Omaha residents who receive or consider hospice care from Endless Journey Hospice are affected by a recent disciplinary action that will temporarily remove one of the organization's part owners from nursing practice and impose a financial penalty.
The Nebraska Attorney General issued a 14-page petition of disciplinary action against two nurses at Endless Journey Hospice, a company that opened in 2016 and is co-owned by nurse Melanie Costlow. The state opened an investigation in April 2025 after the hospice self-reported an incident, according to the petition and statements from the owner.
What the state alleged
- Failure to report prior misdemeanors on nurse renewal applications.
- Transporting medications from a deceased patient.
- Allowing staff to sign medical reports as a physician (charting errors).
- The second nurse was accused of leaving medications in an unlocked cabinet and signing patient records as a physician.
Costlow said she did not knowingly engage in the actions alleged and described some issues as the result of system errors or misunderstandings about reporting requirements.
“None of that happened knowingly. None of that was done with ill intent,”
Costlow told reporters the hospice identified the charting-system issue — which she described as an automated computer system that mistakenly marked some employees as physicians — and took steps to correct it before the state investigation began. She also said she had legal counsel at the time she renewed her license and believed prior misdemeanors did not need to be reported to the state Board of Nursing.
Penalties and current status
The state agency closed its active investigation. Under the disciplinary outcome, Costlow will serve a 90-day suspension of her nursing license and pay a $10,000 fine. The suspension had not begun at the time of the report but was expected to start in the coming days. Endless Journey Hospice will remain open.
| Allegation | Owner's response | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Failure to report misdemeanors | Attorney advised at time; not believed reportable | 90-day suspension; $10,000 fine |
| Transporting medications from a deceased patient | Unaware employee was keeping medications | No ongoing investigation; part of disciplinary petition |
| Employees charted as physicians | Automated charting error; system corrected | Addressed by hospice; included in petition |
The second nurse named in the petition was accused of mishandling medications and signing records as a physician; that nurse has been terminated by the hospice, according to the report.
What this means for patients and families
Endless Journey Hospice will continue operations, but patients and families may want reassurance about medication handling and medical-record accuracy. The owner says the agency has taken corrective steps to fix charting errors and to address staff practices.
As this matter involves professional licensure and past internal reporting, families with active patients should contact the hospice directly with questions about care protocols, medication security and staff supervision. For concerns about licensed nursing practice, the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services and the Attorney General's office manage professional discipline and can provide further information.
This report is based on public statements regarding the Attorney General's petition and comments from the hospice part-owner. No active investigation remains open, per the recent outcome.
