Burke Hospice and Palliative Care

What Burke Hospice and Palliative Care does

Burke Hospice and Palliative Care is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit hospice organization headquartered at 1721 Enon Road, Valdese, North Carolina, delivering end-of-life and palliative care services across eight counties in western North Carolina (Burke, Avery, Caldwell, Catawba, Cleveland, Lincoln, McDowell, and Rutherford). Founded in 1981/1982 by a small group of volunteers, the organization has grown to a staff of over 100 professionals and serves more than 200 patients per day, with 1,100+ patients and 60,000+ hours of direct patient care delivered in 2014. The core service portfolio comprises hospice care, palliative care, inpatient care at the on-campus Hospice House, hospice visits in community nursing facilities, grief counseling (including the virtual Walking Through Grief program), advance care planning, and workshops and education. A specialized We Honor Veterans program, awarded the NHPCO Four Star Level in 2014, addresses veteran-specific end-of-life needs.

The business model is a hybrid of healthcare reimbursement and philanthropic funding. Medicare and Medicaid hospice benefits are the primary revenue engine, supplemented by private insurance reimbursement for most plans. As a tax-exempt nonprofit, Burke Hospice also relies on donations, grants (e.g., Grace Episcopal Church Foundation, Beatrice Cobb Trust), fundraising campaigns (biennial 'Be An Angel'), and proceeds from the Burke Hospice Thrifts & Gifts retail store and the Tribute Brick Garden memorial program. No patient is denied care due to inability to pay, resulting in $533,000 of un-reimbursed services provided in 2014 alone. Go-to-market is community-led and referral-driven: admissions originate from hospitals, physicians, nurses, family members, and self-referrals routed through an intake coordinator, supplemented by faith-community ambassador volunteers, community events, and earned media. Burke Hospice holds Joint Commission Gold Seal of Approval accreditation (2018), NHPCO Quality Partner designation, and the Deyta Hospice Honors Award (Top 100 U.S. Hospices), and was voted 'Best Home Health' in Burke County annually from 2011 to 2017. There is no proprietary technology platform, AI/ML capability, or app product; service delivery is fundamentally human-led across an interdisciplinary team of clinicians, social workers, chaplains, and volunteers.

Name

Burke Hospice and Palliative Care

Legal name

Burke Hospice & Palliative Care

Website

https://burkehospice.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Burke Hospice and Palliative Care is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit hospice organization in Valdese, North Carolina, delivering end-of-life, palliative, and bereavement care to 200+ patients daily across eight NC counties through a 100+ person interdisciplinary clinical team.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hospice and Palliative Care Services

NAICS

Home Health Care Services (62161), Home Health Care Services (621610), Home Health Care Services (6216), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Home Health Care Services (8082), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Home Hospice Agencies (HLAFAEAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Bereavement & Grief Support Services (Family Aftercare) (HSABAFAI), End-of-Life Emotional & Spiritual Support (Chaplaincy/Counseling) In-Home (HSABAFAH), Bereavement & Grief Support Services (Hospice-Affiliated/Independent) (HLADAHAL), Palliative Care, Hospice & Serious Illness Support (BPAGACAK), Hospice Care in Assisted Living / Residential Care Facilities (HLADAHAE)

Keywords

• Hospice care services
• Palliative care programs
• Grief counseling support
• End-of-life care
• Advance care planning

Headquarters

HQ city

Valdese

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government Healthcare Reimbursement: Medicare and Medicaid cover hospice care for eligible patients. This represents the primary revenue stream for the hospice organization.
2. Private Insurance Reimbursement: Most private insurance plans include a hospice benefit, providing reimbursement for covered hospice services.
3. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, donations from the community support operations. The organization received grants from the Grace Episcopal Church Foundation and the Beatrice Cobb Trust. Donations are tax-deductible.
4. Thrift Store Proceeds: The Burke Hospice Thrifts & Gifts store in downtown Valdese generates proceeds that benefit patient care programs. All proceeds from the thrift store go directly to supporting patient care.
5. Tribute Brick Garden: Donations of tribute bricks placed in the Tribute Garden provide a lasting monument to loved ones while supporting future patients.
6. Charity Care / Sliding Scale: For patients without coverage, Burke Hospice offers a flexible billing policy and no one is denied care because of inability to pay. In 2014, over $533,000 of un-reimbursed services were provided.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Burke Hospice & Palliative Care provides end-of-life hospice care, home-based palliative care, inpatient care at its Hospice House, hospice visits in nursing and community facilities, grief counseling, advance care planning, and veteran-specific hospice services (We Honor Veterans). An interdisciplinary team of physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, social workers, chaplains, bereavement coordinators, and trained volunteers delivers medical, emotional, spiritual, and bereavement support to patients with life-limiting illnesses and their families across eight North Carolina counties.

Product overview

Burke Hospice & Palliative Care is a nonprofit hospice organization offering a coordinated suite of end-of-life care services. The core service portfolio centers on Hospice Care (the main philosophy/program of care for terminally ill patients), supplemented by Palliative Care (home-based condition management). Physical facilities include the Hospice House (inpatient care center) and community facility services. Support services encompass Grief Counseling (including the Walking Through Grief program), Advance Care Planning, and Workshops & Education. The organization operates the We Honor Veterans Program for veteran-specific care, and community engagement initiatives including Burke Hospice Thrifts & Gifts (thrift store), the Tribute Brick Garden (memorial brick program), Caring Connections (patient wish fulfillment), and the Be An Angel fundraising campaign. All services operate under an interdisciplinary team approach with physicians, nurses, social workers, chaplains, and volunteers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hospice Care
• Palliative Care
• Our Hospice House
• Hospice in Community Facilities
• Grief Counseling
• Advance Care Planning
• Workshops & Education
• We Honor Veterans Program
• Burke Hospice Thrifts & Gifts
• Be An Angel Campaign
• Tribute Brick Garden
• Caring Connections
• Walking Through Grief

Quantifiable outcome

• Hospice patients live up to 29 days longer on average than non-hospice terminally ill patients (studies cited by New England Journal of Medicine)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 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.

• National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) - We Honor Veterans ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Burke Hospice partnered with NHPCO's We Honor Veterans program to provide the highest quality care for veteran patients. The organization utilizes NHPCO's national resources and training programs to develop care plans addressing the unique needs of veterans and their families. In 2014, Burke Hospice achieved the Four Star Level (highest possible) in this program.
• National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBurke Hospice is a Quality Partner of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. NHPCO provides quality standards, resources, and a Quality Partner designation recognizing commitment to quality hospice care.
• The Joint CommissioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBurke Hospice is accredited by The Joint Commission, earning the Gold Seal of Approval for demonstrating continuous compliance with performance standards in healthcare quality and patient safety.
• Deyta, LLCminorOthersDeyta, LLC is a leader in measuring and managing customer satisfaction in healthcare. Burke Hospice received Deyta's first annual Hospice Honors Award recognizing the top 100 hospices nationwide with the highest customer satisfaction ratings.
• Grace Episcopal Church FoundationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerThe Grace Episcopal Church Foundation awarded a grant to Burke Hospice to create spiritual tool kits for chaplains to utilize in providing spiritual support to patients and families.
• Association of Home Care and Hospice of NCminorOthersBurke Hospice is a member of the Association of Home Care and Hospice of NC, a state-level professional association supporting hospice and home care providers.
• Carolina Center for End of Life CareminorOthersListed among partners/affiliations on the Burke Hospice website, representing a regional resource for end-of-life care in North Carolina.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Four Seasons (Flat Rock, NC):
• Hospice of the Piedmont (NC): A nonprofit hospice serving the North Carolina Piedmont region with a similar volunteer-driven community hospice model. It competes with Burke Hospice for hospital and nursing facility referrals in adjacent North Carolina counties.
• Hospice & Palliative Care of Iredell County: A community-based nonprofit hospice serving Iredell County and surrounding areas in North Carolina. It directly competes for hospice referrals in counties adjacent to Burke's service area and shares the same nonprofit, volunteer-driven operating model and mission.
• Agape Hospice (Agape Senior): Agape Hospice is a South Carolina-based hospice and palliative provider with overlap into the Carolinas hospice market. It competes for hospice referrals and shares the same community-based, faith-informed service approach used by Burke Hospice.
• Caldwell Hospice and Palliative Care: A regional nonprofit hospice in Caldwell County, NC, which overlaps with Burke Hospice's 8-county service area. It offers the same core hospice and palliative services and competes for the same patient and referral base.

Broad incumbents

• Amedisys: Amedisys is a publicly traded home health and hospice operator with a national footprint. It competes for hospice referrals and skilled nursing facility hospice contracts in Burke's 8-county North Carolina service area, with similar care delivery and reimbursement mix.
• VITAS Healthcare (Chemed Corporation): VITAS is the largest hospice provider in the U.S. and a division of Chemed Corporation. It competes directly with Burke Hospice for hospice referrals in North Carolina and shares the same Medicare hospice reimbursement model and interdisciplinary team structure.
• Compassus: Compassus is a national hospice, palliative, and home health provider with a presence in the southeastern U.S. It competes for hospice referrals and skilled nursing facility partnerships across North Carolina and operates with the same interdisciplinary clinical model as Burke.
• Gentiva (formerly Kindred at Home hospice): Gentiva is one of the largest U.S. hospice and home health providers. It is a direct competitor for hospital discharge referrals, nursing facility hospice contracts, and clinical staff in North Carolina, operating under the same Medicare Hospice Benefit framework as Burke.
• Encompass Health: Encompass Health operates a large home health and hospice segment with national reach. It competes for hospice referrals, nursing facility hospice contracts, and skilled clinical staff in North Carolina under the same Medicare hospice reimbursement structure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/BurkeHospice
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/burke-hospice-thrifts-and-gifts

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

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 Burke Hospice and Palliative Care