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Hospice & Palliative Care Today / Composing Life Out of Loss; by Joy S. Berger; 7/2/26
Decade by decade, our 25-part daily series has been tracing the evolving story of health, equity, caregiving, and the pursuit of human dignity. With all 25 decades compiled, join us in reflecting on how the past shapes the hospice and palliative care we provide today—and the chapters we are called to write ahead. This downloadable e-book includes:

• Introduction and Epilogue
• All entries from our daily posts, with many fresh graphics (this project took on a life of its own!)
• Table of Contents to easily navigate dates and topics

Hospice & Palliative Care Today has partnered with Composing Life Out of Loss for the authoring, publication and distribution of this timely resource.

Dignity therapy: What matters most in end-of-life care? 
Medscape; by Irene Salvetti, MD; 7/7/26 
... Many patients, especially in advanced stages of illness, express the fear of no longer being themselves, of becoming a burden, or of losing their sense of meaning, role, and memory. In these experiences, suffering is not merely physical but also related to identity, relationships, and spirituality. The way patients perceive themselves as viewed by others is an important determinant of their sense of dignity. Dignity therapy was developed to give voice to this often-overlooked aspect of the experience of illness. ...  Harvey Max Chochinov introduced dignity therapy as a brief psychotherapeutic intervention for individuals with advanced or terminal illness, with the goal of preserving a sense of personal dignity during times of frailty, dependence, and the approach of death.

[Canada] Palliative care is a fundamental human right 
TroyMedia; by Rebecca Vachon; 7/6/26 
... Despite the fact that everyone dies, and despite the fact that something like 180,000 Canadians and their families interact with some form of end-of-life care in a year, I keep confronting the perception that palliative care is a niche issue, not one of broad interest. But this reaction only underscores the poll's findings: namely that many Canadians continue to misunderstnad what palliative care is and isn't. On a more positive note, however, when Canadians do understand it, palliative care is, in fact, identified as a priority issue.

Melanie Ramey obituary
Personal Communication; by Cordt T. Kassner; 7/2/26
Melanie Ramey, former CEO of the Hospice Organizations and Palliative Experts of Wisconsin, died on June 8, 2026, at the age of 87. She will be remembered for her fierce advocacy, brilliant mind, compassionate heart, and (in)famous humor.

Medicare Advantage insurers deny prior authorization requests for post acute care at substantially higher rates than the overall denial rate 
KFF; by Jeannie Fuglesten Biniek, Meredith Freed, and Juliette Cubanski; 7/6/26 
The OIG recently published two reports finding that Medicare Advantage insurers deny more than half of all prior authorization requests for the most expensive types of post-acute care, including 65% of requests for stays in long-term care hospitals (LTCHs) and 54% of requests for stays in inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs), as well as 12% of requests for stays in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs).

Croí Health’s “The 12” gala raises more than $700,000 for hospice and home healthcare 
MassNonprofitNews; Press Release; 7/6/26 
Croí Health’s (formerly NVNA and Hospice) annual The 12 gala raised more than $700,000 to support hospice and home health care, the largest amount in the event’s 12-year history. Held on June 17th at the Pat Roche Hospice Home in Hingham, Croí welcomed hundreds of guests under a massive tent. The fundraiser unites community leaders, donors, and sponsors around a shared mission: ensuring no patient in need is turned away for financial reasons. Named for the Hospice Home’s original 12 private resident rooms, The 12 has become an annual tradition for South Shore philanthropists since its inception in 2015. Guests gather just steps away from the rooms where patients receive end-of-life care, making for a deeply reflective evening.

Hospice & Palliative Care of the Piedmont announces Dr. Nancy Hart Wicker as chief executive officer and chief medical officer 
Index Journal; by Staff Writer; 7/2/26
Hospice & Palliative Care of the Piedmont [Charlottesville, VA] has appointed Nancy Hart Wicker, MD, FAAHPM, as chief executive officer and chief medical officer, effective immediately. Hospice & Palliative Care of the Piedmont is the only locally governed, nonprofit hospice in the region with a CMS five-star rating, indicating the highest quality of care. The organization brings 45 years of service, clinical expertise, and community-based decision-making from its clinical staff, leadership, and volunteer board of directors.

Hospice in the spotlight – audits, PEPPER, and patient autonomy 
RACmonitor; by Ronald Hirsch, MD, FACP, ACPA-C, CHCQM, CHRI; 7/1/26 
.. why talk hospice now? Because it seems to be hospice’s time to be in the spotlight. ... Last week you likely heard about a big U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) $6.5 billion fraud takedown. Included in that was another hospice fraud scheme that included a funeral home employee who sold information on recently deceased people to a fraudster who then submitted claims for hospice services that were never provided. ...Then, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released the Program for Evaluating Payment Patterns Electronic Report (PEPPER) for hospice organizations. And to top it off, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) released an audit of hospice claims finding that Medicare paid over $255 million for patients who were not eligible for hospice care. ...

The hidden healthcare workforce: why family caregivers are essential to the future of care 
Healthcare Business Today; by Lance A. Slatton; 7/7/26 
Healthcare leaders across the United States are confronting a convergence of challenges unlike any in recent memory. Workforce shortages, rising healthcare costs, increasing patient complexity, chronic disease management, and a rapidly aging population are placing unprecedented demands on healthcare systems. As organizations search for solutions to improve outcomes, reduce costs, and maintain quality of care, one of the most important components of the healthcare ecosystem continues to be overlooked. Family caregivers. ... In many cases, they serve as the connective tissue holding an entire care plan together.

False Claims Act insights - how hospice fraud impacts legitimate providers  
Hospice Insights Podcast; by Husch Blackwell LLP; 7/6/26 
Host Jonathan Porter welcomes Bryan Nowicki, leader of Husch Blackwell’s hospice practice group and host of the Hospice Insights podcast, to discuss the recent wave of hospice fraud enforcement. With hospice fraud dominating headlines in recent months, Bryan shares insights on how massive fraud schemes are impacting the industry and why legitimate providers face collateral damage.

CMS proposes expanded authority to revoke Medicare privileges 
TechTarget; by Jacqueline LaPointe; 7/6/26 
CMS proposes expanding its authority to revoke Medicare providers in fraud crackdown, while updating home health payments with a 2.4% increase and continued PDGM adjustments. The Trump administration wants to double down on its healthcare fraud, waste and abuse crackdown. This time, policymakers are seeking to expand CMS' powers to remove providers from Medicare -- a move that the agency says will save taxpayers about $82 million a year. The added capabilities are part of the Calendar Year 2027 Home Health Prospective Payment System Proposed Rule (CMS-1844-P), which CMS released ahead of the July 4th weekend.

The hidden cost of cancer's end: how financial strain shapes final months of care 
Fred Hutch Cancer Center, University of Washingon, Seattle, WA; by D. Moosavi; 6/25/26 
... Previous Fred Hutch research has shown that people with cancer are more than twice as likely to file for bankruptcy, and nearly twice as likely to experience what researchers call an “adverse financial event,” compared with people who don’t have cancer. But most of that earlier work focused on financial hardship as an outcome caused by cancer. This study flips the question: once someone is already dealing with financial strain, what happens to the care they receive as their illness progresses?
Publisher's note: This study also notes Fred Hutch researchers are already exploring this idea through an ongoing study called CREDIT, which is testing whether connecting patients with advanced cancer to financial navigation services can improve their care and reduce unnecessary emergency room and hospital use. Could hospices do something similar?

A bad day of camping is still better than a good day at work... Unless you get eaten by a bear, then I'd say it's a tie!