Highest Medicare Hospice Utilization Rates Posted in CY 2025!
1520ai / Hospice Analytics press release; by Cordt T. Kassner; 7/20/26
Medicare hospice utilization reached a record high of 51.9% in calendar year (CY) 2025, according to preliminary analysis by Cordt T. Kassner, PhD. Utilization measures the share of Medicare deaths that occurred under hospice care – a consistent, conservative metric used in annual reporting... States leading the nation in hospice utilization (all >60%) include: Utah (67.7%), Rhode Island (62.1%), Florida (60.2%), and Wisconsin (60.0%)... As previously published , hospice utilization serves as a key indicator of both access and quality in end-of-life care... Data-driven insights like these remain essential for improving care for patients and families nationwide. [Download the entire article, including a state-specific graph, here.]

CMS to give 60 days notice if it opts to extend six-month moratorium
McKnight's Home Care; by Liza Berger; 7/13/26
According to Jeneen Iwugo of CMS, the agency will provide at least 60 days’ notice if it extends the six-month national moratorium on new Medicare home health and hospice enrollments. The statement was made during a panel at the National Alliance for Care at Home’s Finance and Technology Summit last Monday... Officials also emphasized that CMS is shifting from recovering improper payments after claims are paid to using data analytics and artificial intelligence to stop suspicious payments earlier. However, AI only identifies potential concerns; payment suspensions and provider revocations remain human decisions.
Publisher's note: The moratorium began 5/13/26 and is scheduled to end 11/13/26; 60 days prior to 11/13/26 is 9/14/26. Source article may have restricted access, summary above from Homecare & Hospice Association of Colorado newsletter.

Agrace expands hospice services into Dubuque 
Associated Press | PR Newswire, Dubuque, IA; 7/21/26 
Local residents who are in the final months of life have a new choice for high-quality, in-home hospice care. Agrace, the largest Wisconsin-based nonprofit hospice, has expanded west of the Mississippi River for the first time, bringing its services to patients in the city of Dubuque, Iowa. For nearly 50 years, Agrace Hospice Care has provided compassionate end-of-life care to people of all ages across southern Wisconsin, with its headquarters located in Madison. Now, Dubuque-area residents can also choose Agrace for hospice care that comes to them where they live—in private homes, long-term care facilities or any other place they call home. Agrace has opened a local office at 300 Main Street in Dubuque, strengthening its commitment to serving patients, families and health care partners in the community.

The evolving role of hospice CMOs 
Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 7/21/26 
For hospices, the role of the chief medical officer is expanding beyond the role of overseeing the medical staff and into the regulatory and business operations arena. CMOs in 2026 need a broader skill set than clinical knowledge, according to Dr. Martha Presley, CMO of Alive Hospice. After a previous stint as a medical director for Alive Hospice. Pressley returned as CMO in March 2025 upon the retirement of Dr. David McRay. “Historically, chief medical officers have been very focused on the management of other clinical staff. This is becoming a more operational role than I think it has ever been in the past,” Presley told Hospice News. ... The role of a hospice CMO increasingly blends advanced medical practice with executive leadership, including clinician oversight, handling quality and compliance, administrative operations, building community and referral partnerships and mentoring staff.

Mercy Hospice House renamed Garden B; some criticize lack of transparency 
The Durango Herald, Durango, CO; by Jessica Bowman; 7/20/26 
Mercy Hospice House was renamed Garden B after the for-profit arm of CommonSpirit Health Network, Health at Home, assumed responsibility for outpatient hospice services. The name change was required by state regulations, according to Wendy Hockett, the Health at Home representative who spoke with local hospice volunteers during a meeting Wednesday at the hospice offices in Three Springs. Because Mercy Hospital no longer holds Colorado's hospice license, the building can no longer legally be called a "hospice house," she said. The hospice license is now held by CommonSpirit Health at Home. The hospice team will continues to care for patients who are in one of the eight Garden B beds, but Mercy Hospital nurses, trained in both hospice and non-hospice care, will also provide bedside care, she said.

Palliative Care team manifests dreams of butterbeer and Harry Potter 
Vanderbilt Health News, Nashville, TN; by Jill Clendening; 7/20/26 
After Mike Guth and his family learned that his pancreatic cancer had advanced beyond treatment, the Vanderbilt Health Palliative Care team worked magic to make a dream trip possible. ... Mike, 53, a beloved high school social studies teacher in southern Indiana and father of four, was diagnosed with Stage 2 pancreatic cancer in early 2025. ... Mike has always loved the magical lore of Harry Potter, excitedly consuming the books and movies with their children (now adults). Mike perhaps seized inspiration from the plot twists of the fantasy series to say he still longed to visit The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando, Florida. With careful planning to manage symptoms and stay on top of hydration, the Vanderbilt Health Palliative Care team surprised the Guths and said his dream was doable. ... Palliative care physician Zack Watson, MD described, "for him to have that time with his kids and his wife. Hopefully, this gave them an anchor of joy in the midst of this really tough time." On July 14, Mike died peacefully at home, surrounded by his loved ones.

Wabash Valley Sewing Connection donates quilts to veterans in hospice care 
WTWO/WAWV Terre Haute, Terre Haute, IN; by Noah Gastineau; 7/20/26 
Veterans can sometimes feel left out or forgotten, especially those in Hospice care, but one group is thanking local veterans for their service one quilt at a time. The Wabash Valley Sewing Connection is donating 44 quilts to the VNA and Hospice of the Wabash Valley to be given to veterans at the facility. The group has been doing this for years, but this year is extra special as it coincides with America's 250th birthday. ... It took approximately 1,100 hours to quilt all 44 quilts together before they were donated to the VNA and Hospice of the Wabash Valley. 

When did we begin believing that showing up isn’t enough?
The Newnan Times-Herald, Newnan, GA; by Scott Lakey; 7/20/26 
4:27 A.M.: the garage door opens; the humidity is thick with the smell of Georgia pines ... I am departing for St. Vincent's Hospital in Little Rock, AR. [This first-person story describes a series of family caregiving needs across 2 days and multi-location family visits.] ... 
On the way home, it was quiet in the car. It felt like a version of the movie It's a Wonderful Life. Thinking about lives I saw pass before me. New birth, newlyweds building a life, mid-life health crisis, and end-of-life care. 9:11 P.M I arrived back home in Newna, GA. My wife and son came out to greet me. There were hugs and hellos to the dogs. Shortly thereafter, I was in bed, and I prayed. That's all I could do. ...
For two days, sixteen hours, forty-four minutes, and 1,331 miles, I kept thinking "that's all I could do." Then I realized.
Maybe showing up was enough. 

Difficult discussions: How UTC nursing faculty are using AI to teach the hardest conversations in care 
The University of Tennessee Chattanooga, Chattanooga, TN; by Chuck Wasserstrom; 7/20/26 
Two University of Tennessee at Chattanooga College of Nursing faculty members recently shared their work on AI-assisted simulation with an international audience, leading a webinar on how the technology can help prepare graduate nurse practitioner students for difficult conversations in palliative care: Dr. Chris Doneski, director of UTC’s acute care nurse practitioner program and a simulation faculty member, and Dr. Rosebelle Peters, nursing simulation program director and senior lecturer. ... The presentation centered on a gap the two faculty members see in graduate nursing education. Doneski said students often receive training in procedures, prescribing and transition to practice, but communication training for difficult situations can be harder to build in meaningful ways. ... The recorded webinar is available through HealthySimulation.com. Users must register for a free account to view it.

The post-AI era of healthcare: why technology alone won’t transform care 
Health IT Answers; by Cheryl Cruver; 7/20/26 
For the better part of the last three years, healthcare has been fascinated by artificial intelligence (AI). Conferences, board meetings, and strategic plans have all focused on AI’s capacity to reshape everything from clinical documentation to revenue cycle management. At this year’s HFMA Annual Conference, however, something interesting happened. The conversation matured. The discussion was no longer about whether healthcare should adopt AI. ... Instead, healthcare leaders spent much of their time discussing something more practical and arguably more important: how organizations operationalize AI to improve patient experiences, reduce costs, and create sustainable change. 

Ask the expert: Who are hospital ethics consultants? 
Michigan State University; by Zach Phelps and Dalin Clark; 7/21/26
Hospitals are places of incredible hope and healing, but they are also where some of life’s toughest decisions are made. When families and medical teams find themselves at a crossroads with no obvious right answer, trained experts can quietly help evaluate the options. Hospital ethics consultants don’t perform surgery or prescribe medication. Instead, they wield a different kind of superpower: the rare ability to bring insight and clarity to moments of deep uncertainty. When the best path forward isn’t on a medical chart, these guides step up to support families and healthcare teams.

But you know, happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light. ~ Albus Dumbledore, in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban