CMS Hospice Wage Index Panel: Key insights for access, staffing, and care delivery 
Abt Global | Centers for Medicare & Medicaid; by Michael Plotzke, T.J. Christian, Matt Knowles, and Anne St. George; meeting held on 9/10/25, report published 11/24/25
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released both a summary and technical report from its September 2025 Technical Expert Panel on the hospice wage index—offering a closer look at how geographic wage adjustments may evolve. Beyond methodology, the reports carry meaningful clinical and operational implications. Refinements to the wage index influence how resources are distributed across regions, shaping workforce capacity, interdisciplinary team stability, and ultimately patient access to timely, high-quality hospice care. For leaders, these findings underscore the connection between payment policy and bedside realities—particularly in rural and underserved areas where recruitment, retention, and care continuity remain fragile.

• Summary Report (PDF)
  
• Technical Report (PDF)
  

Guest Editor's Note, by Judi Lund-Person: The purpose of the TEP meeting was to seek feedback from panelists on a proposed alternative to the current hospice wage index, which would utilize new data sources. 

Free webinars: Pediatric concurrent hospice care miniseries, guidance for clinicians: A compassionate, coordinated, and compliant approach 
National Alliance for Care at Home; Press Release; 3/23/26 
This Virtual Training will provide a practical, relevant, and comprehensive overview of Pediatric Concurrent Hospice Care as an approach that allows children and adolescents to receive ongoing disease-directed therapies alongside hospice services. Participants will learn the foundations of Concurrent Hospice Care under Section 2302 of the Affordable Care Act including eligibility criteria, planning and coordination requirements, and interdisciplinary collaborative strategies.

• April 9, 2026 | Guidance for Clinicians: A Compassionate, Coordinated, and Compliant Approach 
• April 23, 2026 | Guidance for Hospice Administrators: A Compassionate, Coordinated, and Compliant Approach

Documented California hospice fraud prompts broad ranging inquiry from national oversight and accountability organization 
Empower Oversight - Whistleblowers & Research, Washington, DC; 3/26/26 
Empower Oversight today pressed for comprehensive records from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) related to hospice fraud and oversight failures across California — with a particular focus on Los Angeles County. The records request targets widespread regulatory failures in the county. The letter request spans five broad categories asking for:

• documents related to complaints, whistleblower reports and other investigative files, including any enforcement actions or declinations, about California hospice providers,
• documents and records regarding licensing and oversight controls, including audits or assessments of the program and processes,
• internal communications within CDPH and with other state agencies and the Governor’s office related to hospice oversight,
• documents regarding program integrity including billing and audit data; and
• documents regarding referrals made by CDPH for fraud, and any related records.

Palladium acquires DME Express from WayPoint 
Private Equity Professional; by John McNulty; 3/26/26 
Palladium Equity Partners has agreed to acquire a majority equity interest in DME Express, a provider of durable medical equipment, from WayPoint Capital Partners. ... Palladium’s investment in DME is its second in the hospice industry and the second platform investment for its sixth fund, which has not yet announced a final close and is reportedly targeting $1.5 billion in capital. 

New L+M hospice unit seeks to provide peace, comfort for patients and families 
The Day, New London, CT; by John Penney; 3/27/26 
Down a long sixth-floor corridor that passes through Lawrence + Memorial Hospital’s oncology unit are three rooms that for its patients are the last they’ll ever enter. Those recently refurbished patient rooms, along with a renovated family room, comprise the hospital’s new dedicated hospice space where those at the end of their lives — along with their loved ones — are made comfortable by a team of nurses and other caregivers. ... The creation of the new unit began in the fall and included transforming an office into a family room located just steps from the patient spaces.

Special Report - Untapped potential: The power of peer support programs in prisons 
John Howard Association of Illinois; project led by Kate Eves; March 2026 issue 
At the time this report was drafted, there were more than 70 Peer Support Programs (PSP) in U.S. carceral facilities identified in operation with a focus on improving health outcomes for incarcerated people with more new programs regularly coming to our attention, in addition to international programs. This project focused on 15 programs across 12 jurisdictions addressing a range of health and well-being areas including mental health, substance abuse and palliative care. [Use Ctrl+F and type "hospice" to find this report's 28 references to hospice.]

Most companies use AI but lack training to help employees work with it effectively 
Complete AI Training; 4/1/26 
72% of U.S. companies now use AI, but 55% lack the training to deploy it well. The gap between adoption and capability has become the defining challenge for 2025 strategy. ... Gusto research found that when employees lack approved AI tools, more than half find alternatives and use them anyway. This creates security risks, fragmented efforts, and frustration for leadership.

Power outages can quickly become emergencies for families with home medical devices 
Hawai'i Public Radio; by Savannah Harriman-Pote; 3/25/26 
... Power outages from this month's storms have sent ripples through the health care system. ... Access to power is crucial for people who rely on certain medical devices like oxygen machines. Faye Mitchell, executive director of North Hawaiʻi Hospice, said these at-home machines allow her patients to receive care in the comfort of their homes. Without electricity to operate them, some of her more vulnerable patients need to go to a hospital. North Hawaiʻi Hospice provides palliative in-home care to about 25 patients spread out across northwest Hawaiʻi Island. One of their patients is a young boy who requires a medical device to breathe properly. "This is a child that's so fragile that when he can't breathe properly, they have to fly to Oʻahu," Mitchell said. "So it's really not a matter of inconvenience. It's really a serious issue." Mitchell said they care for patients as best as they can during power outages. North Hawaiʻi Hospice has a trained safety officer who reviews emergency plans with families, and patients who require oxygen are given extra oxygen tanks if weather conditions might cause the power to go out.
Editor's Note: What emergency disaster risks are prevalent for your service areas? Floods, hurricanes, tornados, wildfires, extreme heat, ice, something else? Today, get to know (and bookmark) USA Today's National Power Outage Map Tracker, updated every 15 minutes. For the future, be as ready as possible, using these and other resources.

• CMS.gov Emergency Preparedness Rule
• American Red Cross Disaster and Emergency Preparedness and Relief
• National Emergency Management Association
• Composing Life's "Community Crisis and Grief," with Key National Organizations for Community Crisis Preparation, Relief, and Recovery

Pikes Peak Hospice & Palliative Care achieves highest quality score in organization’s history 
Pikes Peak Hospice & Palliative Care, Colorado Springs, CO; Press Release; 3/27/26 
Pikes Peak Hospice & Palliative Care has earned its highest quality ranking ever — a score of 94 out of 100 — on the National Hospice Locator, a nationwide directory that evaluates hospice providers using publicly available quality data. The National Hospice Locator compiles information from Medicare data files, public websites, and direct surveys of hospice providers. Using multiple weighted quality metrics, the platform evaluates thousands of hospice programs across the United States and allows users to compare providers based on quality rankings. With a national average score of approximately 67, a score of 94 places Pikes Peak Hospice & Palliative Care well above the national benchmark and among the highest-rated hospice organizations in Colorado.
Editor's Note: What are your organization's publicly reported quality scores? Explore more at the National Hospice Locator. [Disclosure, NHL sponsors this newsletter.]

Beyond the checklist: MARly app introduces caregiver OS to detect early changes in condition and organize care at home
simPAL Solutions press release; 3/24/26
MARly is a healthspan companion app designed to support patients, caregivers, and care teams in delivering safer, more coordinated care at home. Its Caregiver OS features are designed to make care at home more practical, organized, and sustainable for caregivers and families. New care coordination function transforms everyday caregiving by providing real-time insight—supporting caregivers while helping care teams stay ahead of avoidable health crises. simPAL Solutions has announced an early access release of Caregiver OS (Caregiver Operating System), a new care coordination function within its MARly App designed to help caregivers organize care at home while capturing early signs of health change that often go unseen between clinical visits. [For additional information, visit www.marly.health.]

So live in the light of resurrection and renewal of this world, and of yourself, in a glorius, never-ending, joyful dance of grace. ~Tim Keller