VITAS Healthcare

VITAS Healthcare
TypeSubsidiary
Industry
Founded1978 (1978)
FoundersHugh Westbrook, Esther Colliflower, Don Gaetz
Headquarters
Miramar, FL
,
United States
Key people
  • Joel Wherley (President & CEO)
  • Kevin J. McNamara (President & CEO, Chemed Corporation)
Number of employees
12,000
ParentChemed Corporation
WebsiteVITAS Helathcare

VITAS® Healthcare is an independent provider of end-of-life care in the United States. Operating 60 hospice programs in 15 states and the District of Columbia,[1] VITAS employs around 12,000 professionals and serves an average daily census of more than 23,000 patients, according to the company's website.[2] VITAS provides care primarily in patients' homes,[3] and also in inpatient hospice units and through partnerships with hospitals, nursing homes, and assisted living communities.

VITAS is a subsidiary of publicly traded Chemed (NYSE:CHE).[4]

Company overview

VITAS (pronounced VEE-tahs) offers hospice and palliative care services to patients across the U.S., provided by its interdisciplinary care teams, which consist of a physician, registered nurse, home health aide, social worker, chaplain, volunteer, and bereavement specialist. With 48 years of experience in hospice care, VITAS is the largest single-source provider of end-of-life care in the U.S.[2] and works in cooperation with hospitals, physicians, nursing homes, assisted living communities, insurers, and community-based organizations throughout the country.

The states in which VITAS operations include Alabama, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin, and also the District of Columbia.

The organization also supplies home medical equipment and medications to patients while offering spiritual and emotional counseling to patients and their families.

The name VITAS is derived from the Latin word for "lives."[2]

History

VITAS began in 1978 as a nonprofit hospice in South Florida, founded in part by Hugh Westbrook, a Methodist minister, and Esther Colliflower, a nurse.[5]

Their first patient was Emmy Philhour.[6] The organization then became known as Hospice Care Inc, and eventually, VITAS Healthcare.

In 1979, Florida became the first state to have a hospice licensure law. Westbrook and another VITAS founder, Don Gaetz, played a crucial role in passing the Hospice Care Reimbursement Act in 1982 that made hospice a Medicare benefit.[6]

In 2004, VITAS was acquired by Cincinnati-based Chemed for $400 million.[7] Timothy S. O'Toole served as chief executive officer (CEO) from 2004 when Chemed purchased VITAS until his retirement in June 2016.[8] Nicholas M. Westfall was appointed CEO in 2016 and named chairman and CEO in 2024[9] before stepping down in July 2025.[10]

In July 2025, Joel L. Wherley, who previously served as president and chief operating officer (COO), was appointed president and CEO, succeeding Nick Westfall.[11] Wherley joined VITAS in 2016 as senior vice president of operations and was promoted to executive vice president and COO in 2017 and again in 2024 to president and COO.[12]

Healthcare technology

In April 2015, VITAS was part of a technology roll-out with HealthGrid that enables clinicians to exchange critical patient-care data quickly and securely with other care providers. The same technology helps healthcare providers meet one rule of CMS Meaningful Use Phase 2, which states that data for 10 percent of patients must be transmitted electronically.[13]

Using AirWatch technology on tablets, VITAS employees can access information and media that help patients and families make decisions about end-of-life care.[14]

VITAS provides clinicians with a native mobile app that helps them identify hospice-appropriate patients and begin the admissions process from their smart phones.[15]

Department of Justice lawsuit

In 2013, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Chemed Corporation, Vitas Hospice Services LLC, and Vitas Healthcare Corporation for the submission of false claims from 2002 through 2013. "The government’s complaint alleges that Chemed and Vitas Hospice knowingly submitted or caused the submission of false claims to Medicare for crisis care services that were not necessary, not actually provided, or not performed in accordance with Medicare requirements."[16] In 2017, the organization agreed to pay $75 million to settle the lawsuit. Acting Assistant Attorney General Chad A. Readler of the Justice Department's Civil Division stated that the "resolution represents the largest amount ever recovered under the False Claims Act from a provider of hospice services."[17]

Corporate headquarters

VITAS Healthcare is headquartered in Miramar, Florida.[1] The company has been a tenant at the Miramar Park of Commerce since 1995, and began transitioning its corporate offices there in 2017.

By the mid-2020s, all operations had been consolidated at the Miramar campus. As of 2025, VITAS occupies 167,819 square feet across multiple buildings in the Park, with the official headquarter location at 3046 Corporate Way.[18]

Prior to the Miramar consolidation, VITAS maintained its headquarters in downtown Miami. The company was a long-time anchor tenant at Bayfront Plaza, 100 South Biscayne Boulevard.

In 2013, the company leased an additional 23,500 square feet at the Miami Center[19] at 201 South Biscayne Boulevard[20]. The former VITAS Tower at 100 South Biscayne Boulevard was vacated and demolition of the 19-story, circa-1959 structure began in 2025. The site is slated for redevelopment as One Bayfront Plaza, a planned supertall tower rising 1,049 feet that would become the tallest building in Florida.[21]

Awards & Recognitions

VITAS Healthcare joined the list of 2026 Top Workplaces and has been recognized as a Top Workplace in the healthcare industry since 2025.[22]

In 2024, VITAS received the Advancing Health Equity Daisy Award presented by the American Association for Men in Nursing (AAMN)'s 49th annual conference in October. In July, VITAS was the inaugural recipient of the 2024 Founders Spirit Award given by the National Black Nurses Association at its 52nd Annual Institute and Conference. In May, the company received the Health Value Award for Employee Engagement presented by the Validation Institute at The Healthcare Innovation Congress in Washington, D.C.[23]

In 2023, the VITAS Inpatient Unit of Orange County was awarded 2nd place in the hospice category for the Architecture & Design Awards presented by Senior Housing News in December.[24] Also in December, VITAS Healthcare was awarded the 2023 HRO Today Association Awards for Best in Class: Employee Experience and was a finalist for both Best in Class: HR Technology and HR Team of the Year.[25] In November, VITAS was named in the list of Top 25 Companies in Miami for 2023 by The Business Report.[26] In January, VITAS received the inaugural Corporate Roundtable Award from the National Black Nurses Association (NBNA) during the 35th annual NBNA Day on Capitol Hill.[27]

List of Awards [28]

2025/26 – Top Workplaces, Energage [29]

2024 – Founders Spirit Award, National Black Nurses Association [30]

2024 – Advancing Health Equity Daisy Award, American Association for Men in Nursing [31]

2024 – Health Value Award for Employee Engagement, Validation Institute [32]

2023 – Corporate Roundtable Award, National Black Nurses Association [27]

2022 – IDEA (Inclusion & Diversity Excellence) Award, American Association for Men in Nursing [33]

2020 – Best Social Impact and Agency Expertise, MUX19 AWARDS [34]

2019 – 16 Aster Awards for healthcare advertising excellence [35]

2018 – American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine Josefina B. Magno Distinguished Hospice Physician Award (Dr. Joel S. Policzer)[36]

2014 – President's Lifetime Achievement Award, Minority Chamber of Commerce [37]

2011 – Silver Crown Award in Hospice/Palliative Care, Dorland Health [38]

References

  1. 1 2 "VITAS Corporate Office: Miramar, FL". VITAS Healthcare. August 4, 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 "Fast Facts". VITAS Healthcare. July 22, 2024. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
  3. ↑ "Hospice Care at Home".
  4. ↑ "About Us". Chemed Corporation - About Us.
  5. ↑ "Our History". www.vitas.com. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
  6. 1 2 "The Hospice that Began Under a Banyan Tree". southfloridahospitalnews.com. South Florida Hospital News. May 2010.
  7. ↑ "Roto Rooter buys Vitas Healthcare". The New York Times.
  8. ↑ "Chemed Corporation Announces the Retirement of Timothy S. O'Toole".
  9. ↑ "VITAS Healthcare Continues Its Pathway of Success and Promotes Two Key Operations Executives". www.vitas.com. Retrieved August 4, 2025.
  10. ↑ "VITAS Healthcare Announces CEO Transition and Appointment of New Chief Executive Officer". southfloridahospitalnews.com. Retrieved August 21, 2025.
  11. ↑ Healthcare, VITAS (July 30, 2025). "VITAS® Healthcare Announces CEO Transition and Appointment of New Chief Executive Officer". GlobeNewswire News Room (Press release). Retrieved August 4, 2025.
  12. ↑ "Joel Wherley, President and CEO". www.vitas.com. Retrieved August 4, 2025.
  13. ↑ "HealthGrid Partners with VITAS and Nicklaus Children's Hospital to Provide Live, Two-Way Patient Data Communication". April 13, 2015.
  14. ↑ "#MobileGameChanger VITAS Healthcare leverages mobility for improved patient care". April 14, 2015.
  15. ↑ "VITAS Healthcare iOS app". Retrieved April 28, 2015.
  16. ↑ "United States Files False Claims Act Lawsuit Against the Largest For-Profit Hospice Chain in the United States". www.justice.gov. May 2, 2013.
  17. ↑ "Chemed Corp. and Vitas Hospice Services Agree to Pay $75 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations Relating to Billing for Ineligible Patients and Inflated Levels of Care". Department of Justice. October 30, 2017. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
  18. ↑ "The Alliance - VITAS Healthcare Expands Operations at Miramar Park of Commerce With New Lease and Renewals". www.gflalliance.org. Retrieved August 20, 2026.
  19. ↑ Musibay, Oscar Pedro (September 10, 2013). "Vitas Innovative Hospice Care leases 23,500 square feet in Miami". South Florida Business Journal.
  20. ↑ "Miami Center, Miami". Emporis. Archived from the original on October 8, 2012. Retrieved January 27, 2015.
  21. ↑ "'Supertall' towers are coming to Miami. How will the skyline change?". The Miami Herald. April 20, 2026. Retrieved August 25, 2026.
  22. ↑ "Working at VITAS Healthcare". Top Workplaces. Retrieved August 20, 2026.
  23. ↑ Institute, Validation. "Validation Institute Announces Winners for Seventh Annual Health Value Awards, Highlights Healthcare Leaders and Standout Solutions". www.prweb.com. Retrieved August 5, 2025.
  24. ↑ "Announcing the Winners of the 2023 SHN Architecture & Design Awards". Senior Housing News. December 18, 2023. Retrieved August 24, 2026.
  25. ↑ "VITAS® Healthcare Wins Award for Best-in-Class Employee Experience Across Healthcare in North America". Yahoo Finance. December 18, 2023. Retrieved August 24, 2026.
  26. ↑ "The Top 25 Companies of Miami for 2023". Great Entrepreneurs. November 7, 2023. Retrieved August 24, 2026.
  27. 1 2 "NBNA To Honor 24 Corporate Partners on Capitol Hill During the 10th Annual NBNA Corporate Roundtable Meeting" (PDF). National Black Nurses Association. January 26, 202. Retrieved August 24, 2026.
  28. ↑ "Awards and Recognition". VITAS Healthcare.
  29. ↑ "USA TODAY Top Workplaces 2026". Top Workplaces.
  30. ↑ "VITAS Healthcare Honored With Inaugural Founders Spirit Award by the National Black Nurses Association". South Florida Hospital News. September 1, 2024.
  31. ↑ "VITAS® Healthcare Receives the 2024 DAISY Health Equity Award". January 6, 2025. pp. Yahoo Finance.
  32. ↑ "Validation Institute Announces Winners for Seventh Annual Health Value Awards, Highlights Healthcare Leaders and Standout Solutions". June 6, 2024. pp. People One Health.
  33. ↑ "VITAS® Healthcare Receives Inclusion and Diversity Excellence Award From American Association for Men in Nursing". November 17, 2022. pp. PR Newswire.
  34. ↑ "VITAS® HEALTHCARE AND MOBILE APP DEVELOPER ATOMIC ROBOT WIN MUX19 AWARDS FOR MOBILE SOCIAL IMPACT AND AGENCY EXPERTISE". South Florida Hospital News. May 28, 2020. Retrieved August 24, 2026.
  35. ↑ "VITAS® Healthcare's Marketing Team Earns 16 Aster Awards for Healthcare Advertising". PR Newswire. May 23, 2019.
  36. ↑ "VITAS Medical Leaders Recognized by the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine at the Annual Assembly for Hospice & Palliative Care". PR Newswire. March 19, 2018.
  37. ↑ "VITAS Healthcare Receives 'President's Lifetime Achievement Award' From the Minority Chamber of Commerce". VITAS Healthcare. November 22, 2014.
  38. ↑ "VITAS Innovative Hospice Care® Honored for Service to Senior Citizens". Fierce Healthcare. March 17, 2011.
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