PE firms faced a 5.14% decrease in registered nurse minutes per thirty days, as well as a 12.32% decrease for social worker minutes and 6.62 for home hospice aides. Those bought by PTCs saw a 4.63% reduction for nursing minutes and 9.09% for aides. 
 
Acquisitions enacted by four major PE firms and PTCs were also associated with fewer visit minutes in the last seven days of life.