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.

New hospice leaders emerge 
Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 3/27/26 
A host of new hospice executives have recently taken the helm at organizations across the country.

• Montgomery Hospice Inc., dba Montgomery & Prince George’s Hospice, has named Sara McKay as its new COO. ...
• VITAS Healthcare has tapped Juan Gomez as its new vice president of finance. ...
• Three Oaks Hospice has recently announced the appointment of Shazmin Bhanji the hospice’s new chief growth officer and Kim Hamilton as the organization’s new area vice president of operations. ...
• The Denver Hospice has named Dr. Julienne Bemski as their new medical director, and Kerry McLaughlin as their new vice president of clinical services. ...

Hospice of Wichita Falls celebrates donors and volunteers 
KFDX/KJTL, Wichita Falls, TX; Press Release; 3/27/26 
An evening of gratitude took stage as Hospice of Wichita Falls celebrated the people who make its mission possible. The organization hosted its annual Maverick Appreciation Dinner at the MPEC on Thursday, March 26, bringing together donors, volunteers, staff, media and community partners for a night focused on recognition and connection. 

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.

Part of the ‘nephrology toolbox’: ASN releases conservative kidney management guidance 
Healio; by Lucas Laboy, Susan P. Y. Wong, MD, MS, Jane O. Schell, MD, MHS; 3/27/26 
The American Society of Nephrology issued new kidney health guidance on conservative management as a practical treatment option for patients with kidney failure. Key Takeaways:

• The guidance focuses on conservative management for patients and their care partners.
• Treatment choices for patients following conservative management can be applied or altered based on their illness trajectory.

Getting it out there: Reflections on the process and impact of public engagement activities in a study on end-of-life care planning with people with intellectual disabilities 
Health Expectations; by Andrea Bruun, Amanda Cresswell, David Jeffrey, Leon Jordan, Richard Keagan-Bull, Jo Giles, Sarah Swindells, Meg Wilding, Nicola Payne, Gemma Allen, Rhidian Hughes, Elizabeth Tilley, Sarah L. Gibson, Rebecca Anderson-Kittow, Irene Tuffrey-Wijne; 3/26/26 
... Conclusion: Public engagement is a complex, uncertain and non-linear undertaking, requiring continual reflection and refinement in response to changing circumstances within and beyond the research. ... Our engagement recommendations are: (1) Involve people with lived experience; (2) Plan and allocate time; (3) Include social media and/or marketing roles in research; (4) Tailor to the audience and platform; (5) Make it engaging and fun; (6) Learn how to make videos; (7) Keep presenting your work; and (8) Make time for stakeholder consultations.

HHS and CMS announce Healthcare Advisory Committee members to improve patient care and modernize the U.S. healthcare system 
CMS Newsroom; Press Release; 3/26/26 
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the members of the Healthcare Advisory Committee, a new federal advisory body comprised of leaders from across the healthcare system to provide expert advice on improving, strengthening and modernizing U.S. healthcare. The Committee will advise HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz on ways to improve how care is financed and delivered across Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and the Health Insurance Marketplace. [Access the list]

Gone from my sight: Barbara Karnes on what happens in the final days of life | part two 
Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN); podcast hosted by Chris Comeaux with Barbara Karnes; 3/27/26 
In Part Two of this powerful conversation, End of Life Educator and Hospice Pioneer, Barbara Karnes brings clarity and compassion to one of life’s most misunderstood experiences: the final days of life.  With her signature ability to translate complex end-of-life processes into simple, human language, Karnes reframes dying not as a medical failure—but as a natural, deeply human transition.  She emphasizes that fear often stems from misunderstanding, and that education is the single most powerful tool to help families navigate this sacred time with confidence and peace.

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. 

‘No silver bullet’: The iterative staffing strategies home-based care providers need 
Home Health Care News; by Morgan Gonzales; 3/26/26 
The home-based care staffing landscape is undergoing a shift, as worker demographics, desires and motivations evolve. ... [There] there is no single technique that serves as a panacea, and providers must continually iterate their strategies, according to Kerin Zuger, the chief operating officer at Caretech. “There is no silver bullet,” Zuger said on a recent Home Health Care News webinar. “What do we need to do with our recruiting and onboarding strategy so that we can hire more caregivers and get them to stay? The answer is, everything. The answer is, try it all and then try it again. 

The clinical dilemma of withholding futile treatment 
Medscape; by Brenda Sandburg; 3/27/26 
During hospital rounds, Kenneth Covinsky, MD, MPH, a professor of medicine and clinician researcher in the Division of Geriatrics at the University of California San Francisco, sometimes meets families at a wrenching crossroads: a loved one with advanced dementia is no longer eating, slowly losing weight because they no longer are hungry. They ask the question almost every time — can’t something be done? ...

If you really look closely, most overnight successes took a long time. ~ Steve Jobs
Editor's Note: Here's to wrapping up 2026's Quarter 1 and moving into Quarter 2.