Stephen Donnelly is due to choose between two sites in Offaly.
The speed at which a new Offaly hospice can be delivered will be key in choosing a site, according to the Health Minister.
The €20 million facility is due to be based on Arden Lane or the Wellwood Healthcare Campus in Tullamore, with a decision due to be made shortly.
An independent scoring matrix was used to identify the benefits of each site, but Health Minister Stephen Donnelly says the results were only split by a few points.
He says the decision is closer than some think: