Advocates in Rochester seek to promote neuropalliative care 
Catholic Courier; by Mike Latona; 11/4/26 
Elizabeth Johnston’s mother, Lucia Muñoz, copes with dementia and Parkinson’s disease. Her father, Cecilio, has Alzheimer’s disease. The Muñozes still reside in their city home but can no longer be left alone, so Johnston and her sister serve as their caretakers. To help ease their challenges, the family is working with the Neurology Supportive and Palliative Care Service. An initiative of the University of Rochester Medical Center, the clinic aims to achieve a higher quality of life for patients with chronic neurological diseases.

EverHeart Hospice and LeadingAge Ohio meet with state representative Angie King to discuss House Bill 945 
EverHeart Hospice, Greenville, OH; Press Release; 10/26/26  
EverHeart Hospice’s Senior Leadership Team, along with representatives from LeadingAge Ohio, met with State Representative Angie King to discuss House Bill 945 and its potential impact on hospice care across Ohio. The discussion focused on how House Bill 945 can help establish important safeguards to ensure patients and families have access to clear, reliable information when identifying quality, mission-driven hospice providers. Participants also discussed the importance of regulatory requirements that hold hospice organizations accountable to high standards of care.

2026 Election Tracker: Hospice and Palliative Care Members of Congress (Click the "Members by Hospice and Palliative Care Activity" tab at the top of the page)
Ivy Hill Strategies; online tracker built by Logan Hoover; retrieved from the internet 11/2/26, before the election 4:30pm ET with ratings refreshing every few hours 
What this is: every Member of Congress (current or former) who has sponsored or cosponsored hospice or palliative care legislation since 2020, or signed a hospice or palliative care letter, matched to the race they're in this November, whether defending their seat or running for another one. 
How to read it: races are grouped by how competitive they are (Tossups, Competitive, Safe). ... View items lists a Member's bills and letters. Core bills are about hospice or palliative care; Substantive bills contain a provision touching it, such as telehealth or VA benefits. Use the filters to narrow to Members with Core bills, Members who led a bill, or letter signers.

National Hospice and Palliative Care Month: Air ambulance specialist offers perspective on end-of-life transportation support 
Cision PRWeb, Albuquerque, NM; Press Release by AirCare1; 11/1/26 
... Air transport allows a medically stable hospice patient to travel long distances to be near family, either at home or in a facility closer to loved ones. ... Patient wishes sometimes include a change of place. A medical flight for a hospice patient can transport them from a hospital to their home in another state, avoiding the strain of a long drive or a commercial flight. Departure happens only once the patient is stable, so the trip becomes a planned step in care. Families weighing an air ambulance for end-of-life transport should make an informed decision before choosing a provider. The type of air transport matters. Jets handle long-range trips, while helicopters suit shorter distances, so they must weigh up the type of transport. An air ambulance should also carry the equipment needed to act as an intensive care unit in flight, helping patients receive appropriate care while in transport.

Expert guidance on high-quality mentoring in hospice and palliative medicine research
Journal of Pain & Symptom Management; by Karleen F. Giannitrapani, Cati Brown-Johnson, Sarina R. Isenberg, Laura Petrillo, Erica C. Kaye, AAHPM Research Committee Writing Group; 9/26
Research in the field of hospice and palliative medicine (HPM) is necessarily interdisciplinary, requiring mentorship across diverse disciplines and methods to advance science. HPM research mentorship experts described key activities to improve HPM mentorship and support mentees, spanning multiple levels of action from intrapersonal to broad system change. Launching an independent HPM research career in a climate of limited funding can be supported by mentors who emphasize the joys and challenges of research, model work-life balance, and foster an environment supportive of broad collaboration and continuous improvement and support for mentor training and self-development.

How Medicare Advantage and traditional Medicare influence palliative and hospice care implementation: a conversation with Xin Hu, PhD 
The ASCO Post; by Jo Cavallo; 10/29/26 
In 2024, ASCO updated its guideline for the integration of palliative care in oncology, ... However, despite ASCO’s recommendations, utilization of palliative care in the oncology setting remains low, with about one-third of patients globally receiving this service, with the highest utilization rate of nearly 56% in Africa and the lowest, 30%, in the United States. The results from two studies by Xin Hu, PhD, MSPH, and her colleagues evaluating the use of early palliative care among traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage beneficiaries with advanced cancers find that systemic and structural barriers in the health-care system are contributing to the underuse of palliative care among these patients.

BHS partners with local libraries to explore personal choices and palliative care 
iBerkshires.com, Great Barrington, MA; 10/28/26 
Berkshire Health Systems (BHS) will partner with local libraries to launch a community conversation on palliative care, centered on book discussions of Being Mortal by Atul Gawande. Written by a practicing surgeon, the bestseller bridges clinical care and lived experience, making it accessible to readers with no medical background, while resonating with the palliative care team leading the conversations. This community-based reading event is being offered as part of BHS's new Palliative Care program, a pilot initiative designed to expand this care across the Berkshires through widespread provider education, community awareness, and clinical expertise.

Medicare freeze on new hospice and home health agencies expires November 13 as CMS stays silent 
Medical Daily; by Joseph James; 10/29/26 
A Deadline Two Weeks Away and No Word From CMS: A nationwide freeze that has blocked new hospices and home health agencies from enrolling in Medicare since May is set to expire on Nov. 13, and the federal government has not said whether it will keep the freeze in place. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services told providers it would give at least 60 days' notice before the moratoria expire, according to Home Health Care News. As of Oct. 30, no extension notice had been published, leaving hospitals, discharge planners, and families without a clear picture of what the end-of-life and in-home care market will look like in two weeks.

Hospice doesn’t have to happen at home 
Hometown Stations ABC-FOX-NBC-CBS; by LeAnne Gendreau, Katherine Ambrose, Sondra 'Sam' Cradduck, Amy Cameron O’Rourke and Dr. Rhea Rogers; 10/23/26 
Hospice care is often misunderstood as “giving up,” but it’s really about comfort, dignity and quality of life. For some families, that care doesn’t have to happen inside the family home — and knowing the alternatives can take the pressure off an already difficult decision.

• “There’s no right or wrong” ...
• Hospice can follow you anywhere ...
• Hospice means support, not a location ...
• Plans can change — and that’s OK ...
• Morphine eases breathing ...
• Key takeaways ...

Delegate Tom Hutchinson receives Making a Difference Award 
The Star, Annapolis, MD; 10/31/26 
Maryland State Delegate Tom Hutchinson has received the 2026 Making A Difference Award from the Hospice & Palliative Care Network of Maryland in recognition of his advocacy for hospice and palliative care and his commitment to improving access to quality healthcare across the Eastern Shore. The award was presented at the Network’s annual conference in Linthicum, Maryland on October 1.

Medicare Program; CY 2027 changes to the End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Prospective Payment System, Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) Dialysis Payment, and ESRD Quality Incentive Program 
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)Federal Register | Medicare Program; 10/30/26 
Summary: This final rule updates and revises the End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Prospective Payment System for calendar year 2027. This rule also includes updates to the payment rate for renal dialysis services furnished by an ESRD facility to individuals with acute kidney injury. In addition, this rule updates the requirements for the ESRD Quality Incentive Program. 
Dates: These regulations are effective on January 1, 2027.

The man who can walk away from what he desires for the sake of what he must become, is a man no one can own. ~Epictetus (c. 50–c. 135 CE; a Greek Stoic philosopher born into slavery)