What Islands Hospice does

Islands Hospice is a non-profit hospice and palliative care provider founded in 2008, headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii, with operations concentrated across the islands of O'ahu and Maui. The organization delivers end-of-life care through in-home visits and two residential hospice facilities — the Honolulu Hospice Home (currently closed for renovations) and the Kahului Hospice Home, Maui's first hospice inpatient unit — each accommodating up to five patients with round-the-clock nursing staff. Its service portfolio spans hospice care, palliative care, HMSA Supportive Care for patients with advanced cancer, heart failure, or COPD, VA and UHA Concurrent Care programs that allow beneficiaries to continue curative treatment alongside palliative support, and bereavement support for surviving families. The core technology is the care delivery operating model itself: a community liaison coordinates admissions via physician or self-referral, an admission nurse conducts clinical assessment and arranges medical equipment, and registered nurses plus certified nursing assistants deliver continuous clinical care across home and inpatient settings. No proprietary software products, AI capabilities, APIs, or digital platforms are disclosed.

The business model is reimbursement-driven rather than fee-based. The organization explicitly does not charge patients or families; services are billed to Medicare and Medicaid (both covering 100% of hospice benefits), with most private insurance plans providing coverage as well. Customer-facing segments include terminally ill patients, veterans, patients with serious illnesses still receiving treatment, and family caregivers. Distribution relies on physician referrals, self-referrals, community liaison visits, and direct outreach across two Hawaiian islands. Islands Hospice is ACHC-accredited, has been named one of Hawaii's Best hospice providers by the Honolulu Star-Advertiser for four consecutive years (2021–2024), employs 251–500 staff, and shows no disclosed external investors or PE/VC backing. The legal entity is Islands Hospice, Inc., incorporated under Arizona law while operating in Hawaii.

Name

Islands Hospice

Legal name

Islands Hospice, Inc.

Website

https://islandshospice.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Islands Hospice is a non-profit hospice and palliative care provider founded in 2008, delivering in-home and inpatient end-of-life services across O'ahu and Maui, Hawaii, reimbursed through Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance with no fees charged to patients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hospice and Palliative Care Services

NAICS

Home Health Care Services (6216), Other Residential Care Facilities (6239)

SIC

Services-Home Health Care Services (8082), Services-Nursing & Personal Care Facilities (8050)

akta.pro primary industry

Home Hospice (Routine Home Care) (HLADAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Residential Hospice / Hospice House (Facility-Based) (HLADAHAC), Home Hospice Agencies (HLAFAEAC), Palliative Care, Hospice & Serious Illness Support (BPAGACAK)

Keywords

• Hospice care services
• Palliative care services
• Bereavement support programs
• Veteran hospice care
• Concurrent hospice care

Headquarters

HQ city

Honolulu

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Hospice Care Services: Islands Hospice provides hospice care services covered primarily through Medicare and Medicaid (100% coverage), as well as most private insurance plans. The company explicitly states they do not charge any fees to patients or families for their services, indicating a model heavily reliant on government healthcare programs and insurance reimbursements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Islands Hospice delivers hospice and palliative care to terminally ill patients across Hawaii, primarily on the islands of Oahu and Maui. Services include home-based hospice care, dedicated inpatient care at two hospice home facilities (Honolulu and Kahului), palliative care consultations, payer-specific programs (HMSA Supportive Care, VA Concurrent Care, UHA Concurrent Care), and bereavement support for families.

Product overview

Islands Hospice offers a comprehensive hospice and palliative care service portfolio serving patients and families across Hawai'i. The core services include Hospice Care, Palliative Care, HMSA Supportive Care, VA Concurrent Care, UHA Concurrent Care, and Bereavement Support. The company operates two residential hospice facilities—the Honolulu Hospice Home and Kahului Hospice Home—providing inpatient care for up to five patients each. Community programs include the Makana Pono Employee Giving Program and the We Honor Veterans Program. Since 2008, the organization has been delivering compassionate end-of-life care emphasizing dignity, peace, and comfort at home or in their residential facilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hospice Care End-of-life hospice care delivered to terminally ill patients on Oahu and Maui, typically in the patient's home or in a hospice home facility, with clinical, emotional, and spiritual support for patients and families.
• Palliative Care Specialized medical care focused on relief from symptoms, pain, and stress of serious illness for patients in Hawaii, intended to improve quality of life alongside curative treatment.
• HMSA Supportive Care Supportive care program tailored for Hawaii Medical Service Association (HMSA) members with advanced illness, providing palliative-style support coordinated with their insurance benefits.
• VA Concurrent Care Hospice services provided concurrently with curative treatment for U.S. military veterans with serious illness, supported by We Honor Veterans veteran-aware care practices.
• UHA Concurrent Care Concurrent hospice and curative care program designed for University Health Alliance (UHA) members, allowing hospice support while continuing disease-directed treatment.
• Bereavement Support Counseling and bereavement support services for families and loved ones of hospice patients, typically for up to 13 months following a patient's death.
• Hospice Home — Honolulu Dedicated inpatient hospice home facility located in Honolulu, Oahu, providing residential hospice care for patients whose needs cannot be met at home.
• Hospice Home — Kahului (Maui) Dedicated inpatient hospice home facility located in Kahului, Maui, providing residential hospice care for Maui residents who cannot be cared for at home.

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• We Honor Veterans ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with the We Honor Veterans program to honor and care for veterans who have served in the armed forces. Islands Hospice provides veterans with access to specialized services, recognizes their years of service, and offers an emotionally safe environment where they can share their stories.
• Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC)coreOthersACHC accreditation demonstrates compliance with comprehensive national standards for healthcare providers. This partnership provides credibility and assurance of quality care standards.
• Healthcare Association of HawaiiminorOthersMembership in the Healthcare Association of Hawaii provides industry networking, advocacy, and best practice sharing within the Hawaii healthcare community.
• Gregory House ProgramsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGregory House Programs provides housing assistance and supportive services for people in Hawaii, particularly individuals living with HIV/AIDS. Islands Hospice staff participate in their activities and the Makana Pono program chose them as a donation recipient.
• VA (Veterans Affairs)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVA Concurrent Care program provides compassionate care for veterans that supports quality of life while continuing curative treatments. Islands Hospice has a specialized program supporting veterans through healing and treatment.
• UHA HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUHA Concurrent Care program provides supportive services for UHA members that ease symptoms and improve comfort alongside their care.
• HMSA (Hawaii Medical Service Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHMSA Supportive Care Program offers extra support for families facing advanced cancer, heart issues, or COPD, helping manage symptoms and emotions while staying focused on treatment.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Bristol Hospice: Bristol Hospice is a multi-state hospice provider with operations across the U.S., including Hawaii. It directly competes with Islands Hospice on routine home hospice, GIP, and palliative services, with a similar referral-led GTM and Medicare-heavy reimbursement.
• Hawaii Care Choices (formerly Hospice Hawaii): Hawaii Care Choices is a community-based hospice and palliative provider serving the islands, including Oahu. It is the most direct in-territory competitor to Islands Hospice on routine home hospice, palliative care, and bereavement services.

Broad incumbents

• VITAS Healthcare (Chemed): VITAS is the largest U.S. hospice provider, operating across dozens of states. As the category incumbent, it competes with Islands Hospice on referral relationships, palliative breadth, and inpatient hospice infrastructure, even where it does not currently have a dedicated Hawaii footprint.
• Amedisys (hospice division): Amedisys operates one of the largest U.S. home health and hospice networks. Its hospice line directly overlaps Islands Hospice's routine home care and concurrent palliative offerings, with similar Medicare reimbursement economics.
• The Queen's Health Systems: Queens operates a major Hawaii health system with palliative and hospice-adjacent services. As a large regional incumbent, it competes for inpatient hospice referrals and physician-driven hospice discharges on Oahu.
• Gentiva Hospice: Gentiva is a national hospice and palliative provider spun out of Kindred. It directly competes on home hospice and concurrent care delivery models and pursues similar VA and Medicare Advantage partnerships as Islands Hospice.

Regional players

• Kaiser Permanente Hawaii: Kaiser Permanente operates an integrated Hawaii delivery system that includes hospice and palliative care for its members. It is a regional peer because it channels referral volume through captive Kaiser membership rather than competing purely on open market.
• St. Francis Healthcare (Hawaii): The St. Francis Healthcare system in Hawaii operates home health and supportive care services including hospice-adjacent offerings. It competes with Islands Hospice for hospital discharge referrals in the same Oahu market.

Others

• Chemed (VITAS parent): Chemed is the publicly traded parent of VITAS Healthcare and Roto-Rooter. Inclusion here is for category context: it represents the public-market comparable for hospice services revenue and margin profile.
• Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC): ACHC is the accreditation body cited by Islands Hospice. As an ecosystem participant it is not a direct competitor, but its standards shape compliance costs and create an indirect barrier to entry for non-accredited hospice providers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/islands_hospice
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCl6XOEaeNEGgPLWb7z1ytQQ/featured
• Facebookfacebook.com/Islandshospice
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/islands-hospice
• Instagraminstagram.com/islandshospicehawaii

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Islands Hospice