SOS: What does Google and ChatGPT say about SSVI and quality?
Substack; by Joan Teno; 8/26
Medicare recently finalized a new hospice scorecard called the Service and Spending Variation Index (SSVI). It gives each Medicare-certified hospice a number from 0 to 16, built from nine billing-based measures, where a higher score flags a hospice whose spending and service patterns look unusual compared with its peers. A high score is not proof of bad care or fraud — it mainly signals to Medicare which hospices may be worth a closer look. In this post I asked Google Gemini and ChatGPT to interpret a sample hospice’s score, and I compare how well each explained what the number does, and does not, mean for a family choosing a hospice.
Publisher's note: Even though Substack is a blog site rather than a journal, Joan's content is outstanding and also fits here in a Saturday research issue!

Dying man’s final wish comes true as his beloved dogs find a forever home together 
Greater Good; by Guest Contributor; 8/25/26 
A man in New York spent his final weeks with one hope on his mind: that his beloved German shepherds would find a new forever home. His story, and the story of his dogs Bowie and Nikki, has moved thousands of people who care deeply about pet adoption and the special bond between humans and animals. At its core, this is a story about love, planning for pets when life changes, and the quiet heroism of animal rescues that step in when families are in crisis. ... One of the most moving moments in this story came when Mr. Spencer asked for something that many pet guardians nearing the end of life quietly hope for. He wanted to say goodbye. 

Palliative care for Alzheimer’s: what families should understand 
WNY News Now; by News Staff; 8/19/26 
Alzheimer’s disease gradually affects memory, judgment, communication, mobility, and personal care. As abilities change, families face decisions about symptom relief, treatment limits, safety, and emotional well-being. Palliative care addresses those needs while respecting the person’s values and previously expressed wishes. Assistance can begin at any stage of disease, especially when discomfort, behavioral changes, or caregiver strain become difficult to manage without clinical guidance. What details should families check for? ...

Nonreporting of race and ethnicity in medical research harms us all 
JAMA Internal Medicine | Editorial | Health Equity; by Sharon K. Inouye, MD, MPH, Jerard Kneifati-Hayek, MD, MS, Annette Flanagin, RN, MA, Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, PhD, MD, MAS; Raegan W. Durant, MD, MPH; 8/24/26 
At JAMA Internal Medicine, we have become increasingly aware that some US researchers are unable to report on race or ethnicity as demographic variables to describe their sample or to conduct stratified analyses by these variables. In some cases, we have been informed that based on 3 recent US federal executive orders, the stewards of federal databases, such as those responsible for distributing data from the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS), are unable to release any race or ethnicity data for research purposes. The restrictions may be particularly prohibitive when study investigators are US federal employees. We have been informed of similar concerns occurring at other biomedical journals. 
Editor's Note: Stark examples of these racial/ethnicity disparities repeatedly emerged when I was researching and writing our newsletter's 25-decades series leading up to July 4, 2026: A History of Care: 250 Years of American Need, Service and Hope. Dig deeper with the easy-to-navigate online version at Composing Life; use the "Search" engine at the bottom of the page to find specific examples. From our Today's Encouragement: "Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health is the most shocking and the most inhuman, because it often results in physical death. ~ Martin Luther King"

Tuesday's Tools: Summarize the past week with Sunday's "most read" stories
Hospice & Palliative Care Today; by Joy Berger; 8/24/26

Calling all readers to our new Tuesday’s Tools series. Each Tuesday, we’re highlighting a tool included with your free subscription to help you use our news to improve the care you provide.

This week’s tool: our Sunday issues.

Each Sunday, Hospice & Palliative Care Today compiles our 10-12 top-read posts from the previous week, based on click-throughs. These are expertly compiled by our Owner and Publisher, Cordt Kassner, PhD, data-guru national consultant and also Founder/CEO of Hospice Analytics.  

In case you missed it--or want to distill "what matters most?" from the 72 posts we've given you during the week--our Sunday issues summarize top topics to review from before and to prepare for ahead.

Easy ways to use our Sunday issues:

1. Your inbox: Look for your Sunday edition of Hospice & Palliative Care Today.
2. Archives: Login to your newsletter account from our homepage, click the "Newsletter Archive" in the menu bar, and select the date of the Sunday issue you want to view. For security, this archive tab is only available to subscribers when logged in. 
3. Share with leaders and teams: As usual, you can forward your email or an article's URL to specific leaders and teams, or use the LinkedIn share button on our webpage. 

Use these Sunday issues to stay attuned to key topics, to deepen conversations with your teams, and strengthen the care you provide. Identify what speaks to your current challenges, and what may affect you in the future.

The new health system CEO job description, per 23 leaders 
Becker's Hospital Review; by Alan Condon, Kelly Gooch, and Kristin Kuchno; 8/20/26 
The health system CEO job description is getting longer, and increasingly filled with responsibilities that barely registered five years ago. Today’s CEOs are expected to steer AI strategy, prepare for cyberattacks, shape culture, advocate in statehouses and on Capitol Hill, protect employees from workplace violence, address affordability and serve as trusted voices in their communities. That shift is playing out at some of the nation’s largest and most prominent health systems. 

Hospice Wage Index, the Final Rule, and the signals CMS is sending | part two 
Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN); pocast hosted by Chris Comeaux with Annette Kiser and Judi Lund Person 
The 2027 Hospice Final Rule is more than a reimbursement update—it’s a window into where Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) believes hospice care needs to go next. In Part One, host Chris Comeaux sits down with hospice regulatory experts Annette Kiser and Judi Lund Person to look beyond the numbers and “read the tea leaves” in CMS’s latest rule.  They unpack what hospice leaders need to understand about the Hospice Election Statement Addendum, the growing scrutiny of unrelated services and non-hospice Medicare spending, telehealth reporting, and the Service and Spending Variation Index (SSVI).  As Judi explains, CMS’s commentary and responses to industry feedback can reveal as much about the agency’s direction as the regulations themselves.

The Department of Justice's National Fraud Enforcement Division: a new era of coordinated fraud prosecution and what it means for corporate America 
Epstein Becker Green | Health Law Advisor; by Leah Brownlee Taylor, Erica Sibley Bahnsen, Sarah M. Hall, Andrew Beshai, Alkida Kacani, Gianna Costello; 8/21/26 
On August 13, 2026, the Assistant Attorney General for the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) National Fraud Enforcement Division (the “NFED”), Colin M. McDonald, released a memorandum outlining NFED’s enforcement priorities. The memorandum is the first memo of this kind from NFED. The establishment of NFED earlier this year represented a watershed moment for federal fraud prosecution, as it established DOJ’s first-ever division dedicated exclusively to combating fraud against taxpayer dollars and taxpayer-funded programs. With a stated goal of having 500 prosecutors and staff by August 24, NFED seeks to deploy “cutting-edge data analysis” across a “whole-of-government” effort. The establishment of NFED signals a fundamental shift in federal fraud enforcement, ... The NFED memo identifies five priority areas for federal fraud prosecution:

• Public Trust and Financial Integrity ...
• Health Care ...
• Internal Revenue ...
• Global Trade and Commerce ...
• Corporate Misconduct ...

Hospice of Orange & Sullivan Counties’ 19th Annual Golf Classic raises almost $75,000 for patient care 
FocusMedia, Newburgh, NY; Press Release; 8/19/26 
Hospice of Orange & Sullivan Counties held its 19th Annual Golf Classic at Osiris Country Club in Walden, N.Y., on Aug. 10, drawing a sold-out field of 100 golfers for the organization’s best golf fundraising event in recent years. The tournament raised close to $75,000 to support Hospice services throughout Orange and Sullivan Counties. ... “Today’s outing is about more than just golf,” Eric Gastik, President and CEO of Hospice of Orange & Sullivan Counties, told the golfers, sponsors and other attendees. “It’s about coming together as a community to support patients and families during one of the most difficult times in their lives. Every golfer, every sponsor, every raffle ticket purchased and every volunteer contributes to that mission."

Pittsburgh Caregivers get federal lifeline as dementia cases swell across Allegheny County 
hoodline; by Ryan Miller; 8/21/26 
Caregivers looking after loved ones with dementia in Pittsburgh now have a new federal tool to lean on, and it is already showing up at a day center in Squirrel Hill. The Anathan Club, run by the Jewish Association on Aging, has begun connecting families to the Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience Model, a Medicare program that can cover up to $2,500 a year in respite care for qualifying beneficiaries. The Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience Model, known as GUIDE, was developed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and launched nationwide on July 1, 2024, as an eight-year voluntary pilot running through June 30, 2032, according to CMS. Nearly 390 provider organizations across the country are participating. 

Executive Personnel Changes - 8/21/26

• Carolina Caring in Newton, NC is honored to announce that Cameron Pirouz, MBA, has joined the organization as Chief Operating Officer, effective August 3rd, 2026.
  
  
• Providence Health in Everett, WA announced that Kevin Smith will become their Chief Financial Officer, effective October 26. He is replacing Greg Hoffman, who retired this summer after almost a decade at the health system.
  
  
• Southwest Medical Hospice Care, part of Optum and located in Las Vegas, welcomes Kenneth Pettit, DO as their Medical Director.

If you are always waiting until you have enough money, enough time, enough confidence and enough support. ... You may wait forever. Start with what you have.