NPHI calls for thoughtful hospice payment reform that rewards high-quality care 
National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI), Washington, DC; Press Release; 6/16/26
The National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI)is calling for thoughtful modernization of the Medicare Hospice Benefit while raising concerns about recommendations contained in a recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report that could fundamentally alter the hospice benefit and potentially lead to substantial changes in provider reimbursement. NPHI is exploring potential reforms to the current hospice payment structure, including steps to reduce incentives for bad actors and poor-quality care by lowering the hospice aggregate cap, and reallocating dollars within the existing payment methodology to better compensate high-quality, mission-driven providers caring for the sickest patients. NPHI believes these types of reforms would better align reimbursement with patient needs, preserve the core principles of hospice care, and encourage providers to deliver care based on patient need rather than financial incentives. ...

MedPAC Executive Summary - June 2026 report 
MedPAC; 6/15/26
As part of its mandate from the Congress, each June the Commission reports on potential improvements to Medicare payment systems and issues that affect the Medicare program, including changes to health care delivery and the market for health care services. The six chapters of our June 2026 report cover the following topics:

• Improving payment incentives in Medicare ...
• The complexity of Medicare enrollment decisions for beneficiaries ...
• Medicare payment operations and their role in identifying improper payments ...
• Estimated association between MA enrollment and hospitals’ and post-acute care providers’ finances ...
• Access to hospice and certain complex palliative services for beneficiaries with end-stage renal disease or cancer ...
• Mandated report: Assessment of the Medicare Ground Ambulance Data Collection System ...

CHAP: CMS posts Accrediting Organizations (AOs) Oversight Final Rule with Comment 
Community Health Accreditation Partner; Press Release; 6/16/26 
Medicare Program; Strengthening Oversight of Accrediting Organizations (AOs) and Preventing AO Conflicts of Interest, and Related Provisions was posted on the Federal Register Public Inspection desk on 6/12/2026 and is estimated to post in the Federal Register on June 16, 2026. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will accept comments related to the proposed rule through August 15, 2026, 11:59 pm. Information about submitting comments appears at the beginning of the rule. This final rule is effective June 16, 2027.

• Rationale For More CMS Oversight of AO’s ...
• Summary of the Major Provisions ...

View the Proposed Rule on the Federal Register’s Public Inspection Desk

How Mayo Clinic adopted an innovative AI tool for palliative care utilization 
HealthLeaders; by Christopher Cheney; 6/10/26 
The AI tool not only identifies hospitalized patients with serious illnesses who could benefit from palliative care services but also targets these patients faster than the health system could in the past. ... To address underutilization of palliative care services, Mayo Clinic and Bayesian Health developed an AI tool to boost palliative care in the hospital setting.

High schooler shares final milestone with Dad after hospice nurses help him organize bedside graduation ceremony 
People; by Abigail Adams; 6/12/26 
A dad got to watch his son graduate from high school just days before he died in hospice care. Brad Case was put into hospice care after being diagnosed with esophageal cancer, according to WPTA. So, his son Braden Case, a senior at Hamilton Junior Senior High School in Hamilton, Ind., did what he could to make sure his dad could see him graduate. Braden worked with nurses to put together the improvised graduation ceremony at Brad's bedside. A photo taken from the special moment, shared by WPTA, showed Braden in his blue cap and gown while standing by his father's side. Braden told WPTA that Brad had always been there for his big moments in life, and he wanted to ensure his dad witnessed this one.

Designing the dream house of an 87-year-old tech visionary 
DNYUZ; 6/16/26 
Brand’s life has been going for 87 years, but lately the going has been tough. The man known for creating the Whole Earth Catalog—the 1960s countercultural guide to self-sufficiency that Steve Jobs was fond of—has an incurable disease and is down to 130 pounds, an alarming weight for a nearly 6-footer. Brand’s mind is sharp as ever; you can’t talk to the man for five minutes without learning something. ... Brand is a world-class pragmatist and a philosopher of structures; he once wrote a book called How Buildings Learn about how homes and commercial properties evolve over time. ... We do a walk-through of the studio, all 715 square feet of it. Off of the living space, under an arch, is a motorized bed. There are no rails, and it looks nothing like hospital equipment. Brand grabs a remote and playfully shows me how it rises and kneels. The kitchen counters are lower than usual, to accommodate Brand if he ever needs a wheelchair. The bathroom is the space that’s most optimized for accessibility. ...

Tuesday Health brings community-based palliative care to Massachusetts in partnership with Commonwealth Care Alliance
NEWSnet PR Newswire, Boston, MA; Press Release by Tuesday Health; 6/16/26
Tuesday Health announced a partnership with Commonwealth Care Alliance (CCA) to deliver community-based palliative care to eligible members across Massachusetts, effective July 1, 2026. The partnership expands access to relationship-based care for individuals who are dual eligible for Medicare and Medicaid and enrolled in CCA’s Senior Care Options (SCO) and One Care programs. ... Tuesday Health delivers evidence-based, provider-led palliative care wherever patients call home, through interdisciplinary teams of nurses, nurse practitioners, social workers, and physicians. 

Medicare’s Part A Trust Fund is projected to run short in 2033: 6 costs seniors should watch 
SavingAdvice; by Drew Blankenship; 6/16/26 
... Recent reports project that Medicare’s Part A Trust Fund could start to run short in 2033, meaning it will be unable to cover 100% of its obligations by that time. ... While Medicare isn’t going to disappear, here are six costs seniors should keep a close eye on.

1. Higher Hospital Cost-Sharing Could Become a Reality ...
2. Skilled Nursing Facility Expenses May Receive More Scrutiny ...
3. Supplemental Insurance Premiums Could Rise ...
4. Hospice Care Costs Deserve Closer Attention ...
5. Access to Certain Providers Could Become More Challenging ...
6. Long-Term Care Planning May Become Even More Important ...

Blue Ridge Care has ribbon cutting for its Hope Campus 
The Winchester Star, Winchester, VA; by Brian Brehm; 6/15/26 
In furtherance of its mission to address more of the healthcare needs of Shenandoah Valley residents, Blue Ridge Care in Winchester has purchased a new campus and opened a new Supportive Care facility. ... In addition to the PACE Center, the Hope Campus also accommodates Blue Ridge Care's Center for Hope and Healing, which provides free support for area residents who are grieving the loss of loved ones, and the nonprofit's newest venture, which is a Supportive Care facility. ... Blue Ridge Care, formerly known as Blue Ridge Hospice, will continue to offer its end-of-life hospice services and an inpatient treatment unit at its headquarters at 333 W. Cork St. in Winchester.

Chapters Health System awarded $150,000 grant from the Golisano Foundation to expand inclusive pediatric hospice care in Southwest Florida 
PR Newswire, Temple Terrace, FL; by Chapters Health System; 6/9/26 
Chapters Health System, the nation's leading chronic illness innovator and largest nonprofit hospice provider, has received a $150,000 grant from the B. Thomas Golisano Foundation through the Chapters Health Foundation ... The grant will support the launch of "Advancing Inclusive Pediatric Hospice Care," an initiative designed to expand access to developmentally appropriate, family-centered end-of-life care, particularly for children with intellectual and developmental disabilities through the integration of a Certified Child Life Specialist and Hospital-Hospice Liaison at Hope Healthcare, a Chapters Health affiliate in Fort Myers.

The Foundation of Community Hospice & Palliative Care celebrates grand Opening of the Dorion Family Pediatric Center 
PR Newswire, Jacksonville, FL; by The Foundation of Community Hospice & Palliative Care; 6/12/26
The Foundation of Community Hospice & Palliative Care celebrated the grand opening and ribbon cutting of the Dorion Family Pediatric Center on Thursday, June 11, marking a significant milestone in expanding care for children with serious and complex illnesses in Northeast Florida. More than 300 community leaders, donors, families, and supporters gathered at the Earl B. Hadlow Campus to commemorate the opening of the new center, which is the first-of-its-kind pediatric hospice and palliative care center in Florida and one of only a few in the United States.

1887-1896: 250 Years - A History of Care
Hospice & Palliative Care Today; by Joy Berger; for 6/21/26
Read details and explore source links

• Lillian Wald, Henry Street Settlement, 1893
  
  
• New York State Legislature, State Care Act, 1890
  
  
• Emerging U.S. Vital Statistics and Death Registration, 1890s

If at first you don't succeed, try doing what Dad told you to do the first time! (Happy Father's Day)