CMS releases HOPE Guidance Manual (V. 1.01) and Tables
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS); by CMS; 4/22/25
On April 22, 2025, CMS released the HOPE Guidance Manual (V. 1.01) and connected tables. Providers can use v1.01 for HOPE planning, as this is considered final before HOPE implementation. Also note that earlier this month, the final HOPE data specs have also been released, helping software developers to finalize their HOPE software for testing in the coming months.

• HOPE-Guidance-Manual_v1.01 (PDF)
• HOPE-Guidance-Manual_Change-Table_v1.00-to-v1.01 (PDF)
• HOPE-v1.01_All-Item_508c (PDF)
• HOPE-v1.01_Admission_508c (PDF)
• HOPE-v1.01_HOPE-Update-Visit_508c (PDF)
• HOPE-v1.01_Discharge_508c (PDF)
• HOPE-Item-Set-Change-Table_HIS-v3.00-to-HOPE-v1.01 (PDF)
  

Information provided by Judi Lund Person, MPH, CHC, Principal, LundPerson & Associates, LLC

Meet Herbie: Your organization's million-dollar constraint with Dr. Lisa Lang 
Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN); podcast by Chris Comeaux with Dr. Lisa Lang; 4/23/25 
Ever wonder why your organization keeps hitting the same wall despite constant improvement efforts?  Dr. Lisa Lang, a world-renowned expert in the Theory of Constraints, reveals why most leaders waste resources by focusing on the wrong problems. Dr. Lisa Lang and Chris Comeaux examine the application of the Theory of Constraints (TOC) in various industries, with a particular focus on healthcare and manufacturing.  They discuss the unique challenges faced by healthcare leaders, including regulatory pressures and staffing shortages, and how TOC can provide a structured approach to problem-solving and how to create breakthrough solutions for your organization. 

Turning grief into art: Ringling College student brings legacy to life for hospice patients 
SRQ Media, Sarasota, FL; 4/23/25 
At just 19 years old, Ringling College of Art and Design student Leo Motherway is using his talent to help others preserve the stories that matter most. Through the Lazarus Engaged Learning Assistantship, this second-year Illustration major discovered legacy books—deeply personal keepsakes that capture the lives of hospice patients through words and art. Inspired by the loss of his grandmother and father, he's now a passionate volunteer with Empath Tidewell Hospice, illustrating legacy books and organizing creative campus events to engage fellow students. His latest endeavor, Colorful Conversations, is a 20-page illustrated book designed to spark memory and connection for dementia patients through conversation prompts. For Leo, this work is more than volunteering—it’s a way to honor the past, uplift the present, and ensure no story goes untold.

Accountable Care Organizations join forces to protect critical Medicare programs 
Home Health Care News; by Audrie Martin; 4/23/25 
A group of accountable care organizations (ACOs) have joined forces to advocate for the expansion of high-needs care models that improve outcomes and reduce costs for Medicare’s most vulnerable patients. The newly-formed Complex Care Alliance has taken a stand, urging the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to extend crucial Medicare initiatives beyond their slated 2026 expiration. On Tuesday [4/22], home-based primary care provider HarmonyCares announced its partnership with the Complex Care Alliance, expressing its support for the High-Needs ACO model, which helps provide care for Medicare’s sickest patients.

HHS cuts funding for NIH-based Women's Health Initiative threatening decades-long study 
The American Journal of Managed Care (AJMC); by Giuliana Grossi; 4/23/25 
HHS is defunding the regional research centers that have been conducting a long-term national health study focusing on preventive strategies for women's health since 1991, the largest study investigating women’s health in US history. The Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) regional centers will close by September 2025, at the end of the fiscal year, according to an announcement from the NIH-based initiative. Investigators at the WHI were informed by HHS earlier this week, although formal written notice from HHS is still pending.  

Research study participation: Have you been an unpaid caregiver to a hospice patient?
Press release, Northern Illinois University and Seattle University; M. Courtney Hughes, Erin Vernon; 4/23/25
You may be eligible to participate in a new survey. Help us understand which services (e.g., meals, transportation) most positively impact hospice patients and their families. [Click link above for additional information.]

26 rural hospitals band together as national trend emerges 
Becker's Hospital Review; by Alan Condon; 4/18/25 
Twenty-six rural hospitals across Ohio and West Virginia have partnered to form the Ohio High Value Network — a clinically integrated network aimed at strengthening care delivery, improving outcomes and reducing costs for patients. The collaborative includes 25 Ohio hospitals and care sites in more than 115 cities and towns across 37 counties, along with one hospital in West Virginia. Together, they serve a population of more than 2.5 million patients. The network is structured as a CIN and is designed to support both clinical and operational collaboration across its members. Its formation reflects a growing national trend of rural hospitals banding together to preserve independence, drive value-based care and weather increasing financial and regulatory pressures. “We believe that strong collaboration is the best way to sustain high-quality care in our communities,” Myron Lewis, OHVN board chair and CEO of Blanchard Valley Health System in Findlay, Ohio ...

Ardent Health's first CDIO, a nurse, on the value of 'human-centric' technology 
Healthcare IT News; by Bill Siwicki; 4/23/25 
Anika Gardenhire, RN, chief digital and information officer at the 30-hospital health system, is working to improve the provider and patient experience with ambient listening, augmented intelligence and more. Nashville-based Ardent Health includes 30 hospitals and more than 280 sites of care  in six states, including Idaho, Kansas, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. ... 

• Enhancing the provider experience: Key to that strategy is leaning into driving improved experiences for patients and providers alike, says Gardenhire. ...
• Integrating technologies into operations ...
• A human-centric approach ...
• Moving augmented intelligence forward ...
• Human in the loop ...

Cybersecurity executive arrested after hospital data breach 
Becker's Health IT; by Giles Bruce; 4/17/25 
A cybersecurity executive has been arrested in connection with a data breach at an Oklahoma City hospital, KOCO reported. Authorities charged Oklahoma cybersecurity company CEO Jeffrey Bowie with installing malware at SSM Health St. Anthony Hospital, according to the April 16 story. Court documents allege security cameras caught him roaming inside the hospital and stopping at a computer, where he installed “malware designed to take a screenshot every 20 minutes and forward the image out to an external IP address.”

Family of Bears great Steve McMichael reports he entered hospice 
Chicago Bears, Chicago, IL; by Gene Chamberlain; 4/23/25 
Former Bears great and Hall of Famer entering later stages of battle against Lou Gehrig's Disease.
ears Hall of Fame defensive tackle great Steve McMichael has entered hospice care. According to his family, McMichael was removed from a ventilator to a hospice care facility on Wednesday afternoon [4/23]. McMichael has been battling four years against Lou Gehrig's Disease, or ALS. ... McMichael was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame last August and former teammates were with him at home celebrating when the ceremony was held.

By the Bay forges educational partnerships to grow hospice, home-based care workforce 
Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 4/23/25 
By the Bay Health has launched a new career program that aims to build up the next generation of home-based health care professionals amid widespread workforce shortages. The California-based health system unveiled its educational initiative, Pathways to Care Careers, in December 2024 as part of its 50th anniversary commemoration. The program is a collaboration with local schools and community organizations. By the Bay Health recently began a $1 million fundraising campaign to support the expansion of the career initiative. A main goal is to reach an increasingly diverse range of health care workers further upstream in their educational journeys, said Robertina Szolarova, chief administrative officer at By the Bay Health and program lead for its Pathways to Care Careers initiative.

Best Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) Leadership Programs | 2025 
allnurses.com; by allnurses Editorial Team / Admin; 4/22/25 
... This guide highlights the top MSN Leadership programs for 2025, with key insights into coursework, clinicals, costs, and career potential. ... The following schools have been selected based on allnurses' methodology of surveying our readers to understand what they value most, with the addition of graduation rates, student-faculty ratio, price, mode, duration, and admission rates of hundreds of the most prominent nursing schools in the United States.

1. Duke University ...
2. University of South Carolina ...
3. George Washington University ...
4. Stony Brook University ...
5. University of Central Florida ...
6. University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus ...
7. University of Texas Medical Branch - Galveston ...

Executive Personnel Changes - 4/25/25

• McDonough District Hospital hired Wayne Laramie, RN, BSN, MBA, NEA-BC, as Vice President/Chief Nursing Officer (CNO). He will supervise several departments at MDH, including: Acute Care/ICU, Surgical Services, Home Health Care/Hospice, Emergency Services, Quality, Obstetrics/Gynecology, and Case Management along with other departments.

Social Media Watch 4/25/25

• Hospice News: Congratulations to our Jim Parker and Holly Vossel for being recognized with a Regional Bronze Award for the Heartland Region at the Azbee Awards for their story "How Fraudulent Hospices Evade Regulators"!
• Florida Hospice & Palliative Care Association: Posted Let Hospice Help's easy to use Find-A-Provider tool makes finding the hospices near you a breeze [in FL].
• Illinois Hospice & Palliative Care Organization: Posted about their upcoming conference.
• Nathan Adelson Hospice: We are heartbroken by the passing of Elaine Wynn—a visionary leader, generous philanthropist, and tireless advocate for education, the arts, and compassionate care.
• Tarrah Lowry: Completed 1 year as COO @ Empath Health.
• Andy Arwari: Posted about Clinical and Ethical Dilemmas in Palliative and End-of-Life Care.

I don't know what your destiny will be, but one thing I know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who will have sought and found how to serve. ~ Albert Schweitzer

Celebrating National Volunteer Week, April 20-26, 2025