NPHI announces “Care You Can Trust” as 2026 National Hospice and Palliative Care Month theme 
National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI), Washington, DC; Press Release; 8/12/26 
The National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI) today announced “Care You Can Trust” as the national theme for Hospice and Palliative Care Month 2026, observed throughout November. This year’s campaign will focus on helping patients, families and communities better understand what high-quality hospice and palliative care looks like — and recognizing the dedicated professionals and organizations providing that care every day. At a time when stories of fraud and abuse within the hospice sector have received significant national attention, NPHI believes it is of paramount importance for the public to hear the stories of providers who are delivering care the right way: delivering compassionate, high-quality care, supporting families during some of life’s most difficult moments and serving as trusted and respected partners in their communities. ... To support the campaign, NPHI has launched a comprehensive 2026 Hospice and Palliative Care Month Campaign Hub, with ready-to-use resources for hospice, palliative care and other advanced illness care providers across the country.

Treasure Coast Hospice launches new website to make hospice referrals easier for families and healthcare providers 
Cision PRWeb, Stuart, FL; by Treasure Coast Hospice; 8/11/26 
Treasure Coast Hospice has launched a newly redesigned website featuring an enhanced online referral experience that makes it easier for healthcare providers, patients, and families to connect with hospice care. The new website was developed to remove common barriers people may face when searching for hospice information and to make the referral process more accessible, efficient, and easy to understand. ... One of the most significant updates is a new online referral form with two distinct pathways: one for healthcare professionals and another for patients and loved ones.

Women Swimmin’ for Hospicare celebrates 23 years 
ithaca.com, Ithaca, NY; by Grant Terwilliger; 8/11/26 
On the morning of Aug. 8, 330 women swam 1.2 miles from Camp Comstock to Myers Park to support Hospicare services. The swimmers participated in groups and were accompanied by paddlers in kayaks. Go the Distance fundraisers, swimmers, volunteers and spectators raised $663, 940 for Hospicare through 6,000 donations, according to the Women Swimmin’ for Hospicare website. ... “Twenty three years ago, two powerful, determined women decided to swim across the lake for the first time to celebrate a 60 birthday and raise money for hospice care,” said Emily Hopkins, director of development and community relations for Hospicare. “Fast forward to today, swimming in their wake, we have swimmers ages 18 to 82 who swam across the lake today.”  

My husband was kicked out of hospice for dying too slowly. Here's what I learned about navigating hospice care. 
CBS News; by Kim Clark; 8/13/26 
It was mid-January 2026, and my then-73-year-old husband, Mike Salmon, had just started bouncing back from a three-month ordeal of three operations related to aortic aneurysms, sepsis, and a terrifying descent into delirium tied to a stay in the intensive care unit. ... Abruptly, we were shunted onto hospice care — the dead-end spur of the American medical system. ... Mike joined that select group. His experience in and out of the hospice system revealed surprising lessons about how families can manage care. And getting removed from hospice revealed a little-known process that can represent a welcome respite for families like ours — but can be devastating for patients with serious chronic illnesses. Here's what we learned in our four months on and off hospice. ...  
Editor's Note: The initial descriptions and tone of this caregiver's experience raise significant red flags: ... "Choose one." A hospital nurse handed me a list of local hospice agencies. ... I just pointed to the name at the top of the alphabetical list, assuming they were pretty much the same. ... The problems with the organization I had chosen started immediately. ... Kristina Newport, chief medical officer of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, said I should also have checked the quality ratings on Medicare's Care Compare site and the National Hospice Locator. Those sites would have alerted me to our first agency's low ratings. [Disclosure: Hospice Analytics--the site for the National Hospice Locator and owned by 1520ai--is a sponsor for Hospice & Palliative Care Today.]

Palliative care with guided open communication improves patients’ well-being 
Oncology Nurse Advisor; by Jessica Nye, PhD; 8/13/26 
Guided open communication in the palliative care setting had beneficial effects on patients with advanced lung cancer, according to findings published in Frontiers in Public Health. ... A total of 276 patients were evaluated for outcomes using a battery of validated instruments. ... The study investigators concluded, “[I]ntegrating guided honesty intervention and palliative care into a comprehensive nursing model can significantly alleviate negative emotions such as depression, anxiety, and stress in patients with advanced lung cancer, effectively reduce cancer pain and cancer-related fatigue, and significantly improve nursing satisfaction while enhancing patients’ quality of life in multiple dimensions.”

CMS: Hospice claim rejections due to admission and election date edit
Leading Age; 8/12/26 
A Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) change request prevents overpayments of long-term hospice care that took effect April 1, 2026. Unfortunately, the edit is now impacting hospice institutional claims. Medicare Administrative Contractors, Wellpoint Federal, CGS, and Palmetto, sent notices to providers that claims are failing system edits when the transfer date is populated as the admission date. The claims return with edits U5565 and U5566, preventing successful claim creation/submission. The MACs are overriding the edit and allowing the impacted claims to process. ...

California’s new emergency hospice regulations: key requirements for providers 
JD Supra; by Margia Corner, Elicia Grilley Green, Lena Zinner; 8/13/26 
For the first time in California’s history, hospice agencies have become subject to comprehensive hospice-specific licensing regulations adopted on an emergency basis and effective June 22, 2026. ... The new regulations apply to both existing licensees and new applicants, add significant new requirements for CDPH approval of transactions and other operational changes, such as the licensee’s physical location, and authorize CDPH to conduct unannounced inspections to verify compliance. Providers would benefit from reviewing their operations against the new requirements below.

• Current Moratorium ...
• Geographic Service Areas and the Two-Hour Travel Standard ...
• Staffing Ratios and Care Planning ...
• Management Personnel Qualifications and Limitations ...
• Changes of Ownership ...
• Ownership Transactions and CDPH Approval of Changes of Information ...
• Physical Office Requirements: Exclusive Commercial Space ...
• Application Requirements ...
• What Providers Should Do Now ...

[For progression of these details, explore previous articles: "California hospice providers laud state’s newly proposed emergency regulations" (6/24/26) and "California adopts sweeping emergency regulations for hospice providers: what the new rules require and how to prepare" (7/14/26].

Before the deal closes: what leaders need to know about sales integration 
Community Health Accreditation Partner (CHAP); by Amy Sutton-Feld and Kassi Ellison; 8/12/26
Many organizations think Sales and Business Development integration begins when the deal closes. In reality, the most important integration work starts much earlier. It begins when leaders sign the letter of intent, enter diligence, and start making decisions about what the combined organization will look like. By the time Day One arrives, many of the risks that affect business development performance are already forming, especially for sales and growth teams. ...

• Diligence should look beyond the financial model ...
• The three anchors: people, process, and systems ...

Deactivation of cardiac devices at the end of life: clinical and ethical challenges 
Current Heart Failure Reports; by Marie-Gabrielle Courtès, Fiona Ecarnot, Mathilde Giffard; 8/13/26 
Device deactivation in patients with heart failure is an increasingly relevant clinical and ethical challenge as the use of cardiovascular implantable electronic devices expands. ... Deactivating implantable cardioverter defibrillators can prevent painful and unnecessary shocks at the end of life, which may otherwise prolong dying without improving quality of life. Multidisciplinary involvement, including palliative care consultation, is essential to support patient-centered decision-making and symptom management. This review synthesizes the latest evidence and consensus on device deactivation in heart failure, emphasizing the need for communication, initiated early in the disease course, as well as individualized care, and integration of patient preferences throughout the disease trajectory.
Editor's Note: What Policies and Procedures does your organization have in place? What interdisciplinary education do you ensure for all IDG members regarding this challenge for patients, families, and legal representatives? These clinical and ethical challenges present potentially horrific trauma for the patient and those present when the person dies. Clinical and legal knowledge, preparations, communications, and documentation are crucial.

[Canada] Daughter says elderly father chose MAiD due to 'loss of hope' after not qualifying for hospice 
LiveAction.org; by Bridge Sielicki; 8/11/26 
Colleen De Vos told EWTN News Nightly that her 85-year-old father died in 2023 after being diagnosed with terminal chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Though he had initially agreed to hospice or in-home palliative care, he was denied the care he needed. “He was turned down on two occasions, deeming that his diagnosis wasn't enough to warrant hospice care,” De Vos said. “That was a surprise to us because we could see he was deteriorating very quickly.” Nevertheless, he was able to qualify for MAiD. “The irony of the availability of MAiD that could be arranged very quickly... sidelined us very much,” she said. ...
Editor's Note: While this article strongly opposes MAiD, Hospice and Palliative Care Today maintains a neutral position, reporting facts from both sides. This deeply personal story dives into the all-important needs for palliative and/or hospice accessibility and utilization.

Executive Personnel Changes - 8/14/26

• Addus HomeCare Corporation announced that Heather Dixon has left the company after serving as President and COO since September 2025. Former President and COO Brad Bickham has agreed to step back in as COO on an interim basis for one year, effective Aug. 10.
• Hospice of Southern West Virginia names Dr. Alexandria Arthur as new Medical Director. Arthur succeeds Dr. Kelly Pitsenbarger, who served the facility for 13 years before retiring.

No matter how old you are or how far you travel, we will always be your parents, and we will always be thankful we got to know you before anyone else did. ~ Denise Springer

[Sending support to all readers who are launching a child into college or another new life chapter. ~ Hospice & Palliative Care Today, Joy Berger]