Celebrating National Volunteer Month: hospice organizations showed appreciation (April 2026) 
Hospice & Palliative Care Today; compilation by Joy Berger; 5/1/26 
This list from published articles simply scratches the surface. On behalf of Hospice & Palliative Care Today, we express our appreciation to hospice volunteers and the hospice leaders who value their gifts and time.

• Arbor Hospice Celebrates Local Volunteers  - Ann Arbor, MI
• Arbor Hospice Volunteers Support Patients, Families in Washtenaw County, MI
• Michigan hospice volunteers provided 37K hours of care in 2025
• CareFirstNY - Spring into Service Volunteer Open House - Painted Post, NY
• Community Hospice & Palliative Care, a Subsidiary of Alivia Care, Inc., Recognizes Volunteers During National Volunteer Month - Jacksonville, FL
• Compass Regional Hospice - Volunteers are at the heart of Compass Regional Hospice - Centreville, MD
• Family Hospice recognizes and welcomes volunteers - Pittsburgh, PA 
• Good Shepherd Hospice - Sharing One's Heart Through Volunteering
• HomeCare and Hospice celebrates Volunteer Week April 19-25 - Allegany, NY
• Homer’s Hospice volunteers vital to community caregiving: Neighbors helping neighbors - Homer, AK
• Hosparus Health to Host Volunteer Open House Luncheon April 3 in Bowling Green, KY
• Hospice of Central PA - 2026 Volunteer Recognition Luncheon - Harrisburg, PA
• Hospice of Orleans honors volunteers for support of agency - Orleans County, NY
• Hospice of St. Lawrence Valley honors dedicated volunteers - Potsdam, NY 
• Hunterdon Health/Hospice Celebrates National Volunteer Appreciation Week - Flemington, NJ
• Mary Washington Hospice and Grief Support Services - Gratitude in Action: Honoring Those Who Give Their Time - Fredericksburg, VA
• Parkview Hospice - The heart of a hospice volunteer - Fort Wayne, IN
• VNA Hospice NWI shows its appreciation for volunteers at annual breakfast - Valparaiso, IN

[New Zealand and Australia] Most palliative care doctors back research into psychedelic medicines for end of life care
News Wire; 4/12/26
A survey of palliative care doctors in New Zealand and Australia has found overwhelming support for more research into psychedelic medicines for patients facing terminal illness, adding weight to growing calls for a regulated pathway that would allow clinicians to explore what some researchers describe as transformative treatments. The study, which surveyed 93 palliative care physicians across both countries, found 88 per cent agreed that clinical use of psychedelic medicines for palliative patients warranted further investigation. [The source article referenced is Perceptions of Australasian palliative care physicians regarding the safety and efficacy of psychedelic medicines: An exploratory mixed-methods study; Psychedelics; by Nicholas Sawers, Michael Billingsley, David B. Menkes; 6/1/26.]

Empower Oversight widens state fraud queries to New York Hospice Regulator 
Empower Oversight Whistleblowers & Research, Washington, DC; Press Release; 5/1/26 
Empower Oversight has filed a public records request with New York’s Center for Hospice and Palliative Care, the state agency responsible for regulating the hospice industry, as part of its broader investigation into fraud involving federal taxpayer funds. The request seeks documents that shed light on potential systemic failures in hospice oversight, and on how the agency has identified, responded to, or declined to act on known fraud indicators. ... For a copy of the letter click here.

Why health plans are partnering with palliative care providers 
McKnights Home Care; by Liza Berger; 4/20/26 
In recent months, several major health plans have disclosed deals with palliative care providers. The move mirrors a growing awareness of and appreciation for palliative care — which provides symptom relief, can be used alongside curative care and often takes place in the home — according to experts. In the latest agreement, which is slated to begin June 1, Humana inked a deal with Tuesday Health to deliver palliative care to Humana members with serious illness in Texas. ... The partnership reflects a shift in how palliative care is understood and delivered, Mihir Kamdar, head of clinical delivery for Tuesday Health, told McKnight’s Home Care Daily Pulse in an email.

Healthcare leaders break down hospice reform, Medicare & quality care | part one 
Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN); podcast hosted by Chris Comeaux with Tom Koutsoumpas and Carole Fisher; 5/6/26 
In Part One of Healthcare Leaders Break Down Hospice Reform, Medicare & Quality Care, Chris Comeaux sits down with nationally respected healthcare leaders Tom Koutsoumpas, Founder & CEO of NPHI and Carole Fisher, President of NPHI to explore the evolving future of hospice, palliative care, Medicare oversight, and the growing demand for quality-driven, compassionate healthcare leadership. Together, they unpack the growing challenges facing end-of-life care — from fraud and benefit manipulation to the urgent need for quality transparency and authentic patient-centered care.

Alliance sounds alarm over federal payment suspensions tactic to fight hospice fraud 
McKnights Home Care; by Liza Berger; 5/1/26 
As the federal government continues to crack down on rampant hospice fraud in California and other states, advocates for the field fear that the government’s latest enforcement effort is unintentionally trapping ethical providers. ... While the government is basing a payment suspension on “a credible allegation of fraud,” the National Alliance for Care at Home worries that the government is using just one metric to justify its “credible allegation.” ... In a post this week, law firm Foley & Lardner LLP CMS defined a “’credible allegation of fraud’ as an allegation of fraud from any source, including but not limited to the following: (1) fraud hotline tips ... verified by further evidence; (2) claims data mining; and (3) patterns identified through provider audits, FCA cases and investigations.”

Awards and Recognitions: April 2026

• 2026 Hastings Center Cunniff-Dixon Physician Awards Announced:  recognizing physicians who provide exceptional care for patients nearing the end of life with outstanding technical competence, personal integrity, empathic communication, active family engagement, thoughtful discussions about advance directives, and compassionate relief of suffering.
• Dr. Richard Payne Senior Leadership Award: Noelle Marie Javier, MD, AGSF, FAAHPM, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
• ​​Early-Career Physician Awards:
• Amar D Bansal, MD, FASN, Associate Professor of Medicine, UPMC and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
• Gina Piscitello, MD, MS, FAAHPM, Assistant Professor in the Section of Palliative Care and Medical Ethics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
• Ramy Sedhom, MD, FASCO, Director, Program in Geriatric Oncology & Supportive Care Innovation, Penn Center for Cancer Care Innovation; Section Chief, Medical Oncology and Palliative Care, Penn Medicine Princeton Health, Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine in the Division of Hematology & Oncology at the University of Pennsylvania
• ASAE Announces 2026 Gold Circle Award Recipients 
• Advocacy Campaign: American Nurses Association, "Nursing is a Professional Degree"
• Convention/Meetings Marketing Campaign: Center to Advance Palliative Care, "Build and Connect: Reintroducing the CAPC National Seminar After a Five-Year Hiatus"
• Membership Recruitment Campaign: Center to Advance Palliative Care, "CAPC 2025 Membership Recruitment: Expanding Access to Improve Care"
• Unity Hospice and Palliative Care earns national top workplaces honor and multiple culture excellence awards
• USA TODAY Top Workplaces Award
• Multiple Top Workplaces Culturre Excellence Awards
• Family-owned and operated, Unity delivers hospice and palliative care services across Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Texas and Wisconsin

Mother's Day support for hospice families 
Hospice & Palliative Care Today; compilation by Joy Berger, Editor in Chief; 5/5/26 
Mother’s Day can be tender—and complicated. Without thoughtful support, it can become a day to endure rather than a moment to hold with intention. This compilation offers gentle ways forward for hospice leaders to use or adapt with those they serve—honoring mothers who are still here, tending legacies in real time, and making space for grief when they are not. 

• 10 ways to embrace Mother's Day with a seriously ill mother; Roze Room Hospice
• A mother’s legacy of care this mother’s Day; HIA Health (formerly Hospice of the Red River Valley)
  
• Mother's Day - Holidays, birthdays and anniversaries; Composing Life Out of Loss (disclosure, sponsor)
• Mother's Day in hospice care: honoring mothers in their final days; Faith & Hope Hospice & Palliative Care
• Mother’s Day and the grief associated with the loss of a mother; Hope Hospice
• Remembering our mothers - "Life lessons through humor"; Hospice & Community Care
• Sadness this Mother's Day? VITAS® Healthcare launches free, nationwide Mother's Day Grief Helpline; VITAS Healthcare

Virtual reality for serious illness: connecting, healing, and inducing awe | part two 
Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN); podcast hosted by Chris Comeaux with Kathleen Benton and Teri Yarbrow; 5/1/26 
In Part Two of Virtual Reality for Serious Illness: Connecting, Healing, and Inducing Awe, Chris Comeaux continues the conversation with Dr. Kathleen Benton, CEO of Hospice of Savannah and VR healthcare pioneer Teri Yarbrow, Founder & CEO of Magika VRx, exploring the growing body of evidence behind immersive virtual reality as a legitimate clinical tool in Hospice and Palliative Care.

Ohio’s Hospice CEO: prepare for value-based care 
Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 5/6/26 
In time, value-based care will come to hospices, and they must be ready, according to Kent Anderson, CEO of Ohio’s Hospice. In this environment, scale will be key, as will a need to better understand the needs and objectives of referral partners, Anderson told Hospice News. He also leads Metta Health, a revenue cycle management consulting firm. Ohio’s Hospice is a statewide alliance of nonprofit providers established in 2013. The network leverages its member organizations’ collective size in negotiations with vendors, payers and referral sources, collaborates on back-office functions and shares some expenses and infrastructure.

Are you ready for AI security threats? Time to act
Harvard Business School; by Hise O. Gibson; 4/1/26
AI is accelerating cyberattacks, and most leaders aren't ready. Hise Gibson explains why traditional risk prevention strategies aren't enough and offers a practical playbook for preparing for the next breach.
Publisher's Note: Thank you Ernesto Lopez for highlighting this article for us.

Mothers hold their children’s hands for a short while, but their hearts forever. ~Nitya Prakash