NPHI enters new phase of high growth as national community continues to expand 
National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI), Washington, DC; Press Release; 8/18/26 
The National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI) is experiencing a period of significant growth, welcoming a growing number of mission-driven, community-based organizations from across the country since its 2026 Summit. ... This continued expansion brings new expertise, perspectives and community connections into NPHI’s national network, strengthening a community united by a commitment to high-quality, compassionate, people-first care. ... In recent weeks, NPHI has welcomed:

• Adventist Health (California)
• Crater Community Hospice (Virginia)
• Harbor Hospice & Palliative Care (Michigan)
• Heritage Hospice (Kentucky)
• Hope Hospice (Texas)
• Hospice of South Georgia, Inc. (Georgia)
• Hospice of Southern Illinois (Illinois)
• Hospice of Washington County (Iowa)
• Kentucky Association of Hospice and Palliative Care
• Lower Cape Fear LifeCare (North Carolina & South Carolina)
• Oregon Nonprofit Hospice Alliance (ONHA)
• Sangre de Cristo Community Care (Colorado)
• VNS Health (New York)

Hospice of Orange & Sullivan Counties’ 19th Annual Golf Classic raises almost $75,000 for patient care 
FocusMedia, Newburgh, NY; Press Release; 8/19/26 
Hospice of Orange & Sullivan Counties held its 19th Annual Golf Classic at Osiris Country Club in Walden, N.Y., on Aug. 10, drawing a sold-out field of 100 golfers for the organization’s best golf fundraising event in recent years. The tournament raised close to $75,000 to support Hospice services throughout Orange and Sullivan Counties. ... “Today’s outing is about more than just golf,” Eric Gastik, President and CEO of Hospice of Orange & Sullivan Counties, told the golfers, sponsors and other attendees. “It’s about coming together as a community to support patients and families during one of the most difficult times in their lives. Every golfer, every sponsor, every raffle ticket purchased and every volunteer contributes to that mission."

The new health system CEO job description, per 23 leaders 
Becker's Hospital Review; by Alan Condon, Kelly Gooch, and Kristin Kuchno; 8/20/26 
The health system CEO job description is getting longer, and increasingly filled with responsibilities that barely registered five years ago. Today’s CEOs are expected to steer AI strategy, prepare for cyberattacks, shape culture, advocate in statehouses and on Capitol Hill, protect employees from workplace violence, address affordability and serve as trusted voices in their communities. That shift is playing out at some of the nation’s largest and most prominent health systems. 

In a recent study, most oncologists chose not to assist patients in dying 
Cancer Therapy Advisor; by Jason L. Harris; 8/19/26 
Most oncologists asked to consult with a terminally ill patient seeking medical aid in dying (MAID) choose to opt out, according to research published in JAMA Network Open. In a California-based study, researchers found high rates of oncologists opting out, forcing many patients to pursue MAID with physicians they did not know. Further, a small number of physicians were responsible for most MAID-related prescriptions. “Our dataset likely underestimates these challenges, as it only includes patients who successfully found an attending physician and does not capture instances when opt-out was not documented,” the researchers added.

READOUT: FinCEN holds engagement to eliminate hospice fraud in California
U.S. Treasure Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, Los Angeles, CA; 8/19/26 
On August 17, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) convened law enforcement and financial institutions for an engagement on health care benefits fraud, including the exploitation of hospice care services. Participants discussed new and emerging health care fraud schemes targeting federal and state health insurance programs, associated financial typologies and red flag indicators, and opportunities to boost awareness around hospice care fraud. Additionally, FinCEN held a training session for law enforcement on August 18 on how to use Bank Secrecy Act data to combat fraud. These engagements build on FinCEN’s work to counter fraud in partnership with the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud. 

Clarence Braddock on the future of medical education 
Stanford Medicine; by Communications Staff; 8/16/26 
Clarence Braddock discusses reinventing medical training: simulation, less rote memorization as AI brings info to bedside, shared decision-making, and why the process of curriculum change can matter more than the change itself. Clarence Braddock, MD, MPH, a nationally recognized medical educator and former Executive Vice Dean and Vice Dean for Education in the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, joins Euan Ashley on The Future of Medicine to explore how we train future doctors, why changing long-established systems can be so difficult, and what leaders often misunderstand about creating meaningful change.

Palliative care for Alzheimer’s: what families should understand 
WNY News Now; by News Staff; 8/19/26 
Alzheimer’s disease gradually affects memory, judgment, communication, mobility, and personal care. As abilities change, families face decisions about symptom relief, treatment limits, safety, and emotional well-being. Palliative care addresses those needs while respecting the person’s values and previously expressed wishes. Assistance can begin at any stage of disease, especially when discomfort, behavioral changes, or caregiver strain become difficult to manage without clinical guidance. What details should families check for? ...

Getting accurate AI insights securely with a certified HIPAA data access layer 
CDATA; by Mohammed Mohsin Turki; 8/18/26 
If your organization creates, receives, maintains, or transmits protected health information (PHI), it inherits HIPAA’s compliance obligations. That’s true the moment PHI flows to an AI system or agent instead of the staff who used to handle it, whether that AI is a pilot, a proof of concept, or a model that’s “just reading” records. Most healthcare AI projects stall at the same point. The data still lives in systems that were never built with AI access in mind. A HIPAA-compliant AI data access layer fixes that before the model ever sees ePHI. This blog covers how to choose a HIPAA-compliant AI data access layer that keeps insights accurate, plus the new risks AI adds that older security programs miss. 

How Andrew Bird wrote Louie’s farewell ballad for ‘The Pitt’: ‘What’s more fundamental than the fear of dying alone?’ 
Gold Derby; by Lyndsey Parker; 8/19/26
... Andrew Bird wasn't even familiar with The Pitt when he was cold-called by the show's composer, Gavin Brivik, with an invitation to collaborate on a song for one of the series' most heartbreaking and gut-punching moments. [It was for] that scene, ... in which fan-favorite character Louie Cloverfield, the lovable alcoholic with a heart of gold, dies with only the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center staff by his side — the lyrics for "Need Someone" came quickly. There's a small but especially tearjerking detail when Emma grabs Louie's hand, right as Dr. Robby is telling them about how Louie had lost his eight-months-pregnant wife and their unborn child in a car accident years ago. Apparently hospitals leave a deceased patient's hand out from under the blanket so that a loved one at the bedside can hold it, but Louie only has the hospital staff, who've sort of become his honorary family, with him when dies. This goes perfectly with your lyric about how "you need someone who is gonna cry for you." ... Bird was partially inspired by the 2020 pandemic — not just society's shared post-COVID trauma, but the lack of appreciation of healthcare workers ...

Nurses, consider these documentaries 
Healthcare NOW Radio; by Zelda Meeker; 8/5/26 
Tired of scrolling to find something to watch? We’ve got a list of excellent healthcare-related documentaries that will grab and keep your attention. Healthcare documentaries offer a window into the complexities of this world and show the daily struggles and triumphs of nurses, patients, and other healthcare providers. Over the past few years, several films have stood out for addressing critical and often controversial healthcare topics and offering insight into the realities of the healthcare system. Below are 12 such documentaries impossible for any nurse to ignore — films that are sure to stir emotions and provide perspectives on your career. ...

1. Capturing the Killer Nurse: Netflix ...
2. A.I. Revolution: PBS and Amazon Prime Video ...
3. Defining Hope: Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Fandango, and YouTube
4. Aftershock: Hulu ...
5. Hiding in Plain Sight - Youth Mental Illness: PBS, Fandango, and Apple TV ...
6. The First Wave: Hulu
7. [More ...]

Executive Personnel Changes - 8/21/26

• Carolina Caring in Newton, NC is honored to announce that Cameron Pirouz, MBA, has joined the organization as Chief Operating Officer, effective August 3rd, 2026.
  
  
• Providence Health in Everett, WA announced that Kevin Smith will become their Chief Financial Officer, effective October 26. He is replacing Greg Hoffman, who retired this summer after almost a decade at the health system.
  
  
• Southwest Medical Hospice Care, part of Optum and located in Las Vegas, welcomes Kenneth Pettit, DO as their Medical Director.

People who never do any more than they get paid for, never get paid for any more than they do. ~ Elbert Hubbard