Pope Francis has died, Vatican says 
Sent as Breaking News to subscribers 4/21/25 @ 11:00 AM ET.
Reuters, Vatican City; by Joshua McElwee; 4/21/25, 6:11 am EDT, updated 6:51 am EDT 
Pope Francis, the first Latin American leader of the Roman Catholic Church, has died, the Vatican said on Monday, ending an often turbulent reign marked by division and tension as he sought to overhaul the hidebound institution. He was 88, and had suffered a serious bout of double pneumonia this year, but his death came as a shock after he had been driven around St. Peter's Square in an open-air popemobile to greet cheering crowds on Easter Sunday.
Editor's Note: See "Today's Encouragement: From Pope Francis' April 20, 2025 Easter Message at Saint Peter's Square, The Vatican  ..."

FL 40th Annual Forum May 29-30
FHPCA press release; 4/21/25
Please join us May 29-30 for the 40th Annual Forum – Hospice Works: Sunshine State of Mind at the beautiful Signia by Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek Hotel for networking and education. Get ready for innovative content and incredible speakers. Visit the official Forum website for a full listing of speakers and education sessions. Register yourself and your team today!
Publisher's note: FHPCA is a sponsor of Hospice & Palliative Care Today.

Coming Soon: Vitas Healthcare in Marion County 
South Florida Hospital News and Healthcare Report, Ocala, FL; by cfelixcpa; 4/20/25 
Florida is home to one of the country’s largest aging populations, with adults 65 and older making up 22 percent of its residents. As demand for hospice services rises statewide, VITAS Healthcare ... is expanding into Marion County. Beginning May 15, VITAS will accept patient referrals in the new service area. ... “Expanding into Marion County reflects VITAS’ ongoing commitment to improving access to high-quality hospice services for more Florida families,” said Angela Hamrick, vice president of operations.

Closing the hospice care coverage gap in Florida 
Naples Daily News, Naples, FL; by Nichole Goble; 4/20/25 
For too many Floridians living with serious illness, accessing high-quality hospice care remains a challenge. Families are left struggling to find the support they need, and patients are forced to navigate complex medical decisions without adequate guidance. In Florida, this gap is especially pronounced, leaving thousands without the specialized care that could improve their quality of life. Caregiver Action Network (CAN) is dedicated to advocating for caregivers and their loved ones. ... Living in a rural area, bringing in hospice support to the home ensured that family could more easily be with him on a continuous basis. ... This year, CAN has engaged over 65,000 caregivers across the state of Florida to better understand their priorities when it comes to hospice care and the benefits of integrated health systems, with over 28,000 of those being in Hendry, Lee, Pinellas, Glades, and connected counties.

Value-based palliative care moving toward risk-based models 
Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 4/21/25 
Risk-based contracts may be the future of palliative care reimbursement as Medicare Advantage continues to ascend. The simple term “value-based care” belies its complexity. The term can refer to any number of payment models that are designed to reduce total cost of care and improve outcomes. While most palliative care remains locked in the fee-for-service realm, most value-based organizations like MA plans are moving towards it, according to Dr. Gavin Baumgardner, vice president and national medical director for complex and palliative care at Contessa Health, a subsidiary of Amedisys (Nasdaq: AMED). 

Lakeside stroll: Therapeutic steps as walkers honor cherished loved ones 
St. Lucie Voice, Port St. Lucie, FL - Community; Press Release; 2/27/25
On a sunny January morning, hundreds of community members and supporters of Treasure Coast Hospice gathered for a stroll around the beautiful lake at Tradition. Together, they walked the 1.2-mile trail, one step at a time, supporting healing and remembrance. Reflecting on the loss of a loved one, ... they took another step forward in their journey of hope and healing. ... Toni Szparaga of True Crew Dance Company and her dancers loosened up the crowd with a pre-walk warm-up. Szparaga, who has been participating in the Lakeside Stroll for eight years, dedicated the dancers' performance following the walk to Treasure Coast Hospice. Szparaga, who lost both of her parents within a year, said, "With the guidance of what to expect and counseling that Treasure Coast Hospice offered, I was able to work through the anger, hurt, and sadness and realize they were not gone, they were just going back home." ...
Editor's note: In case you missed it, read the last sentence above, "Szparaga, who lost both of her parents within a year ..." Thank you--Treasure Coast Hospice--for your example of meaningful, multi-faceted bereavement care.

Belief in an afterlife is increasing in the United States: Even among the non-religious 
The Association of Religion Data Archives (The ARDA); by Ryan Burge; 4/17/25 This post has been unlocked through a generous grant from the Lilly Endowment for the Association of Religion Data Archives (ARDA). The graphs you see here use data that is publicly available for download and analysis through link(s) provided in the text below. ... I wanted to dig a bit deeper on the variations in those belief metrics today, with a question that I haven’t really probed a whole lot. The General Social Survey, which is available on the Association of Religion Data Archives website, contains a really straightforward question, “Do you believe there is a life after death?” And it has an even simpler set of response options - yes or no. It’s been asked with regularity since 1973, so we have nearly five decades of data on this one specific question. ... Even today, the share of Americans who believe in life after death is 82%. When people ask me, “Is the United States a religious country?” This is the stat that I’m going to trot out.

[UK] I’m a palliative care nurse – here’s how I find joy 
MSN - i Paper, United Kingdom; by Joanna Whitehead; 4/19/25 
Palliative care nurse and ward manager Sophie Brew works at a Sue Ryder Hospice, supporting people with terminal illnesses to live as fully and comfortably as possible. While some may regard the role as bleak or upsetting, Ms. Brew considers her job to be deeply meaningful, and a privilege. She tells The i Paper how she finds joy in the everyday. 

• Appreciate the little things ...
• Take a break with a daily walk ...
• Stepping away from your phone ...
• Getting feedback from our patients ...
• Spending time with animals ...
• Helping people live well and make meaningful memories ...
• Sitting down with a good book ... 

MedPAC identifies low rates of hospice use among kidney disease patients 
McKnights Home Care; by Adam Healy; 4/17/25 
Patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) use hospice at far lower rates than patients with other conditions, according to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission. In 2023, 31% of Medicare decedents with ESRD used hospice services, compared with 52% of all Medicare decedents. Hospice lifetime length of stay is also lower among decedents with ESRD, at a median of six days compared with 18 for all Medicare decedents, MedPAC commissioners said during their April meeting. ...

Jury convicts home health agency executive of fixing wages and fraudulently concealing criminal investigation 
U.S. Department of Justice - Office of Public Affairs; Press Release; 4/14/25 
A federal jury convicted a Nevada man today for participating in a three-year conspiracy to fix the wages for home healthcare nurses in Las Vegas and for fraudulently failing to disclose the criminal antitrust investigation during the sale of his home healthcare staffing company.  According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Eduardo “Eddie” Lopez of Las Vegas, Nevada conspired to artificially cap the wages of home healthcare nurses in the Las Vegas area between March 2016 and May 2019. The three-year conspiracy affected the wages of hundreds of Las Vegas registered nurses and licensed practical nurses who provide care to patients in their homes. During the pendency of the government’s investigation, Lopez then sold his home healthcare staffing company for over $10 million while fraudulently concealing the government’s criminal investigation from the buyer.  

Federal court strikes down minimum staffing rule: The details you might not know behind the decision
McKnights Long-Term Care News; by Neville M. Bilimoria; 4/21/25
On April 7, 2025, the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas struck down the federal minimum staffing Final Rule issued by the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. This was incredibly good news for nursing homes across the country for a variety of reasons ... The opinion from District Court Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk outlined the many laws and regulations America’s nursing homes are subject to in the healthcare arena, but it also recounted some deep history behind minimum staffing efforts that were previously unsuccessful, both by HHS and Congress.  ...

• Learning from our nursing home history ...
• CMS can't overstep its congressional authority ...

Federal court strikes down minimum staffing rule: The details you might not know behind the decision
McKnights Long-Term Care News; by Neville M. Bilimoria; 4/21/25
On April 7, 2025, the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas struck down the federal minimum staffing Final Rule issued by the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. This was incredibly good news for nursing homes across the country for a variety of reasons ... The opinion from District Court Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk outlined the many laws and regulations America’s nursing homes are subject to in the healthcare arena, but it also recounted some deep history behind minimum staffing efforts that were previously unsuccessful, both by HHS and Congress.  ...

• Learning from our nursing home history ...
• CMS can't overstep its congressional authority ...

Mergers and Acquisitions: An overview of notable healthcare M&A activity in 2025 
HealthTech - Management; by Jordan Scott; 4/21/25  
Home health, hospice and senior living organizations saw high merger and acquisition activity in Q1 compared with hospitals and health systems. Healthcare organizations are feeling the impacts of economic pressures, as evidenced by merger and acquisition activity in the first quarter of 2025. Many independent, community and rural hospital organizations joined together or joined larger organizations to allow them to continue offering quality healthcare services to their patient populations. The quarter also saw further consolidation within the home health, hospice and senior living space. 

Why ScionHealth isn’t creating a new role for AI
Becker's Health IT; by Naomi Diaz; 4/21/25 
At Louisville, Ky.-based ScionHealth, CIO and Senior Vice President Robecca Quammen told Becker’s that AI governance is being treated as an extension of the CIO role, rather than a justification for creating a new executive position. Robecca Quammen: 

• First and foremost, we’re focused on operational resiliency—especially facing cyber threats, aging infrastructure and the ongoing demands of interoperability. Cybersecurity issues are constant; we mitigate threats almost daily.
• Second, and arguably just as important, is ensuring that our clinical and administrative staff—particularly frontline, patient-facing workers—have what they need to do their jobs. With our diverse geographic footprint, we’re investing in refreshing technology and supporting remote and on-site staff with the tools they need.
• Third, and no surprise here, is AI and intelligent automation. ... In many ways, AI governance is just an extension of what CIOs already do—vetting tech for fit, evaluating security, ensuring HIPAA compliance. But AI adds layers: ethical concerns, bias, hallucinations and the need for broader education. There’s a lot of buzz around “chief AI officers” right now, but at Scion, we’re not carving out a new role. 

Quote from the Easter 2025 "Urbi et orbi" message of Pope Francis, Saint Peter's Square, The Vatican, Sunday 20, April 2025, the day before he died

On this day, I would like all of us to hope anew and to revive our trust in others, including those who are different than ourselves, or who come from distant lands, bringing unfamiliar customs, ways of life and ideas! For all of us are children of God!

More quotes from Pope Francis:

• Pope Francis: memorable quotes and sayings. Reuters, Vatican City
• ‘Who am I to judge?’ Pope Francis had an informal, lighthearted speaking style, Associated Press
• Pope Francis dies at 88: A look at his powerful words through memorable quotes, USA Today

Editor's note: Core to hospice and palliative values, we respect persons' diversity of spirituality, beliefs, religions, and cultures.