Kennedy slashing 10,000 jobs in health department overhaul 
USA Today, Washington, DC; by Joey Garrison; 3/27/25 
Health and Human Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Thursday he will cut about 10,000 full-time jobs from the Cabinet department in a dramatic reduction that includes closing half its regional offices as part of a wider Trump administration overhaul of the federal government. Combined with HHS employees who previously accepted buyouts and others who were already fired, the agency's workforce will be sliced by one-quarter from 82,000 full-time employees to 62,000 since President Donald Trump returned to the White House. The Department of Health and Human Services ‒ which oversees the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services ‒ will consolidate the agency's 28 divisions into 15 new divisions in Kennedy's shakeup. ... Among the cuts in key divisions:

• The Food and Drug Administration will terminate 3,500 full-time employees. ...
• The CDC is set to reduce its workforce by 2,400 employees. ...
• The National Institutes of Health will terminate 1,200 employees. ...
• CMS, which oversees Medicare, Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program, will cut 300 employees. ...

[Continue reading ...]

Saying goodbye to Dad 
MidlandsLife; by Jeff Becraft; 3/27/25 
I know my last article talked about my Dad moving on to Higher Ground, but while it is still fresh on my mind, I’m going to delve into the process of saying goodbye.  Perhaps it will resonate with someone who has already been down this path… or maybe someone who will be going down this path. I know that many people have been on a longer road than what I am going to describe. I won’t try to cover everything and there are some very significant things that are left out because of space; I will be simply giving my perspective on the overall experience of the last days. [Continue reading ...]
Editor's note: If you have experienced the vigil of a loved one's final days, this likely gives voice to your journey: "Each day we thought was going to be Dad’s last. It was certainly a time of changing emotions." If you have not experienced this, read to learn common rhythms and themes, and final release into death. Thank you, Jeff Becraft, for your meaningful reflection.

The Healing of America with T.R. Reid 
TCNtalks Podcast; podcast by Chris Comeaux with T.R. Reid; 3/26/25 
In this episode of TCN Talks, host Chris Comeaux interviews NY Times bestselling author T. R. Reid.  They discuss T. R. Reid’s experiences and insights from researching healthcare systems around the world, particularly focusing on the need for universal coverage and the various models of healthcare delivery. ... This is a great listen as the U.S. spends more on healthcare, yet we are not even in the top 10 in the world.  It’s hard to make one aspect of healthcare successful, like Hospice and Palliative Care, if the broader ecosystem it resides in is flawed and unsustainable.  Join us; this is very timely. [Continue to the podcast ...]

AGG, New Day’s Bill Dombi: Hospices’ ‘vibrant evolutionary path’ spurs legal growing pains  
Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 3/26/25 
Today’s hospice landscape is reaching a pivotal point of evolutionary growth that has come with increased oversight as regulators seek to curb fraudulent activity in the space, according to Bill Dombi, senior counsel for the law firm Arnall Golden Gregory (AGG). ... He previously served as president of the National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) for 38 years prior to its affiliation with the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) in 2023 and was heavily involved in the establishment of the Medicare Hospice Benefit. ... [Dombi:] "... Hospice has been a very vibrant part of the health care world for quite a while now, but I think its energy levels are at an all-time high right now. And that’s energy levels in terms of not just public awareness and utilization of the services, but also the gained respect of recognizing that hospice is not a cottage industry anymore. Some people might label it as growing pains. I call it more of an evolution that naturally seems to occur in any field and in any organization."  [Continue reading ...]

Mitchell Hospice House celebrates upcoming grand opening 
KTIV-4 News, Sioux City, IA; by Acacia Phillips; 3/25/25 
... On Tuesday, Mitchell Hospice House celebrated its grand opening, which is less than a week away. At the celebration, members of the community had the opportunity to tour the facility. ... Mitchell Hospice House has a total of 9 rooms. ... They also have rooms for family members so they can be close to their loved ones. The goal is to provide a space for those who need that end-of-life care but want a place that feels like home. They officially open next Monday, March 31. [Contintue reading ...]

10 top health system workplaces, per USA Today
Becker's Hospital Review; by Giles Bruce; 3/21/25
Ten health systems were named top workplaces March 21 by USA Today and human resources technology company Energage. The Top Workplaces USA 2025 list was determined using Energage’s confidential employee engagement surveys and participating company benchmarks that take into account years of workplace culture research.Here are the health systems that ranked in the top 100 among organizations with 2,500-plus employees:

26. St. Luke’s University Health Network (Bethlehem, Pa.)
27. Orlando (Fla.) Health
30. BayCare Health System (Clearwater, Fla.)
35. Children’s Health (Dallas)
60. Memorial Hermann Health System (Houston)
66. Southwest General Health Center (Middleburg Heights, Ohio)
71. VA Boston Healthcare System
80. Adventist HealthCare (Gaithersburg, Md.)
87. University Health (San Antonio)
90. Middlesex (Conn.) Health

Editor's note: Each of these top 10 healthcare systems provides both palliative and hospice care. Congratulations to all for your workplace excellence!

Five key CDC leaders abruptly retire amid agency shakeup: What to know 
Newsweek; by Gabe Whisnant; 3/25/25 
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is facing a major leadership shakeup, with five high-level officials stepping down in what marks the latest wave of internal turmoil for the nation's premier public health agency. According to the Associated Press, which confirmed the resignations through two CDC officials who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly, the resignations were revealed during a senior leadership meeting on Tuesday. The announcement follows three other recent departures, and together, these changes amount to nearly a third of the CDC's top management either having already left or planning to do so. ... Why It Matters: The CDC, headquartered in Atlanta, operates more than two dozen centers and offices. The five latest officials to exit lead critical divisions, and while their departures have been described internally as retirements, they were not publicly announced.

Moral agency in healthcare: What does it mean? 
Healthcare Business Today; by Editorial Team; 3/27/25 
... Moral agency, as defined by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, is ”having the intent and then acting to pursue, achieve, and maintain optimal beneficial outcomes consistent with the moral/ethical principles of one’s practice.” ... A moral agent is a person who can tell right from wrong and is held accountable for his or her actions. Moral agents have a moral responsibility not to cause unjustified harm, which is especially important in a healthcare setting. ...

• How Does Moral Agency Apply in Healthcare? ...
• Moral Uncertainty ...
• Moral Dilemmas ...
• Moral Distress ...

New musical asks, 'How do we deal with the end?' (with a singalong)
Edge Media Network; by Kilian Melloy; 3/25/25 
Worcester, Massachusetts natives and brothers Daniel Lazour and Patrick Lazour started making theater when they were still kids, ...  "It was a really beautiful coming together of the whole [theater] community to do these shows," Daniel adds. That communal spirit lives on in the brothers' latest work, "Night Side Songs," a production of the American Repertory Theater that's scheduled to play ... from March 27 – April 6 [and] April 8 - 20. Bringing audiences together for a full-length play that makes singing an integral part of the experience – the songs are written to be easy for the audience to sing and to participate in performing, much like hymns at a church service, the brothers say – "Night Side Songs" makes a cathartic shared experience from the story of Yasmine (Brooke Ishibashi), a woman facing cancer and chemotherapy but finding love, meaning, and her own voice as part of the journey. [Continue reading ...] 

Thompson Scholars and AdventHealth host successful Health Equity Health Fair 
AdventHealth Manchester, Manchester, KY; by Christina Couch; 3/25/25 
The Thompson Scholars Foundation and AdventHealth are proud to announce the successful completion of the Health Equity Health Fair held [March 24] ... in Manchester, KY. With over 250 participants, the event brought together medical professionals, community representatives, and attendees to address health disparities and promote wellness within the community. The Health Equity Health Fair featured a wide range of activities and resources, including: ... Hospice Care ...

[UK] Man to sell his 4,000 books in aid of hospice 
BBC News; by Emily Coady-Stemp and Jo Burn; 3/26/25 
A man has opened a shop to sell his collection of 4,000 books to raise money for the hospice where he is receiving care. Rob McCann, from the Kent village of Sutton Valence, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in July 2023 and given just weeks to live. "Yet here I am, 18 months later, still going strong," he added. He opened Capelli's Books in his village on Tuesday to raise money for the Heart of Kent Hospice. [Continue reading ...]

Ohio payer beats UnitedHealthcare in racketeering lawsuit, awarded $50M 
Becker's Payer Issues; by Jakob Emerson; 3/19/25 
An Ohio jury awarded Medical Mutual of Ohio over $50 million in damages on March 12 after the payer prevailed in its lawsuit against FrontPath Health Coalition and HealthScope Benefits, a subsidiary of UnitedHealthcare. FrontPath offers employee benefits solutions, and HealthScope is a third-party administrator. .. The defendants were found to have committed federal wire fraud, telecommunications fraud, tampered with records, and obstructed justice by submitting false bid information. The jury found that the conspiracy resulted in significant damages to Medical Mutual and ultimately caused taxpayers to pay higher healthcare costs than necessary.

Executive Personnel Changes - 3/28/25

• Banner Health based in Phoenix, AZ appointed Alan Weiss, MD, Senior Vice President of Clinical Advancement, effective March 31. 
  
• Children's Health based in Wilmington, DE appointed Caswell Samms III as Executive Vice President and CFO. 
  
• HopeWest based in Grand Junction, CO hired Carter Bair to be its Chief Financial Officer.

Social Media Watch 3/28/25 

• Florida Hospice & Palliative Care Association: Loves Community Hospice & Palliative Care's Mail Call, a new enhancement to the Veteran patient pinning ceremony.
• Joel Wherley: President and COO at Vitas Healthcare, happy to be partnering wtih the American Heart Association.
• Cindy Frazier: Allegiance Healthcare mythbusters: Demystifying home health & hospice myths.
• Melissa Calkins: For some of our nurses, this is an everyday reality—and it's heartbreaking. Just last week, I helped one of my clients hardwire Complex Case Review (CCR) into their processes. (Referencing article: Suspect armed with rifle shoots at hospice nurse, points weapon at deputies.)
• Jason Bring: AGG Healthcare partner, shares insights in a Law360 article discussing the impact of HHS' decision to rescind the Richardson Waiver.
• Kevin Kirkland: Agrace is proud to rehire exceptional individuals...
• Jacque Burklow: Celebrating four Hospice of Midland team workers - Adriana Aguilar, Pam Chesnut, Mayra Villa, and Lora Ramon.

Basketball doesn’t care what color your skin is. It doesn’t care what language you speak or what religion you practice. It doesn’t care if you’re big or small, fast or slow. It just asks you to play, to complete, to lose with dignity, to win with humility. ~ Coach Jim Calhoun, Basketball Hall of Fame and 3-time NCAA champion