CMS launches landmark $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program 
CMS Newsroom - Rural Health; Press Release; 9/15/25 
Today [9/15], the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) unveiled details on how states can apply to receive funding from the $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program created under the Working Families Tax Cuts Act to strengthen health care across rural America. This unprecedented investment is designed to empower states to transform the existing rural health care infrastructure and build sustainable health care systems that expand access, enhance quality of care, and improve outcomes for patients. ... The Rural Health Transformation Program invites all 50 states to apply for funding to address each state’s specific rural health challenges. 

How does CEO tenure in healthcare compare to other industries? 
Becker's Hospital Review; by Kristin Kuchno; 9/9/25 
The average tenure of healthcare CEOs is slightly shorter than the average across industries, according to a recent report from executive search firm Crist Kolder Associates. Healthcare CEOs serve an average tenure of 7.3 years, compared to 7.5 years across industries. In 2024, the average tenure for healthcare CEOs was 7.6 years, compared to an average of 7.4 years across industries. Crist Kolder’s annual report tracks C-suite turnover among 667 companies in the Fortune 500 and S&P 500, 9.7% of which operate in the healthcare sector. Here are the average CEO tenures across industries included in the report: ...

Transforming healthcare: A conversation with Rita E. Numerof 
Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN); pod/videocast by Chris Comeaux with Rita E. Numerof; 9/17/25 
Are we headed for a healthcare train wreck?  The warning signs are flashing: skyrocketing premiums, looming Medicaid cuts, significant reductions in home health funding, and major insurers experiencing substantial stock losses.  These aren't isolated issues but symptoms of fundamental structural flaws in our healthcare system. Rita E. Numerof, co-founder and president of Numerof & Associates, returns to TCNtalks with a powerful analysis of the healthcare industry's trajectory and a bold vision for transformative change.  As an "equal opportunity critic" with over 30 years of experience spanning the entire healthcare ecosystem, Numerof offers a uniquely comprehensive perspective on why our current system is failing and what must change. 

A natural segue: Retired hospice physician Ralph Caldroney ’72 turns a planned gift into immediate impact with new lecture sponsorship 
W&L - The Columns, Washington & Lee University, Lexington, VA; by Barbara Elliott; 9/15/25 
[Dr. Ralph Caldrony, retired medical director for Hospice of Rockbridge County, attended several Roger Mudd Center for Ethics'] lectures during this past year’s series: “How We Live and Die: Stories, Values and Communities.” ... Impressed by the range and quality of the Mudd Center presentations [at Washington & Lee University], Caldroney previously committed a $250,000 planned gift to the center for his 50th reunion gift in 2022. However, after such a positive experience attending this year’s lecture series, he decided to fast-track his support. For each of the next five years, his $5,000 per-year gift will sponsor an annual lecture. “It was a natural segue,” Caldroney says. “This way, I can enjoy some of the fruits of my labor while I am still alive.”

Health systems should empower their primary care physicians to deliver better palliative and end-of-life care 
Medscape - Family Medicine; by Edward L. Burns, MD, MA; 9/17/25 
Primary care physicians (PCPs) play a pivotal role in managing the overall well-being of their patients. However, when it comes to palliative and end-of-life care, many health systems do not train or empower their PCPs to manage this important part of their patients’ lives. ... By systematically training PCPs in palliative care principles and communication skills, health systems can simultaneously deliver significantly higher quality, patient-centered care that aligns with families’ values and wishes, while reducing unnecessary hospitalizations, ICU admissions, and aggressive interventions that may not align with patients’ wishes. 

Low-cost respite service offered 
North Central News, Phoenix, AZ; by NCN Staff; 9/17/25 
A new program is bringing together Arizona State University students and Hospice of the Valley to provide support to families caring for a person with dementia at home or in a facility. RISE — Respite In Student Engagement is a unique partnership between ASU and Hospice of the Valley’s Supportive Care for Dementia program. RISE connects students with families to provide affordable respite for caregivers and meaningful engagement for the person living with dementia in their home or in a facility. The rate is $20 per hour and families pay the student directly. RISE students are not employees or contractors for ASU or Hospice of the Valley. All students are background checked, and ASU students who join RISE receive evidence-based dementia training from the Dementia Care and Education Campus in Phoenix.

A nurse’s journey through advanced breast cancer: Michele’s invasive ductal carcinoma Stage 4 diagnosis 
Norton Healthcare, Paducah, KY; by Sara Thompson; 9/15/25 
When Paducah, Kentucky, native Michele Burgess received her Stage 4 invasive ductal carcinoma diagnosis Feb. 6, 2020, she faced the advanced breast cancer the same way she approaches everything in life — head on. As a nurse manager for an inpatient hospice unit, Michele had spent years caring for others in their most vulnerable moments. Now, she would draw on that same strength for her own battle. ... Most people expected Michele to step away from her demanding career after her cancer diagnosis. After all, working in hospice while fighting breast cancer seemed like an impossible burden. But Michele saw it differently. “Why wouldn’t I continue?” she asked herself. Her work gave her purpose, and her 10-bed inpatient unit needed her steady leadership. ...

How a novel coaching intervention is building resilience and hope in adolescents and young adults with advanced cancer: A conversation with Abby R. Rosenberg, MD, MS, MA 
The ASCO Post; by Jo Cavaloo; 9/15/25 
Each year, nearly 90,000 adolescents and young adults (AYAs; aged 15–39) are diagnosed with cancer, and approximately 9,300 die of the disease. ... AYAs are at increased risk for developing adverse long-term side effects from cancer and/or its treatment, including chronic conditions, secondary cancers, infertility, poor psychosocial health, and financial toxicity. ... The findings from a recent randomized phase III clinical trial investigating a novel resilience coaching intervention for AYA patients with advanced cancer are showing promising results in improving feelings of resilience and hope, as well as longer-term improvement in quality of life for these patients. ... In a wide-ranging interview with The ASCO Post, Dr. Rosenberg discussed the psychosocial impact of cancer on AYA cancer survivors, the results of the PRISM-AC study, and how AYA survivors are able to cope with having a terminal prognosis.

Uplift Hospice acquires Stoneridge in Arizona 
Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 9/17/25 
Uplift Hospice has acquired Stoneridge Hospice in Arizona for an undisclosed amount. Uplift’s footprint stretches across the southwest and into the mountain states with locations in Texas, Arizona and Nevada. The Stoneridge transaction adds density to its Arizona operations and brings the company’s average daily census up to 500 patients. The owners of Stoneridge were looking to exit the business and were more concerned about cultural alignment than the financial terms, according to Uplift CEO Owen Lawrie. 

Nonprofit hospice consolidation ‘intensifying’
Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 9/16/25
As of the second quarter in 2025, nonprofit deals represented 33% of hospice and home health transactions, The Braff Group reported. Half of these hospice assets were picked up by nonprofit buyers, meaning that half of the market is choosing to sell to for-profit companies, [Mark] Kulik explained.

[United Kingdom] Guided by empathy: How smart hospitals innovate while staying patient-centric 
Forrester, United Kingdom; by Shannon Germain Farraher; 9/15/25 
My Visit To A Smart Hospital
As a former practicing clinician, I’ve walked the halls of many hospitals — but none quite like Baden Cantonal Hospital (KSB) in Switzerland. During my recent visit, I saw firsthand how KSB is changing the narrative as it transforms into an intelligent healthcare organization (IHO). Built over a decade, the facility consolidated 13 floors of operations into three, creating a streamlined, digitally enabled environment that redefines what modern care delivery can look like. Here are some of the things that stood out to me:

• Healing architecture ...
• Human-centric design ...
• Digital infrastructure ...

... Small details underscore the importance of integrating technology in ways that support comfort and healing. Even the blinking light of a sensor can disrupt patient sleep.  
Editor's Note: Continue reading for this article's next section, "What can US health systems do now to transform," with your eye toward  hospice inpatient units and residential homes. 

I have learned that the best classroom in the world is at the feet of an elderly person. ~ Andy Rooney