Proposed FY26 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate
CMS press release; 4/11/25
On April 11, 2025, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a proposed rule that proposes updates to Medicare payment policies and rates for hospices under the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate Updated Proposed Rule (CMS-1835-P). [Major provisions include:]

1. For FY 2026, CMS proposes to update the hospice payment rate by 2.4% (an estimated increase of $695 million in payments from FY 2025).
2. Hospice payments are subject to a statutory aggregate cap which limits the overall payments made to a hospice annually. The proposed hospice cap amount for FY 2026 is $35,292.51.
3. This rule also proposes to clarify in the hospice payment regulations that the physician member of the interdisciplinary group (IDG) may recommend admission to hospice care, which would align with certification regulations and the Conditions of Participation (CoPs).
4. CMS also proposes to clarify that the hospice face-to-face encounter attestation must include the physician’s/practitioner’s signature and date.
5. In addition, CMS proposes to provide a regulatory text change for the Hospice Quality Reporting Program.
6. The final rule can be viewed at the Federal Register at: https://www.federalregister.gov/public-inspection.

Ahead of National Healthcare Decisions Day, aging and hospice expert urges Americans to commit to vital advance care and end-of-life conversations
National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI) press release; by Tom Koutsoumpas; 4/10/25
With National Healthcare Decisions Day next Wednesday, April 16, 2025, the National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI) is marking the occasion by encouraging Americans to use the day as an opportunity to have conversations with family or loved ones about steps they have—or have not—taken regarding their advance care and end-of-life plans. To help with conversations and prepare individuals to have the most effective discussion with their loved ones about these difficult topics, NPHI is also releasing its Five Point Guide below to show everyday Americans on how to have advance care planning conversations. [Points include:]

1. Discuss your wishes early and often
2. Identify key people in your care plan
3. Put your goals and wishes in writing
4. Talk to your primary care doctor & health care professionals
5. Find a trusted provider for serious illness care

A terminally ill man decided to end his life. This is how he spent his last day alive
People; By Vanessa Etienne; 4/8/25
A California man offered a look at his final day of life as he made the decision to die rather than live with a terminal illness. Wayne Hawkins, an 80-year-old from San Diego, was diagnosed with terminal heart failure. He’s also suffered from a slew of other health issues including prostate cancer, liver failure and sepsis. "Some days the pain is almost more than I can handle," he told BBC in an interview published April 3. Hawkins told the outlet that he watched two relatives die "miserable" and "heinous" deaths from heart failure, and knew he didn’t want to die that way. "I hate hospitals, they are miserable. I will die in the street first," he said.
Publisher's note: Two considerations: 1) Are there opportunities for hospice in similar situations? 2) This story ran in People magazine.

ELNEC: Founded so that no nurse feels at a loss at the bedside
IAHPC; by Judith Paice; 4/10/25
Imagine being a nurse at the bedside of a patient with serious illness and feeling very unprepared to deliver quality palliative care. Although improving, professional education continues to emphasize technology and curative procedures, with less information presented about the care needed for those with advanced disease. Through the vision of Dr. Betty Ferrell more than 25 years ago, the End-of-Life Nursing Consortium (ELNEC) was established to meet this need.

Nathan Adelson Hospice finalizes affiliation with Chapters Health System
Chapters Health System press release; 4/10/25
Chapters Health System, the nation's premier not-for-profit chronic illness care organization, has finalized an affiliation with Nathan Adelson Hospice, based in Las Vegas. This marks a significant milestone for the newly established Chapters Health West division and represents a powerful alignment of two mission-driven organizations — both recognized as 2025 Top Workplaces USA award recipients.

[NY] Legislature passes bill banning new for-profit hospices
The New York State Senate; by Sen. Liz Krueger; 4/9/25
Today, the State Senate passed S.3437, carried by Senator Liz Krueger, a bill that would be ban new for-profit hospices in New York State. The bill, carried in the Assembly by Assembly Member Amy Paulin, passed that house on March 26th... I urge Governor Hochul to sign this bill."... S. 3437, which was previously vetoed by Governor Hochul in 2022, would prohibit the approval of new applications for the establishment, construction or increased capacity of for-profit hospice entities. New York is uniquely situated to prevent the deterioration of end-of-life care described above, as currently only two of 41 hospices in New York are for-profit, compared to a national average of two-thirds as of 2017.

Hospice M&A sees uptick in Q1 2025
Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 4/10/25
Hospice acquisitions saw a gentle rebound in Q1 2025. Deal volume is up relative to 2024’s slump, but activity has not reached the boom levels of 2020 and 2021. The M&A market’s rejuvenation extends across a range of home-based care industries, according to a new report from the M&A advisory firm Mertz Taggart. The “tides have turned,” with a total 29 home-based care transactions during Q1, the most active quarter since 2023, the report indicated... Some of the more significant disclosed deals included the following:

• Bristol Hospice, a portfolio company of the private equity firm Webster Equity Partners, acquired St. Agatha Comfort Care in Las Vegas for an undisclosed sum.
• Choice Health at Home purchased Devotion Hospice in Texas. Financial terms were kept confidential.
• Minnesota-based St. Croix Hospice completed two deals for an undisclosed amount — Hospice of Siouxland in Iowa and some of Mayo Clinic Health System’s hospice assets in Minnesota.
• Uplift Hospice acquired Star of Texas Hospice, expanding its average daily patient census to 450 across Arizona, Nevada and Texas.

Defining palliative care quality in murky regulatory waters
Palliative Care News; by Holly Vossel; 4/4/25
The wide range of palliative care services available nationwide can present obstacles around consistent quality measurement. Calls are growing louder for a federally established set of standardized palliative guidelines.
Notable mentions: Monisha Pujari, Longleaf Hospice & Palliative Care; Yonah Klein, Unity Hospice and Palliative Care; Keith Everett, ProCare Hospice / TruHue consulting.

New Mexico passes nation’s first legislature-driven psilocybin access act
Psychedelic Alpha; 4/8/25
Yesterday, New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) signed SB 219, the Medical Psilocybin Act, which will establish the third state-legal psilocybin access system in the US. In simple terms, the Act creates a framework through which patients with qualifying conditions can access and use non-synthetic psilocybin through consultation with a licensed healthcare provider. Qualifying conditions, according to the bill, are ‘major treatment-resistant depression’, PTSD, substance use disorders and end-of-life care, as well as other conditions that the department might approve. While Oregon and Colorado’s state-legal psilocybin programs were the product of popular ballot measures, New Mexico’s is the first to be mandated by the state’s legislature.

Three things Florida’s family caregivers need right now
Tampa Bay Times; by Marvell Adams, Jr.; 4/9/25
With Florida having one of the highest senior populations, there is a critical need for comprehensive hospice care. Caring for a loved one with a serious illness is one of the most difficult experiences a family faces. In today’s complex healthcare environment, several key factors can help alleviate the burden of caring for loved ones at home.

1. Tailor care for specific needs
2. Access to a network of providers.
3. Prioritize the needs of family caregivers

Being a high-performer CEO isn’t enough. True leadership involves empathy
FastCompany; by John Connors; 4/10/25
This moment calls for executives who can balance strong analytical skills with emotional intelligence. The CEO’s role is evolving. Private equity is playing an increasingly influential role in shaping the expectations, performance, and tenure of CEOs. The financial environment is also changing, with influence increasingly moving from public markets to private capital... In this landscape, CEOs are increasingly being measured by their ability to generate financial returns. But true leadership requires hitting more than financial targets. The most effective leaders understand that long-term success depends on balancing financial acumen with empathetic leadership. Those who fail to adapt risk becoming transactional managers rather than transformational leaders. Understanding this shift and defining one’s leadership approach is more critical now than ever.

2026 Medicare Advantage and Part D rate announcement
CMS press release; 4/7/25
Today, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the Announcement of Calendar Year (CY) 2026 Medicare Advantage (MA) Capitation Rates and Part C and Part D Payment Policies (the CY 2026 Rate Announcement)... The final policies in the CY 2026 Rate Announcement are projected to result in an increase of 5.06%, or over $25 billion, in MA payments to plans in CY 2026.

Dr. Oz outlines vision for CMS: 8 notes
Becker's Hospital Review; by Jakob Emerson; 4/10/25
CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz, MD, said April 10 that his vision for the agency includes a commitment to President Trump’s “Make America Healthy Again” agenda and modernizing Medicare, Medicaid and the ACA marketplace. Eight notes:

1. As a first step, CMS will implement President Trump’s executive order from February aimed at boosting healthcare price transparency.
2. CMS will work to streamline access to life-saving treatments by “equipping providers with better patient information versus unnecessary paperwork.”
3. Identifying and eliminating fraud, waste and abuse is a top priority for the agency.
4. CMS will focus on prevention, wellness and chronic disease management.
5. Dr. Oz promoted the use of artificial intelligence avatars during his first all-staff CMS meeting, WIRED reported April 9.
6. On April 10, House Republicans approved the Senate’s fiscal 2025 budget blueprint, paving the way for key portions of President Trump’s domestic policy agenda, including potential sweeping changes to Medicaid.
7. On April 4, CMS published its final rule for MA and Part D in 2026.
8. On April 7, CMS said it would increase payments to MA plans by more than $25 billion in 2026.

Medical Aid in Dying Annual Reports
A compliation by Hospice & Palliative Care Today; 4/14/25
Just released:

• Oregon Health Authority: 2024 Oregon Death with Dignity Act: Data summary

Current:

• California End of Life Option Act 2023 Data Report
• Colorado End-of-Life Options Act- Year 7: 2023 Data Summary
• District of Columbia Death with Dignity Act 2022 Data Summary 
• Hawaii 2023 Our Care, Our Choice Act Annual Report
• Maine Death wtih Dignity Act Annual Report 2023
• Montana: no data
• New Jersey Medical Aid in Dying for the Terminally Ill Act 2022 Data Summary
• New Mexico: no data
• Vermont Report Concerning Patient Choice at the End of Life 2024
• Washington 2023 Death wtih Dignity

Don’t give up. Don’t ever give up. ~ Jim Valvano, NC State University basketball coach