Beyond End-of-Life Care: Leveraging the Medicare Hospice Benefit to Improve Outcomes and Reduce Healthcare Costs

Course Description

September 3, 2026, marks the 44th anniversary of the signing of the Medicare Hospice Benefit into law. Since its implementation in 1983, the Medicare Hospice Benefit has transformed the delivery of end-of-life care in the United States.

What began with only a few thousand beneficiaries has grown into one of Medicare's most impactful programs. By 1990, approximately 210,000 Medicare beneficiaries received hospice care annually. Utilization increased to roughly 530,000 by 2000 and surpassed 1.15 million beneficiaries in 2010. Since 2020, annual hospice utilization has remained remarkably consistent at approximately 1.7–1.72 million Medicare beneficiaries.

Over the past four decades, an estimated 36–38 million Americans have benefited from hospice services through the Medicare Hospice Benefit.

This webinar explores how hospice has reshaped end-of-life care while delivering significant clinical, emotional, and financial value to patients, families, providers, and the broader healthcare system. Participants will gain insight into the role hospice plays across the healthcare continuum and how it supports the mission and business objectives of hospitals, health systems, physician practices, senior living communities, home health agencies, health plans, accountable care organizations, funeral professionals, and other healthcare stakeholders.

The program concludes with a forward-looking discussion on the future of hospice, examining emerging trends, evolving payment models, demographic shifts, technological innovations, and the opportunities and challenges that will shape the next 40 years of the Medicare Hospice Benefit.

• Describe how the Medicare Hospice Benefit has transformed end-of-life care in the United States over the past 44 years.
• Explain the clinical, emotional, and quality-of-life benefits hospice provides to patients and families facing serious illness.
• Identify the value hospice brings to the U.S. healthcare system by improving patient outcomes, enhancing care coordination, reducing unnecessary healthcare utilization, and supporting value-based care initiatives.
• Discuss future trends and innovations that are likely to influence the evolution of hospice care over the coming decades.
• Describe the specific value propositions of hospice for physicians and how they can incorporate hospice into their practices.
• Describe the specific value propositions of hospice for senior living communities and how they can integrate hospice into their facilities.
• Describe the specific value propositions of hospice for hospitals and how hospice supports their clinical and operational objectives.
  
  

• The 44-Year Evolution of the Medicare Hospice Benefit and its impact on more than four decades of end-of-life care in America
• History and milestones of the Medicare Hospice Benefit.
• How hospice transformed end-of-life care across the U.S.
• Growth, utilization trends, and long-term impact on Medicare beneficiaries.
• Hospice Benefits for Patients and Families
• Improved quality of life and patient-centered care.
• Emotional, spiritual, and caregiver support.
• Comfort-focused care for serious and life-limiting illnesses.
• Clinical & Financial Value of Hospice
• Better care coordination and patient outcomes.
• Reduced unnecessary hospitalizations, emergency department visits, and Medicare spending.
• Higher patient and family satisfaction.
• Hospice in Value-Based Care
• Population Health Management & Care Coordination
• Regulatory Updates, Demographic Trends & Future Innovations
• Building Strong Hospice Partnerships
• Collaboration with hospitals, physician practices, home health agencies, health systems, and accountable care organizations.
• Strategies to improve organizational performance and patient outcomes.
• Physician Value Propositions
• Clinical benefits of timely hospice referrals.
• Improved patient satisfaction and continuity of care.
• Senior Living Community Value Propositions
• Hospital Value Propositions
• Practical Strategies for Hospice Integration
• Developing stronger referral pathways.
• Enhancing interdisciplinary collaboration.
• Supporting long-term organizational and patient care goals.
• Interactive Q&A Session with Hospice Industry Expert Kurt A. Kazanowski

• Healthcare executives
• Hospital executives
• Owners and Executive Directors of Senior Living Communities
• Hospice executives and leaders
• Physicians and Advanced Practice Providers
• Nurses
• Social Workers
• Case Managers and Care Coordinators
• Home Health professionals
• Palliative Care professionals
• Senior Living and Long-Term Care leaders
• Health Plan and Accountable Care Organization Executives
• Funeral professionals
• Healthcare professionals with an interest in end-of-life care and healthcare transformation
• Students in healthcare and medicine

Kurt A. Kazanowski, MS, RN, CHE is a native Detroiter and now lives and works in West Palm Beach, Florida. He is the Managing Partner of Hospice Advisors, a consulting and training company specializing in hospice and home care. Additionally, Kurt is the owner of Caregiving Experts, a personal care and private-duty company located in Plymouth, Michigan, outside Detroit.

Over the past 30 years as an executive leader, Kurt has led hospitals, hospices, and home care companies in delivering superior care and services. His expertise spans leadership and operations, strategic planning, marketing and sales, referral growth, business development, mergers and acquisitions, physician relations, the development of strategic partnerships between hospices and hospitals, and serving as a connector, facilitator, and networker.

Kurt was also a part-owner of a home care company in Moscow, Russia, several years ago. He is an author, speaker, and healthcare entrepreneur. His recent books, A Son's Journey: Taking Care of Mom and Dad and The Seven Pillars of Growth, provide a platform for his professional speaking engagements.

Kurt holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) from Mercy College and a master's degree in Health Services Administration from Wayne State University. He is also a member of the National Speakers Association.