Literature Review

Rebranding a ‘huge success’ in improved hospice access Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 9/28/26 Some rebranded organizations that have recently removed “hospice” from their company name are seeing increased awareness, utilization and other positive results. A rebrand can sometimes better position a hospice in terms of improved awareness, according to Tony Kudner, chief strategy officer of Transcend Strategy Group. Formerly RP Marketing, the Ohio-headquartered consulting firm works with hospice and home-based care organizations. The company rebranded in 2020 after 27 years of operation.

How CMS’ proposed rule would build palliative care into the home health system Home Health Care News; by Morgan Gonzales; 9/30/26 The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) proposal to add palliative care as a billable service under the Medicare Home Health Benefit could expand home health agencies to develop relationships with different types of providers. However, adding palliative care as a billable service could also make it difficult for home health providers to provide palliative services as robust as those delivered through the hospice benefit. Home health providers have celebrated the inclusion of palliative care in CMS’ proposed CY2027 home health payment rule. ... The rule will not change eligibility requirements for the home health care benefit. To qualify, a patient must: ...

New Jersey telehealth update: access expanded, pay parity extended, licensing upheld Mondaq Legal 500 | Intelligence; by Becca Waltuch and Josh Yoo; 9/30/26 New Jersey has significantly expanded telemedicine access for Schedule II controlled substances by eliminating certain in-person examination requirements for cancer patients, hospice care recipients, and adults prescribed stimulants. The state has also extended its telemedicine pay parity mandate through 2027, while federal courts have upheld strict physician licensing requirements for out-of-state providers offering telehealth services to New Jersey patients.

Geographic disparities in hospice quality and family caregiver experience: the roles of ownership, social vulnerability, and workforce capacity arXiv; by Jinho Cha and Misun Roh; 9/29/26  Hospice quality should be interpreted in relation to both provider organization and the local conditions under which care is delivered. This study develops a provider-county performance assessment framework by linking national Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) hospice data and Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) Hospice Survey outcomes with county measures of rurality, social vulnerability, health burden, and workforce and health-resource context. The adjusted analysis includes 2,928 providers in 1,078 counties and combines geographic mapping, blockwise regression, six secondary CAHPS outcomes, and eight sensitivity analyses.

Technical correction for FY 2027 Hospice Rates published U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 42 CFR Part 418; notes below by Judi Lund Person; 9/29/26On September 29, 2026, the Federal Register published the long-awaited technical correction to the hospice rates, due to an error in calculating the wage index standardization factor. The national rates have dropped by a few pennies and the revised FY 2027 rates are now final. The Federal Register notice can be found here, which includes national rates for all levels of care. The new rates will take effect on October 1, 2026.

Hospice nurses, doctors take on Allina Health over pay, staffing in dueling strikes Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder; by Clint Combs; 9/28/26 Allina Health hospice nurses struck for a week over unpaid overtime and holiday pay, while 150 unionized doctors staged a historic four-day walkout of their own, as workers press for protections ahead of a proposed $26 billion merger with Sutter Health. More than 60 hospice nurses represented by SEIU Healthcare Minnesota & Iowa picketed outside Abbott Northwestern Hospital for a week, demanding overtime and holiday pay from Allina Health after a year of stalled negotiations. The strike overlapped with a historic four-day walkout by 150 unionized doctors, who reached a tentative deal with Allina on Sept. 22.

Lawmakers: hospice staffing bill still a priority Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 9/29/26 U.S. Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) remain committed to passing the Palliative Care and Hospice Education Training Act (PCHETA). If enacted, PCHETA would provide support for hospice and palliative care training programs for physicians, nurses, pharmacists, social workers and chaplains. The legislation would also expand continuing education and career-development opportunities, as well as incentives for professionals in these fields. Both Baldwin and Capito have served as caregivers for seriously ill family members.

MA: Shared credentialing platform slated for November start LeadingAge; by Nicole Fallon; 9/28/26 Provider credentialing and recredentialing can be one of the more time-consuming aspects of contracting with Medicare Advantage (MA) and Medicaid managed care plans. Many LeadingAge members must submit the same information through separate credentialing processes for each plan they work with, often waiting months before contracts become active and negotiated rates take effect. A new national credentialing service, CertifyOS, may help streamline that process. Beginning November 1, 2026, providers participating in certain managed care plans will be able to submit credentialing information through a single online portal that can then be used by all participating health plans.

Couple turned wedding into cancer fundraiser. How much did they raise? Akron Beacon Journal, Akron, OH; by Lauren Cohen; 9/26/26 ... Jon and Amber Kozesky got married at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo Sept. 19, but the day meant much more to them than just exchanging vows. They set a goal to raise $100,000 for their pediatric cancer foundation, The Littlest Heroes, instead of accepting wedding gifts. The nonprofit provides financial and emotional support to families of kids receiving cancer treatment in Northeast Ohio. As of Sept. 23, the Fairview Park couple is about halfway to their goal. Numerous people have given pledges to donate, and companies across the nation are reaching out to help get to the goal.

How to vet a nonprofit before you donate Success; by Stefanie Ellis; 9/28/26 Imagine giving to a charity that claimed to provide pain medication to children suffering from cancer, transport patients to chemotherapy appointments and pay for hospice care for dying patients, only to find out your money was funneled into salaries and personal expenses that included dating site memberships, trips to Disney World and concert tickets. Your trust would be shattered. Would you give to another organization, or would your mistrust trickle out into the entire network of nonprofit charities, making you question the ethics of everyone out there? ...

Industry veteran launches ServingOverSelling movement to encourage health systems to curb promotional marketing News Chief, Minneapolis, MN; Press Release; 9/27/26 Chris Bevolo, former healthcare marketing agency owner, CEO and author of seven books calls on health systems to redirect money from self-promotion. One year after retiring from a 25-year health system marketing career, industry veteran Chris Bevolo has launched ServingOverSelling, a movement that encourages health systems to reallocate their promotional marketing spend and instead put those resources, energy and focus of those institutions back where they belong: on helping the people they exist to serve. The initiative, launched during the 2026 Society for Health Care Strategy & Market Development 2026 Connections Annual Conference, already has a number of signatories to the movement’s pledge for health system marketing leaders to reallocate their promotional marketing spend in whatever way possible.

How caregivers can prepare for a loved one’s final days AARP; by Paul Wynn; 9/28/26 When Dr. Chris Kerr’s mother was dying, he had the kind of experience that can change the way a doctor thinks about death. Kerr had spent decades caring for people at the end of life as a palliative care doctor in the Buffalo, New York, area. But when his mother, Shirley, became seriously ill, he experienced death through the lens of a son and a caregiver... “My lasting memory of my mother is her strong connection to her parents,” says Kerr, author of Death Is But a Dream and chief medical officer of Hospice and Palliative Care Buffalo. “It took me a while, but I realized that I had to stop trying to play doctor and just be there for her.”