CMS Fact Sheet: Fiscal Year 2027 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate Update and Hospice Quality Reporting Program Requirements Final Rule (CMS-1851-F) 
CMS Newsroom; Press Release; 7/30/26 
On July 30, 2026, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final rule (CMS-1851-F) that would update Medicare hospice payments and the aggregate cap amount for fiscal year (FY) 2027 under existing statutory and regulatory requirements. This final rule also highlights Medicare non-hospice spending under a hospice election, using data from the hospice service and spending variation index (SSVI).

• FY 2027 Routine Annual Rate Setting Changes ...
• Service and Spending Variation Index ...
• Finalized Mandatory Hospice Election Statement Addendum ...
• Hospice Quality Reporting Program ...

Why traditional primary care fails frail elders and the future need for specialized models | part two 
Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN); podcast hosted by Chris Comeaux with Dr. Bethany Snider; 7/31/26 
In Part Two of this compelling conversation, Chris Comeaux continues his discussion with Dr. Bethany Snider, exploring what it will take for hospice and palliative care organizations to remain relevant in a rapidly changing healthcare landscape. Dr. Snider makes the case that caring for frail elders through longitudinal, value-based primary care isn't a departure from the hospice mission—it's the natural evolution of it. Dr. Snider explains why nonprofit providers must think beyond episodic care, invest in new capabilities, and build integrated care models that better serve patients across the entire serious illness journey. She also shares how courageous leadership, strategic partnerships, and a willingness to innovate will determine which organizations thrive in the next generation of healthcare.

Voices: Ryan Krout, PharmD, Vice President of Clinical Account Management, Dragonfly Health
Hospice News; by Mick Stahlberg; 6/30/26 
In this Voices interview, Ryan Krout, Vice President of Clinical Account Management at Dragonfly Health, shares how his role has evolved within the newly unified organization, why connected data matters for hospice operators and how unified care models will shape the year ahead.

Columbus Foundation grant to support Wexner Heritage Village hospice music therapy program 
Columbus Jewish News; by Noell Wofgram Evans; 7/31/26   
The transition to a hospice can be emotional, stressful and scary. Zusman Community Hospice at Wexner Heritage Village was recently awarded a grant from the Columbus Foundation to help reduce the negative feelings that can be connected with that transition. The $25,000 grant will establish a Hospice Music Therapy Program, a new program that joins their pet therapy and aromatherapy care components which accompany traditional hospice services. Sophia Elias, director of development at Wexner Heritage Village, told the Columbus Jewish News, “The grant will support year-long access to a board-certified music therapist who will provide approximately six to seven visits each week.” Up to twenty-eight hospice patients each month will be able to receive this therapy as part of their care plan. That adds up to just over 330 visits annually.

Heart to Heart Hospice opens new Oklahoma City location 
Oklahoma Journal Record, Oklahoma City, OK; by Journal Record Staff; 7/31/26
Heart to Heart Hospice celebrated the opening of its new Oklahoma City location with a ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by the Edmond Chamber of Commerce. Founded in 2003, Heart to Heart Hospice has expanded to more than 65 locations across Indiana, Michigan, Oklahoma and Texas. The organization said its new Oklahoma City location will allow it to serve patients and families throughout Edmond and the greater Oklahoma City area.

Hospice of Southern Illinois marks 45 years of care 
The Southern Illinoisan, Marion, IL; by Paul Wilcoxen; 7/30/26
Hospice of Southern Illinois has spent the past 45 years helping patients and families navigate the end of life. The Marion Chamber of Commerce recognized the anniversary Thursday. Hospice of Southern Illinois CEO Amy Richter said the milestone belongs as much to the people behind the organization as it does to the organization itself. “When I first came to the company 17 years ago, the census down in Marion, the number of patients that we served back then was half of what it is now, so it’s grown that much,” Richter said. “Again, it’s due to the staff and all of our volunteers, and the community and all of our community partners.” Richter joined Hospice of Southern Illinois in 2009 as chief financial officer and became CEO in 2017.

Hospice and Palliative Medicine Advisory Committee Meeting Summary | Spring 2026
American Board of Internal Medicince | ABIM Blog, Philadelphia, PA; by ABIM; 7/31/26 
The Hospice and Palliative Medicine Advisory Committee held its spring meeting on April 28, 2026. Representatives from the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM) and guests from the University of Colorado joined for a portion of the meeting. ... The following is a summary of the spring meeting. ... Furman S. McDonald, MD, MPH, President and CEO of ABIM and the ABIM Foundation, discussed progress on ABIM’s strategic initiatives, including:

• Customized learning plans via collaboration with the American College of Physicians (ACP)...
• Enhancing early career physician engagement ...
• Progress of the Competency-Based Medical Education (CBME) pilot for International Medical Graduates (IMGs) ...
• The recently expanded blueprint review process ... Recent communications about the importance of exam integrity ...

Dr. Dingfield asked for more information on innovations that could enable ABIM to assess competencies beyond medical knowledge, particularly communication.

Scans tell us about the cancer. Functional status tells us about the patient. 
South Florida Hospital News and Healthcare Report; by Dr. Ileana Leyva; 8/1/26 
In an era of precision oncology, we closely track biomarkers, imaging findings and treatment response. Yet one of the strongest predictors of how a patient is truly doing often receives less attention: functional status. When patients experience progressive fatigue, need more assistance with daily activities or spend more time in bed, clinicians and families may normalize these changes as expected consequences of cancer or treatment. Yet progressive functional decline is frequently the clearest indication that an illness trajectory is changing. It is often a signal that warrants a broader conversation about prognosis, goals of care and whether the current treatment plan still aligns with what matters most to the patient. As physicians, we routinely rely on objective measures to assess disease progression. While scans tell us how a tumor is behaving, functional status tells us how the patient is living. Both are essential to understanding prognosis and making care decisions that align with patient goals.
Editor's Note: Read this phrase again, "While scans tell us how a tumor is behaving, functional status tells us how the patient is living." While this article is for oncologists, your hospice interdisciplinary teams' interactions with patients and caregivers in theiur home settings (wherever they call "home") provide rich, relevant, time-sensitive conversations, observations, and supportive interventions--far more than what can be observed in a typical oncology clinic or hospital setting.

Hospice doctor reveals the loved ones who will visit and those who won’t in your final dreams 
Upworthy; by Cecily Knobler; 8/1/26 
“They had a pivotal role in the formation of who you were.” ... Hospice physician and neurologist Dr. Christopher Kerr, MD, PhD, recently appeared on The Oprah Podcast to discuss his experiences with people as they neared their last breath. After interviewing over 1,500 patients described as being in “lucid” mental states, he has discovered a common theme among the memories of their dreams. ... “End-of-life experiences testify to our greatest need to love and be loved, ... To be nurtured and feel connected. To be remembered and forgiven. They provide continuity between and across lives. ... The most common thing they would dream about is seeing their deceased loved ones. And it wasn’t just anybody. It was those that loved and secured the most. So there’s almost this form of final justice. If somebody withheld love, one parent, they were excluded, but the one who nurtured and loved and secured was included.”

MUSC College of Nursing expands global role in palliative care education through ELNEC partnership 
Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC; Press Release; 7/30/26
The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) College of Nursing (CON) has joined the End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC) as an official partner. This partnership strengthens national and global efforts to prepare the healthcare workforce for the growing demand for palliative care. Alongside City of Hope and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, the MUSC College of Nursing reinforces a shared commitment to improving the quality of palliative care in the United States and around the world. “We are proud to join ELNEC in advancing palliative care education at a time when the need has never been greater. ...” said Catherine Durham, DNP, APRN, dean of the College of Nursing. 

Homemakers create quilts for hospice patients
The Kentucky Standard, Nelson County, KY; by Katelyn Norris;8/1/26 
Nelson County Homemakers continue to find new way to serve their community. Earlier this week nearly two dozen quilts made by its members were donated toward local hospice patients. On Monday, the quilts were displayed at the Nelson County Extension Office as the local Homemakers donated them to the Hospice of Nelson County. The quilts were sewn, crocheted and knitted with love and care by the Homemakers. Each quilt has a tag denoting it was created by members of the group. ... Jaime Crockett [Manager of Clinical Services with Hospice of Nelson County] said she wants this moment to encourage other local quilters, crocheters and knitters to donate their own new, handmade blankets for those in hospice care.

The first week of August hangs at the very top of the summer, like the highest seat of a ferris wheel. ~ Natalie Babbitt