Nick Westfall

Nicholas M. (Nick) Westfall is chairman and chief executive officer of VITAS Healthcare, a position he has held since 2016. VITAS, a pioneer and leader in the hospice movement since 1978, is the nation’s leading provider of end-of-life care.

Nick joined VITAS in 2012 as senior vice president of field operations and was promoted to executive vice president and chief operating officer in 2015. In 2016, he was promoted to CEO and has continued to evolve the organization through empowering leadership as the company has experienced tremendous success during this time. In 2024, he became chairman and CEO of VITAS while promoting Joel Wherley to president and chief operating officer.

Nick came to VITAS from its parent company Chemed Corporation (NYSE:CHE), where he was director of information technology and operations. Prior to joining Chemed in 2009, Nick was a senior manager at Deloitte and Touche LLP, responsible for consulting services to clients (including Chemed and its subsidiaries), primarily in the healthcare, manufacturing, telecommunications, and professional services industries.

Headquartered in Miami, Florida, VITAS operates hospice programs in 15 states and the District of Columbia, including Alabama, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin. VITAS employs over 10,000 professionals who care for more than 19,000 seriously ill patients daily, primarily in patients’ homes, and also in the company’s inpatient hospice units as well as in hospitals, nursing homes, and assisted living communities/residential care facilities for the elderly. VITAS celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2018.

Nick has led VITAS through significant success, resulting in the company serving more patients and families across the country than ever before. Consequently, since 2012, the company’s overall financial performance has substantially improved while continuing to expand investment in VITAS team members and infrastructure along the way. Chemed Corporation’s shareholders have experienced an increase since 2012, due in part to VITAS’ performance.

VITAS’ success since 2012 has focused on continuous improvement for its employees, processes, and technology—all while building on VITAS’ core mission and culture. Nick and his team have executed a multi-year strategy of reinvesting in the organization for sustainable growth. This reinvestment is focused on improving the experience for VITAS’ most important asset: its dedicated and compassionate employees as they care for seriously ill patients and their families. The company’s compensation and benefits package has expanded each year since 2012 to position VITAS as an industry leader. In 2023, HRO Today named VITAS as “Best in Class” for employee experience in healthcare across North America. The same year, VITAS was listed by The Business Report as one of the “Top 25 Companies” in Miami.

With Nick’s technology experience, VITAS has supported rapid adoption of technology to bring better care to patients, improved service to referral sources, and enhanced productivity for employees. Through a 2014 partnership with AT&T and Apple, VITAS deployed mobile devices to field staff, improving VITAS’ ability to respond in critical moments and provide patient- and family-centered care. In 2018, VITAS was recognized for improving the patient experience through mobile technology with the PEX Network Award for Mobile Solutions. In 2020, the company’s mobile app for hospice clinicians took the top prize for social impact from the Mobile User Experience Awards. In 2023, HRO Today named VITAS as a finalist for “Best in Class” for its implementation of technology in human resources.

Nick and his leadership teams also have provided critical support in times of crisis, including hurricanes in Texas and Florida, wildfires in California, and community tragedies. He and the VITAS leadership ensured resources were mobilized to support thousands of at-risk patients, families, and employees. They also successfully navigated the worldwide pandemic by safely protecting their employees, patients, and families while providing unwavering care each day throughout the country.

As an industry leader, Nick is a member of the Advisory Board to Programs in Health Management and Policy at the University of Miami Business School. He also participates directly through board representation with the National Hospice and Palliative Care Association (NHPCO). In 2023, he joined the transitional board of directors for the new, unnamed care-at-home trade association.

Nick earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Dayton in Ohio and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business.