Tuesday's Tools: "Search" tool
Hospice & Palliative Care Today; by Joy Berger; 8/3/26
Calling all readers to our new Tuesday series. Each week, explore a tool included in your free subscription that helps you use our news to improve the care you provide. Do you know you can easily search our now 13,000+ posts (since Jan 1, 2024) for any topic, name, or key word? Simply ...

• Go to our homepage, www.hospicepalliativecaretoday.com 
• Click on LOGIN (menu tab)
  
• Enter the email you used to register
• If you don't remember your password, follow the prompts to reset it
• Go to the "Search articles" box to type in your keyword; press "Enter"
• This list populates entries that link you to the original source; the "published" date for HPCT can be found in our "ARCHIVES" tool
• Check back next Tuesday for another tool

Karen Cassidy’s seed of compassion continues to grow at Hildegard House 
Voice Tribune, Louisville, KY; by Alisha Proffitt; 8/3/26
The idea that became Hildegard House began with a gap in care that Karen Cassidy encountered every day as a palliative care nurse practitioner. ... She cared for patients approaching the end of life who qualified for hospice but had nowhere to receive it. Some were homeless. Others lived alone without family or caregivers. Without a home and support, hospice was often out of reach. ... That vision is now Hildegard House, Kentucky's first and only comfort care home, where people without housing or loved ones to care for them can receive hospice services in a home setting. The organization partners with Hosparus Health while relying entirely on donations, grants, volunteers, and community support to provide care at no cost to residents. Today, more than 150 Compassionate Companion volunteers serve alongside nurses, physicians, staff, board members, gardeners, meal providers, and countless donors. All of which has grown from a seed of compassion Cassidy planted in this community. As she hands leadership to Becki Romans, Cassidy speaks of her gratitude. "I had a vision and a dream. But no one can do it alone." As she prepares her next steps forward into retirement, she leaves behind her a legacy of genuine love and care.
Editor's Note: I'm honored to have known Karen through the years, and to currently serve on the Hildegard House's Board of Directors. Its mission, volunteer caregivers, community support, and leadership inspire me at each and every interaction. Read more about its "Hildegard" name. We celebrate Karen's visionary leadership, her new retirement, and Becki's leadership into new chapters ahead.

Hospice groups ‘disappointed’ by 2027 Final Rule 
Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 8/3/26 
Hospice organizations are expressing “disappointment” following the release of the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) hospice final rule for 2027. A chief sticking point was the 2.3% base rate increase, which was less than the 2.4% the agency originally proposed. Members of industry trade groups contend that this is an insufficient amount in today’s economy and cost environment. ... New for 2027, the Service and Spending Variation Index (SSVI) includes a scoring system using nine claims-based measures, each representing different aspects of hospice utilization as well as non-hospice spending. This is designed to identify hospices in need of increased transparency and oversight. CMS established the SSVI amid the agency’s concerns over non-hospice spending in particular. The Alliance, LeadingAge and the National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI) opposed the SSVI in comments on the proposed rule.

Josh & Jase bring toys to Hospice of Michigan’s youngest patients, kick off special fundraiser 
MLive, Grand Rapids, MI; by Tanda Gmiter; 8/3/26 
The British TikTok duo Josh & Jase are known for encouraging goodwill as they travel around our state. Last winter’s trek across Michigan saw their tour of Mel Trotter Ministries raise thousands of dollars for the shelter’s programs. This week, they invited their huge social media audience to see the good work being done by Hospice of Michigan, a non-profit that helps those near death - and their families. Josh & Jase visited some of the youngest patients and their families in what turned out to be an emotional day for the social media stars. “Today was one of those days that will stay with us forever,” they wrote on their Facebook account on Friday. ... The duo said they were impressed at how Hospice of Michigan’s staff can be there to support not just the patient, but entire families during what can be a very difficult and heartbreaking time.

Center for Hospice Care hosts 21st Lube-a-Thon event with Tom’s Car Care Center
Center for Hospice Care, South Bend, IN; by Bennett Silveus; 8/3/26
Summer oil changes can be more expensive due to rising motor oil and supply costs. On Friday, July 31, the 21st Lube-a-Thon for Hospice event offered attendees an oil change and a car wash for just a $50 donation to Center for Hospice Care (CHC). The event was put on by Tom’s Car Care Center on Sugar Maple Business Ct. in South Bend. Center for Hospice Care also co-hosted and was located at the Tom’s Car Care Center site on Sugar Maple Business Ct. in South Bend. ... . CHC has served more than 50,000 since opening its doors 46 years ago. The oil change fundraiser supports the nonprofit hospice provider with funding for different programs and services, particularly providing skilled, compassionate care for those who are eligible for services but are unable to pay for them.

‘It felt like a home:’ Caring House hospice home, in Torrance, celebrates 10 years 
Daily Breeze, Torrance, CA; by Madeline Armstrong; 8/3/26 
When Torrance resident Rick Willson, 65, learned his wife had Leukemia, he knew that her diagnosis was likely terminal. But three months later, when told she would require hospice care, Willson had no idea where to begin. ... That is when they found Caring House. Caring House is the only nonprofit hospice home in Los Angeles County and it just happened to be in the Willsons’ neighborhood. Caring House – an actual six bedroom, two-and-a-half bath home on El Dorado Street – is celebrating its 10th anniversary in Torrance this year.

Northern District of Texas charges 13 health care fraudsters for loss over $360 million 
United States Attorney's Office - Northern District of Texas; Press Release; 6/23/26 
... Catherine Nkeiru Maduka, 66, of Garland, Texas, was charged by indictment with conspiracy to commit health care fraud and health care fraud in connection with a hospice scheme, which resulted in over $3.1 million in false claims being submitted to Medicare. As alleged in the indictment, Maduka, the owner and CEO of Saint Catherine’s Hospice, recruited patients who were ineligible for hospice care and billed Medicare for services that were never provided.

NY’s MAiD law: updates that medical providers and facilities should know 
JD Supra; by Rivkin Radler, LLD - Attorneys at Law; 7/31/26
As discussed in our prior publication, Medical Aid in Dying Is Now Legal in NY, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed New York’s Medical Aid in Dying Act (MAID) on February 6, 2026. Since then, the New York State Department of Health (DOH) has issued a form (DOH-5847) for patients to request MAID, frequently asked questions (FAQs), educational materials, guidance, and proposed reporting regulations. Together, these materials provide important directions for providers and facilities as they prepare for the law’s August 5, 2026, effective date.

• Requesting MAID ...
• Establishing Patient Eligibility ...
• Required Reporting to NYS DOH ...
• Insurance Considerations ...
• Participation Decisions, Policies, and Operational Readiness ...

Private equity ownership in hospice care:  a systematic review (2012-2026) 
American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine; by Denise D. Quigley, PhD, MA, Shannon Walsh, MPP, Cordt T. Kassner, PhD, Lara Dhingra, PhD, and Andrew W. Dick, PhD; 7/28/26 
Hospice care is associated with improved end-of-life outcomes. Recent shifts in hospice utilization highlight several key trends. Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) (25%) have surpassed cancer (23%) as the leading primary diagnosis. Concurrently, industry ownership has transitioned from predominantly nonprofit to for-profit (70%) and private equity (PE) ownership has grown dramatically from 3% to 15%. To date, no study has synthesized evidence on PE ownership in hospice care.  We conducted a systematic review of English-language, peer-reviewed studies published 2012-2026, following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines.

From ethics to trust: strategic guardrails for safe, secure, effective AI in healthcare
MedCity News; by Luk Arbuckle; 8/3/26
Ethical AI and trustworthy AI frameworks should be table stakes for healthcare and life sciences organizations seeking to innovate with AI. There’s more attention, more skepticism and more pressure to get AI right, especially knowing these applications can impact patient lives. As AI becomes more integrated into drug development and clinical workflows, leaders across healthcare and life sciences are therefore expected to demonstrate ethical stewardship and technical competence to instill trust and protect patients. That’s why ethical AI and trustworthy AI frameworks should be table stakes for healthcare and life sciences organizations seeking to innovate with AI. ... Together, they allow teams to answer two critical, pressure-tested questions: what risks are associated with this AI application, and are we capable of mitigating them?

[Belgium] Vrije Universiteit Brussel - Heatwaves expose a blind spot in palliative care 
Public., Vrije Universiteit Brussel; News Release; 8/3/26
While politicians debate air conditioning in residential care homes, we still know surprisingly little about what climate change means for people in the final phase of life. ... Extreme heat disproportionately affects older people and those with chronic illnesses. Comfort and safety are not luxuries when temperatures remain above thirty degrees [centigrade] for days on end. But the discussion also raises another question. What does a changing climate actually mean for people in the final phase of life? Remarkably, we still know surprisingly little about this.
Editor's Note: What does this have to do with hospice and palliative care in the US? Similar blind spots in preprations for the elderly. We only need to recall both older and more recent news to learn: Hurricane Katrina's deaths due to extreme heat; rampant wildfires (in both the US and European news); increases in US heatdomes; more. Bravo to hospice organizations who prepare--as much as is possible--for Emergency Disaster Mitigation, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery.

Humor is the ability to see three sides of one coin. ~ Ned Rorem