Is your ladder leaning against the wrong wall? Richard Mobley on leadership and calling | part two 
Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN); hosted by Chris Comeaux with Richard Mobley; 2/20/26 
In Part Two of this powerful conversation, Richard Mobley dives deeper into what happens when success no longer satisfies — and how leaders can unknowingly climb the wrong ladder. After decades of corporate advancement, Richard reached a season of fatigue and uncertainty. What followed wasn’t a dramatic “eureka” moment, but a squiggly journey of rediscovery. Through consulting, real estate ventures, and personal reflection, he uncovered a deeper truth: fulfillment isn’t found in constant upward motion — it’s found in alignment.

HopeHealth CEO: Hospice in ‘significant growth’ period 
Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 2/19/26 
Hospices need an adaptive approach to meet an evolving range of diverse needs among terminally ill patients and their family caregivers. This is according to HopeHealth President and CEO Diana Franchitto. HopeHealth provides home care, hospice, palliative and dementia care, as well as caregiver and grief support services. The nonprofit health system serves Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts.  ... Hospice News sat down with Franchitto to uncover the most significant trends impacting hospice care delivery as HopeHealth commemorates its 50th anniversary. ...

Outlook for hospice care in Minot area following suspension of Trinity’s services 
KFYR/KMOT TV, Minot, ND; by Kyona Rivera; 2/19/26 
Last week, we told you about Trinity Health suspending its hospice services. Families are raising concerns about what this means for those who rely on this kind of care in our community. When Trinity Health ends its hospice services, that will leave two providers in Minot, one of which is HIA Hospice. Staff member Brenda Iverson said the need for this type of care goes far beyond the area.

A multidimensional narrative review of disparities in hospice care use 
American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine; by Komal Patel Murali, PhD, RN, ACNP-BC, Gwenneth Wang, BS, Daniella Torres, BA, Laura Tycon Moreines, MSN, RN, Abraham A. Brody, PhD, RN, FAAN, Karen Bullock, PhD, LCSW, and Leah V. Estrada, PhD, RN; 2/19/26  
... Findings: Guided by the Social Ecological Model, the objectives of this narrative review are to (a) discuss disparities in hospice care use, (b) explore multidimensional levels and factors contributing to such disparities, and (c) outline implications and imperatives for improving access to and use of hospice care. ... System-level solutions include integrating hospice referrals into routine care workflows, improving hospice-related policies, strengthening partnerships with community organizations, and transitional care research. Clinicians are uniquely positioned to identify care preferences, advocate for timely referrals and support the hospice transition, and build trust with patients and families at the end of life.

Hospice use after ICU admission increased across the US from 2011–2023 
Medical Xpress; by Boston University School of Medicine, edited by Gaby Clark; 2/19/26 
... In a new study from Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, researchers have found that more older adults in the U.S. are being discharged to hospice after an ICU stay than in the past, and this increase happened even as overall short-term death rates stayed stable. This research is the first to quantify hospice use after ICU stays on a national scale, and suggests a real shift in how end-of-life care is delivered to the seriously ill. These findings appear online in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society.

The effect of race on patterns of care and utilization of palliative interventions in patients with lung cancer 
Holistic Integrative Oncology; by Calvin Walker, Jr., Zeytun Guyo, Davin Means, Martlin Emeasoba, Samantha  Robinson, Mohammod Mahmudur Rahman, Kingsley Nnawuba & Hanna Jensen; 2/6/26 
... Results: Altogether 2,048 (1,660 white and 388 black) patients were included in the study with other races excluded due to low sample sizes. Black patients were younger, more male, had higher rates of current tobacco use, and utilized Medicaid more often than their white counterparts. Black patients also had more comorbidities while having less family history of cancer, were diagnosed with more advanced stages of cancer, and had more active cancer status in follow-up. ...

New CAPC Report identifies caregiver support as key to better outcomes and lower health care costs 
Globe Newswire, New York, NY; by Center to Advance Palliative Care Press Release (CAPC); 2/20/26
As caregiving demands continue to grow nationwide, a new report from the Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC) identifies formal caregiver support programs as a key driver of better outcomes and lower health care costs. The report links hospital-based caregiver support programs to improved outcomes for patients and caregivers, while being financially self-sustaining themselves.

Weaving a unified fabric of care will heal the patient-provider relationship 
MedCity News; by Sachin K. Gupta; 2/20/26 
Healthcare can transform only when strategy, workflow, data, and human connection operate together with a single purpose: strengthen the relationship at the center of care. The healthcare industry is under strain. ... At the core of these problems is the strained patient-clinician relationship. Healthcare is losing the very relationship it was built on. This is one of the prime problems that we need to solve to build a stronger healthcare industry, and AI is the instrument. ... Healthcare can transform only when strategy, workflow, data, and human connection operate together with a single purpose: strengthen the relationship at the center of care.

AI in healthcare needs system-level execution, not task automation 
Becker's Health IT; by Aditya Bansod; 2/18/26 
Healthcare is investing in AI. But most operating models haven’t changed. Health systems have long had more manual work to do than staff to perform it. Now, these health systems are rapidly adopting AI under the promise that it will take on more autonomous work and deliver outcomes at a greater scale than their previous digital initiatives. They’re piloting chatbots, deploying AI phone agents, testing predictive models, and moving clinical documentation to AI assistants. Yet in many organizations, the core operating structure remains reactive. ...

• The Dividing Line: System-Level Execution ...
• From Automation to Orchestration: What It Looks Like in Practice ...
• The Architectural Choice Ahead ...

More US companies are offering caregiving benefits to employees 
Greater Baton Rouge Business Report, Baton Rouge, LA; by The Associated Press; 2/19/26 
Debra Whitman was traveling for work when her father was suddenly admitted to the hospital in serious pain. She jetted home to Maryland and took several days off to care for him in his rural community in eastern Washington state and to set him up with a motorized lift chair that would help him stand up. Fortunately for Whitman, who serves as chief public policy officer at AARP, her employer offers paid time off for caregiving for elderly family members, a benefit which experts say is growing in popularity as the U.S. population ages. 

Stolen ambulance crashes into Meridian medical building. What is Portico North? 
Idaho Statesman, Meridian, ID; by Hali Smith; 2/19/26 
Offices in a Meridian medical building were closed Thursday after a stolen ambulance smashed into the six-story structure. The crash occurred around 12:30 a.m. Thursday at the Portico North building at the southeast corner of Eagle and Franklin roads. ... Portico North is owned by St. Luke’s Health System, whose Meridian hospital is one block to the south. ... “There is no clinical patient care provided in the Portico North building,” Myron told the Statesman. The site functions as a workspace for a health insurance company as well as St. Luke’s hospice care providers and home health teams. 

I saw medicine as a way to serve those most often overlooked -- to bring care where it was most needed. ~ Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumper, first Black woman physician in the U.S.