Literature Review

VITAS CEO: CMS’ national moratorium disappointing Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 6/5/26 The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) national moratorium on home health and hospice enrollment is “disappointing,” according to VITAS Healthcare CEO Joel Wherley. ... “Our stance and position in working with [CMS Administrator] Dr. Oz and their group is that we are extremely supportive,” VITAS CEO Joel Wherley said at the RBC Capital Markets Global Healthcare Conference. “What we are disappointed in is the broad brush approach they decided to take nationally in announcing the hospice moratorium. We would much more prefer a targeted specific approach where they’ve identified areas of fraud and work specifically then with local and state governments to weed out that fraud.”

Pulling for Hospice draws record turnout WIFR, South Beloit, IL; by Madalyne Korzeniewski and Caleb Mays; 6/7/26 Teams put their strength to the test Sunday during Pulling for Hospice, a fundraiser supporting Beloit Regional Hospice patients and their families. Teams of eight to 10 people competed to pull a fire truck 75 feet as quickly as possible. The event raises money for services not always covered through traditional care, including grief support and family programs. Beloit Regional Hospice has served families across southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois for more than 40 years. Organizers say the fundraiser has grown significantly since it began six years ago, expanding from about eight teams to 16 this year and moving to the Beloit Health System. 

A first look at first of its kind children's hospice in Florida Ocala StarBanner; by Doug Engle; 6/3/26 The Bailey Family Tree of Wonder graces the hallway in The Foundation of Community Hospice & Palliative Care’s new Dorion Family Pediatric Center at 4266 Sunbeam Road, Jacksonville. The $10 million center was built within Community Hospice's Earl B. Hadlow Center for Caring and is named in honor of the Dorion family, led by Dorothy "Dottie" Dorion and her late husband, George Dorion, longtime Community Hospice supporters.

Hospice of the Valley charity art gala raises record $1.2 million Hospice of the Valley; by Lin Sue Flood; 5/21/26 The energy inside the JW Marriott Camelback Inn ballroom was electric, as a spirited crowd of 500 gathered to support Hospice of the Valley’s compassionate care and community programs. The result was a historic $1.2 million raised at this year’s charity gala: aaha! art. food. wine. ... This record-breaking night also enables Hospice of the Valley’s specialized programs to continue to expand, from dementia support to grief counseling and community education provided at no charge.

Hospice advocates push back on CMS’ proposed program integrity scoring system McKnights Home Care; by Liza Berger; 6/3/26 In recent comments to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, hospice advocates criticized the new scoring system, the Service and Spending Variation Index, or SSVI, that CMS put forth in its fiscal year 2027 hospice proposed rule in April to curb fraud in the sector. They cited a flawed methodology underlying the scores and called for CMS to take down two years of publicly posted data. ...The National Alliance for Care at Home pointed to inaccurate scoring in publicly posted data. “This data could cause substantial reputational harm to hospices for mistakes made by CMS in file construction and assigning scores,” Jennifer Sheets, CEO said.LeadingAge said the nonhospice spending measure “lacks transparency, disregards the influence of size and scale, includes questionable data, and is entirely inactionable for hospices.” Such a measure could target the wrong providers, LeadingAge argued. Editor's Note: Explore details from The Alliance, LeadingAge, and NPHI.

Trellis Supportive Care supports CMS efforts to strengthen hospice oversight The Stokes News, Winston Salem, NC; by Ann Gauthreaux; 6/3/25 [Background information about the CMS Hospice six-month moratorium] “Hospice care should always represent dignity, compassion, and trust,” said Dr. Mike Lalor, CEO of Trellis Supportive Care. “Actions that address bad actors in our industry are necessary to preserve the integrity of hospice and ensure that patients receive the quality care they deserve.” Trellis Supportive Care wants to reassure patients, families, referral partners, and the broader community that this moratorium does not impact its services or operations. The organization continues to provide hospice, palliative, and supportive care throughout the region without interruption.

‘Life-changing’: Florida’s first pediatric hospice and palliative care center to open in Jacksonville News4JAX, Jacksonville, FL; by Tiffany Salameh; 6/2/26 A new center opening in Jacksonville aims to provide children with serious illnesses and their families something many say is hard to find: a place designed specifically for them. The Dorion Family Pediatric Center, set to officially open June 11 inside the Earl B. Hadlow Center for Caring on Sunbeam Road, is being described as Florida’s first dedicated pediatric hospice and palliative care center and one of only a few such facilities in the nation. The center will become the new home of Community PēdsCare, a program that currently serves more than 300 children across Northeast Florida living with serious and complex medical conditions.

Golfing for a cause:Tournament raises more than $190,000 for hospice Herald-Advocate, Laurinburg, SC; by Lauren Monica; 6/2/26 Hospice of Scotland County raised more than $190,000 during its 40th annual golf tournament May 5-6 at Scotch Meadows Country Club, continuing a longtime fundraiser that supports hospice care for patients regardless of their ability to pay. ... The tournament, which serves communities in Scotland and Marlboro counties, has raised more than $5 million over four decades. Organizers said the 2025 total exceeded last year’s by $14,842. The tournament drew 250 golfers and featured about 300 auction items ...

A regional hospice care provider has filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy WhatNow; by Twinkle Jha; 5/29/26 A Metairie, Louisiana-based hospice care provider has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Case records show that the company currently faces a financial gap, which likely contributed to the filing. Gulf South Hospice of New Orleans, LTD is expected to continue providing services to patients and families during the bankruptcy proceedings.

Lawmakers boost grant awards for local nonprofits The Honolulu Star, Honolulu, HI; by Andrew Gomes; 6/1/26 About 170 Hawaii nonprofits providing food, healthcare and other services are slated to share $40 million in legislative grants this year. ... ... This year, the biggest award was $1 million for Hospice of Hilo [doing business as Hospice of Hilo] ...  in part to help the organization build a workforce training center in Hilo that would help turn out a new generation of palliative care professionals to serve more Hawaii island community members.

Tree of Life supporting hospice patients set up at YMCA Beatrice Daily Sun, Beatrice, NE; by Christina Lyons; 5/28/26The Cottonwood Hospice Charitable Foundation Tree of Life was set up on Wednesday morning at the YMCA in Beatrice. The tree is to honor the memory of those individuals who have been touched by local hospice services. Each leaf on the tree signifies a donation made to the foundation in memory of a loved one. The foundation uses the funds from the leaves to provide support to hospice patients. ... In addition to the tree, there are fliers and information for Cottonwood Hospice and the foundation in the lobby of the YMCA.

State grant supports Navian Hawai'i, expands access to hospice careNavian Hawaii, Honolulu, HI; Press Release; 5/14/26 As federal funding uncertainty continues to impact health care providers nationwide, the Hawaiʻi State Legislature has approved a $450,000 grant-in-aid to Navian Hawaii. The funds will be used to renovate the nonprofit organization’s Kailua Home, helping expand access to hospice care and potentially increase Medicare funding for the state. The funding was included in the state’s supplemental budget bill finalized April 30, which outlines operating and capital improvement priorities for the upcoming fiscal year. The measure comes amid broader federal budget concerns, including proposed cuts to Medicaid under H.R. 1.

Adoration Home Health and Hospice and At Home Care Hospice celebrates ribbon-cutting in Henrico, VA BrightSpring Health Services; Press Release; 5/28/26On Tuesday, May 19, Adoration Home Health and Hospice and At Home Care Hospice, an Adoration Partner, hosted an open house and ribbon cutting celebration for the opening of their new location at 8751 Park Central Drive.