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; 9/29/26
On 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.

Warning: If you get a ‘new’ plastic Medicare card in the mail, do not give your Social Security number 
SavingAdvice.com; by James Hendrickson; 9/28/26 
An official-looking Medicare card unexpectedly arrives in your mailbox, but there’s something different about it: it’s plastic, perhaps has a chip, and comes with instructions telling you to call a number to “activate” your new benefits. Don’t make that call. 
The Senior Medicare Patrol specifically warns beneficiaries about scams involving supposed new plastic Medicare cards, chip cards, and annual replacement cards. Scammers may use the story as an excuse to obtain your Medicare number, Social Security number, banking information, or other personal data. There’s an important 2026 wrinkle, however: receiving a new Medicare card isn’t automatically evidence of fraud. ... Here’s what to check before giving anyone information. ...
Editor's Note: Beware this additional level of fraud. Educate your employees, volunteers, and community. Read and distribute this timely information with specific, practical advice. 

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? ...

• How to Vet a Nonprofit Before You Donate ...
• Nonprofit Vetting Checklist for Donors ...
• How Nonprofits Can Show Financial Transparency ...
• Why Trust Leads to Long-Term Giving ...

Editor's Note: Nonprofit hospices have spent decades earning their communities' trust through mission-driven care and careful stewardship. These lists are a useful way to show it: open books, clear use of every gift, transparent information via your website, and the kind of accountability that honors every donor and every family served.

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.

HMN 2026: How palliative care understanding shapes preferences for end-of-life care 
Health Medicine Network; 99/28/26 
A Swedish population-level study has found that people with a comprehensive understanding of palliative care are more likely to prefer end-of-life care at home or in a hospice. Among individuals with less understanding about palliative care, hospital care is preferred. ... The data were based on a random sample of 3,750 people ages 16–90 from the Swedish population register. 

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.

People say they want to die at home. I think about it differently. Guest essay 
International New York Times; by Daniela J. Lamas; 9/29/26
What is a good death? We tend to imagine a good death as one that takes place at home, far from the sounds and smells and lines and tubes of an intensive care unit, like the one where I work. I believed this for many years. But after a decade as an I.C.U. doctor, I've come to think we need a different definition of a good death. A death at home can be the right thing for a patient and his or her family. But it is not inherently better. An I.C.U. death can be peaceful and dignified. A death at home can be panicked and painful. Yet we have built a culture, and quality metrics, that treat I.C.U. care at the end of life as a failure. ... But sometimes intensive care is the right place to care for a dying patient.

What hospitals need to change before data catches up 
ICD10 monitor; by Penny Jefferson, MSN, RN, CCDS, CCDS-O, CCS, CDIP, CRC, CHDA, CRCR, CPHQ, ACPA-C; 9/29/26 
Medicare Advantage has traditionally occupied a familiar space in hospital operations: prior authorization, utilization management, denials, risk adjustment, and reimbursement. With the FY 2027 Inpatient Prospective Payment System final rule, healthcare organizations need to add another significant area to that list—hospital mortality performance. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized modifications to five existing 30-day, all-cause, risk-standardized mortality measures to include eligible Medicare Advantage beneficiaries ...: acute myocardial infarction (AMI), heart failure, pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery.

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.

They couldn't afford nursing homes for their parents. They built them a tiny home instead. 
Business Insider; by Noah Sheidlower and Alcynna Lloyd; 9/27/26 
... Caregiving costs have skyrocketed in recent years. Instead of emptying their wallets to pay for pricy rooms in nursing homes, Americans ... are building tiny houses, renovating sheds, and buying trailers as housing options for their aging loved ones who need full-time care. With construction costs typically ranging from $100,000 to $300,000, not including expenses such as hiring an architect, setting up utilities, or obtaining construction permits, these accessory dwelling units require a significant investment. But the cost of even one year in a nursing home can be comparable ...

Autumn shows us how beautiful it can be to let things go.