Mass layoffs hit workers at HHS; sweeping cuts extend to CDC, NIH, FDA: Recap 
USA Today; by Sarah D. Wire, Josh Meyer, Bart Jansen, Ken Alltucker, Cybele Mayes-Osterman, Eduardo Cuevas, Sudiksha Kochi, Adrianna Rodriguez and Terry Collins; 4/1/25
Mass layoffs began Tuesday at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and at the Food and Drug Administration, the first steps in a plan to cut 10,000 jobs at the Department of Health and Human Services. The department responsible for overseeing protection for Americans' health, food and drug supplies and Medicare and Medicaid is also closing its internal agencies that are focused on older adults and people with disabilities. It's also getting rid of its offices tackling HIV and improving minority health. Staff had to present their badges at the building entrance and those who had been fired were given a ticket and told to return home. More than 100,000 federal workers have already lost their jobs in the last two months as part of President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk's efforts to shrink staffing levels in federal departments and agencies. Tens of thousands more are expected as more agencies implement their reduction in force, or RIF, plans in the coming weeks.

Medicare Administrative Contractors [MACs] did not consistently meet Medicare Cost Report Oversight Requirements 
HHS-OIG; Issued on 3/18/25, posted on 3/19/25 
... What OIG Found: MACs did not consistently meet Medicare cost report oversight requirements.

• For Federal fiscal years 2019–2021 (audit period), each of the 12 MAC jurisdictions failed to comply with the contract requirements for audit and reimbursement desk review and audit quality (AR-4) for at least 1 of the 3 years.
• CMS identified 287 total audit issues among all MAC jurisdictions during our period, including MACs not performing proper reviews; inadequate review of graduate medical education and indirect medical education reimbursement; improper review of allocation, grouping, or reclassification of charges to cost centers; improper calculation and reimbursement for nursing and allied health programs; and inadequate review of bad debts. [Continue reading ...] 

The blind side of leadership: Toxic positivity in workplace culture 
Forbes; by Tracy Lawrence; 3/26/25 
A surprising number of leaders are unaware of toxic positivity, even as they unwittingly cultivate it. It’s understandable, but toxic positivity isn't just a cultural nuisance – it's a serious strategic liability. When organizations prioritize "feeling good" over honest communication, they lose the ability to address emerging problems, identify market shifts, and leverage their teams' full capabilities. In my experience coaching executives across industries, I've observed that the most successful organizations aren't those with the fewest problems – they're the ones where issues can be safely identified and addressed before they become crises. [Continue reading ...]

St. Croix Hospice opens 10 new locations in first quarter 2025 
The LaGrange Daily News, Oakdale, MN; PR Newswire; 4/1/25 
St. Croix Hospice continued its growth in the first quarter of 2025 with the opening of 10 additional branches across five states. The new locations include:

• Baxter, MN
• Blaine, MN
• Eagan, MN
• Huntley, IL
• Marshfield, WI
• Mason City, IA
• Princeton, MN
• Roseville, MN
• Sedalia, MO
• Stevens Point, WI

[Continue reading ...]

Hospice of the Chesapeake leader aims to think outside the box on hospice, palliative care 
McKnights Home Care; podcast by Liza Berger with Rachel Jordan; 3/27/25 
As the director of legislative affairs and advocacy at Hospice of the Chesapeake, the largest independent not-for-profit hospice provider in the state of Maryland, Rachel Jordan strives to treat the patient and not the disease. This helps explain why she worries less about the line between “curative” and “noncurative” care and more about whether a particular treatment helps to make a patient feel more comfortable. Jordan spoke to McKnight’s Home Care about her views of hospice and palliative care for a Newsmakers podcast. [Continue to the podcast ...]

What’s next for COOs? 
Becker's Hospital Review; by Kelly Gooch; 3/26/25 
The health system C-suite continues to evolve, as organizations streamline leadership by eliminating or combining roles, and by restructuring leadership teams amid industry headwinds. Against this backdrop, the COO role is also changing, with leaders taking on more strategic responsibilities while continuing to oversee day-to-day operations across their systems. In conversations with Becker’s, Eric Stevens, COO of Roseville, Calif.-based Adventist Health, and Rick Majzun, president and COO of Palo Alto, Calif.-based Stanford Medicine Children’s Health, discussed how they are balancing this growing scope and where the COO role fits in the modern C-suite. [Continue reading ...] 

Niagara Hospice to offer free community presentation for National Healthcare Decisions Day 
Niagara Frontier Publications; Press Release; 3/28/25 
April 16 is National Healthcare Decisions Day, which is a day set aside to educate and empower individuals to discuss and document their end-of-life health care wishes. Niagara Hospice invites the community to attend the free presentation, “Advance Care Planning: Advance Directives for Health Care,” ... Advance care planning includes advance directives like health care proxies, do not resuscitate (DNR) orders, and living wills. Advance directives help to ensure end-of-life care wishes are followed if one is unable to make necessary decisions for themselves. [Continue reading ...]
Editor's note: For more information about National Healthcare Decisions Day (NHDD), explor The Conversation Project, at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. Is your hospice providing a 2025 National Healthcare Decisions Day event? Email me a URL link to your local news coverage, press release, or your website's specific page. We will compile a list of participating organizations (with URL links) to highlight Advance Care Planning outreach, education, and implementation across the nation.

Stetson University professor joins millions of Americans as she embraces caregiver role for her aging parents 
Spectrum News 13, Orlando/Deland, FL; by Nicole Griffin and Devin Martin; 3/31/25 
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 10 million Americans act as unpaid caregivers for an elderly parent on a regular basis. Millions in that group not only have a full- or part-time job, they are also part of the so-called “sandwich generation” — people who find themselves supporting their children and parents at the same time. ... Stetson University professor Wendy Anderson is part of that group. ... She has moved in with her parents to help care for her elderly father and mother, who is in at-home hospice care. [Continue reading ...]

Palliative care in the intensive care unit: An integrative review of intensive care unit health care professionals' views and experiences 
Dimensions of Critical Care Nursing (DCCN); by Berit Lindahl and Susan Kirk; May-Jun 2025 
... Our findings suggest there is variation in how palliative care in the ICU is conceptualized and interpreted. Intensive care unit professionals need enhanced competencies and training to develop their confidence in providing palliative care and improve role clarity. Such training should focus on serious illness conversations with patients/families and interdisciplinary teamwork. Integration of palliative consultants into the ICU could be further developed. [Continue reading ...]

Walgreens settles Illinois Medicaid fraud lawsuit for $5M 
Modern Healthcare; by Katherine Davis; 3/25/25 
Walgreens Boots Alliance will pay $5 million to settle allegations that it violated U.S. and Illinois false claims statutes by improperly billing Medicaid and Medicare. The settlement, disclosed in court filings [3/24], marks the end of the dispute, which began 11 years ago when two whistleblowers claimed Walgreens’ practices violated statutes. ... The settlement, disclosed in court filings yesterday, marks the end of the dispute, which began 11 years ago when two whistleblowers claimed Walgreens’ practices violated statutes. ... The settlement funds will be divided among the U.S. government, the state of Illinois and the whistleblowers, according to court filings. All parties also filed a joint stipulation of dismissal yesterday. Walgreens declined to comment. [Continue reading; access to the full article may be limited to subscription ...]

Health system CFOs fight for Medicaid on Capitol Hill 
Becker's Hospital Reivew; by Alan Condon; 3/31/25 
Multiple health system CFOs recently traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet with lawmakers on Capitol Hill, advocating against proposed Medicaid cuts that could threaten access to care and lead to the closure of essential hospital services. Health system executives participating in these discussions included:

• Brad Clark, executive vice president and CFO, Advocate Health (Charlotte, N.C.) 
• Cheryl Matejka, executive vice president and CFO, Mercy (St. Louis)
• Brett Tande, corporate executive vice president and CFO, Scripps Health (San Diego) 
• Andy Barrow, CFO, Cone Health (Greensboro, N.C.)
• Gail Kosyla, executive vice president and CFO, Yale New Haven (Conn.) Health
• Jonathan Ma, senior vice president and interim CFO, Sutter Health (Sacramento, Calif.)
• Jonathan Williams, vice president of government affairs, Sutter Health
• Sean Fadden, vice president of finance, Intermountain Health (Salt Lake City)

[Continue reading ...]

Iowa introduces "Mason's Law" to become 1st state to have a pediatric palliative care center license 
Cision PRWeb, Des Moines, IA; by Children's Respite Homes of America; 3/31/25 
In a historic move, the Iowa State Legislature has taken a groundbreaking step to support families with medically fragile children by introducing House File HF 933 (formerly HSB 267). This legislation, known as "Mason's Law," would make Iowa the first state in the nation to establish a dedicated "Pediatric Palliative Care Center" license, laying the foundation for a new model of care for children with chronic, complex, and life- threatening illnesses. [Continue reading ...]

What is death positivity? 
Healthline; by Sarah Choi, medically reviewed by Joslyn Jelinek, LCSW, ACSW, RDDP; 3/28/25 
Death positivity involves acknowledging death as simply the final phase of life. It emphasizes open discussions around death and education on the options, rights, and choices surrounding it. ... The Death Positivity Movement was coined in 2011 by funeral director Caitlin Doughty, but the sentiment existed long before — the movement’s origins date back to the 1970s, drawing on the hospice movement. ...
Elements of the Death Positivity Movement:

• understanding the benefits of openly discussing, sharing, and learning about death
• keeping in mind that planning can help with stress and better prepare for death
• documenting wants and needs in advance to ensure end-of-life wishes are known and followed
• being conscious of traditional, natural, and environmentally friendly burial options

[Continue reading ...]

Study raises questions about GUIDE model’s helpfulness for caregivers of loved ones with dementia 
McKnights Home Care; by Adam Healy; 4/1/25 
The Guiding an Improve Dementia Experience may need to be fine-tuned to better serve caregivers of those living with dementia, according to a new study published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia. The researchers identified 565 older adults and 555 caregivers eligible for GUIDE using data from the 2022 National Health and Aging Trends Study and National Study of Caregiving. They found that approximately half of GUIDE-eligible people with dementia received care from two or more caregivers, and about a third of these caregivers reported experiencing high caregiving strain. [Continue reading ...] 

If we assume we've arrived, we stop searching; we stop developing. ~ Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell