As Inpatient Hospice Centers Face Mounting Closures, SonderCare Helps Families Bring Hospital-Grade Comfort Care Home

O'FALLON, MO — March 18, 2026 — As inpatient hospice facilities across the United States face accelerating closures and a structural Medicare reimbursement shortfall, families navigating serious home care needs are increasingly left to arrange high-acuity support on their own. SonderCare, a premium home hospital bed manufacturer with over 25 years of healthcare expertise, sees this shift as a defining challenge for family caregivers — and its FDA-registered, hospital-certified beds as one meaningful part of the answer.

The Vanishing Inpatient Option

A report published March 26, 2026 by Hospice News describes inpatient hospice facilities as a "rare species" in accelerating decline. Approximately ten general inpatient (GIP) facilities closed in 2024, with at least five more halting operations; one additional facility shuttered in early 2026. The financial math driving these decisions is stark: daily facility-based care costs run roughly $1,250 per patient, while Medicare's general inpatient reimbursement rate covers only approximately $700 — a shortfall of around $550 per day that has proven unsustainable for many nonprofit operators. One facility cited in the report absorbed losses exceeding $500,000 annually before closing.

Utilization trends tell the same story. Only 16% of Medicare hospice decedents received any inpatient services in 2021, down from 22% in 2010. More than 56% of U.S. hospice providers logged zero general inpatient care days in 2022. Kasey Kamholz, board president of Allina Health's Homestead Hospice House — one of the recently shuttered facilities — described the trajectory plainly: inpatient hospice is becoming "a very rare species in the future."

The closures are concentrated among nonprofit operators, which historically anchor access in rural and underserved communities. Victor Couzens, CEO of Mahogany Home Health and Hospice, warned in the Hospice News report that inpatient settings have become "important access points for dignity at end of life, particularly for underserved populations" — making their disappearance a healthcare equity concern as much as a financial one. Meanwhile, CMS's FY 2026 hospice payment rate update of 2.6% — though nominally positive — has been widely characterized by industry advocates as insufficient to close the gap between reimbursement and actual operating costs.

When Home Becomes the Only Option

Even as inpatient capacity contracts, total hospice utilization continues to grow. More than 53% of all Medicare decedents received hospice care in 2024 — the highest share on record. The strong and longstanding preference among patients and families for home-based palliative support, combined with declining access to facility-based alternatives, means that families are absorbing responsibilities that were once managed within clinical settings — repositioning, respiratory support, fall prevention, and round-the-clock comfort care — often without professional nursing staff on hand.

Ben Martin, President of SonderCare, noted that this reality is reshaping what home care equipment must be capable of doing. "When families are providing this level of care at home, the equipment around them has to be genuinely clinical — not a consumer product dressed up to look like it," Martin said. "The people we serve are doing something extraordinary. We want to make sure the bed they're working with is worthy of that effort."

SonderCare's Aura Premium and Aura Platinum home hospital beds are certified to International Hospital Standard and registered with the FDA. They bring clinical positioning capabilities — Trendelenburg and Reverse Trendelenburg tilt, Zero Gravity, Cardiac Chair mode, and the FallSafe ultra-low height system — into residential bedrooms without the institutional aesthetic of a hospital room. Furniture-grade upholstered panels, premium headboards, and whisper-quiet motors preserve the character of a home at one of the most sensitive periods a family will navigate.

Hospital-Grade Capability, Residential Setting

The clinical demands of home-based palliative and comfort care are specific. Respiratory distress, circulation management, pressure injury prevention, and safe patient transfers all require positioning capabilities that standard adjustable beds cannot provide. SonderCare's Aura line directly addresses these needs:

• Cardiac Chair and Comfort Chair positioning — simultaneously elevates the head and bends the knees, supporting patients managing COPD, congestive heart failure, or sleep-related breathing difficulties
• FallSafe Ultra-Low Height — lowers the bed platform to 10 inches (17 inches to mattress top), reducing fall risk for patients with declining strength or mobility
• Trendelenburg tilt — supports circulation and specific respiratory positioning needs
• Hi-Lo height adjustment (10"–39") — optimizes caregiver ergonomics during repositioning, protecting family members from injury during repeated hands-on care
• Pre-programmed 21" transfer position — facilitates safe bed-to-wheelchair transfers for both care recipient and caregiver
• Alternating Pressure Air Mattress option — clinical-grade wound and pressure injury prevention for patients requiring extended bed rest

"We design for the caregiver as much as for the person in the bed," Martin added. "Home-based palliative care is sustainable when the family member providing it isn't physically exhausted by the act of doing so. The right bed changes that equation in real, measurable ways."

SonderCare's white-glove delivery service includes full setup, installation, a walkthrough of all features, and debris removal — ensuring family caregivers know how to use positioning functions safely from the first day. Rush delivery options are available in one to three business days for families facing urgent care timelines.

Supporting Families Through a Difficult Transition

The structural pressures driving inpatient hospice closures — reimbursement gaps, workforce shortages, rising operational costs — are not expected to resolve quickly. For families planning ahead or responding to a sudden change in a loved one's condition, understanding what home care equipment can provide is a meaningful first step in building a safe, dignified care environment.

SonderCare invites families, caregivers, and healthcare professionals to explore its full range of home hospital beds and care accessories at www.sondercare.com/beds/. Expert consultations are available to help match the right bed and configuration to each patient's care needs and home setting.

About SonderCare

SonderCare is a premium home hospital bed manufacturer dedicated to enhancing safety, comfort, and dignity for individuals aging in place or requiring home care. With over 25 years of healthcare expertise, SonderCare's FDA-registered, hospital-grade beds combine medical functionality with furniture-grade residential design. The company's product line includes the Aura Premium, Aura Platinum, and Aura Companion beds, featuring FallSafe ultra-low height technology, full positioning suites, and white-glove delivery service. For more information, visit www.sondercare.com.

Media Contact

Ben Martin
President, SonderCare
info@sondercare.com
www.sondercare.com