A history of care: 250 years of American suffering, service, and hope

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Hospice & Palliative Care Today / Composing Life Out of Loss; by Joy S. Berger; 7/2/26
Decade by decade, our 25-part daily series has been tracing the evolving story of health, equity, caregiving, and the pursuit of human dignity. With all 25 decades compiled, join us in reflecting on how the past shapes the hospice and palliative care we provide today—and the chapters we are called to write ahead. This downloadable e-book includes:

• Introduction and Epilogue
• All entries from our daily posts, with many fresh graphics (this project took on a life of its own!)
• Table of Contents to easily navigate dates and topics

Hospice & Palliative Care Today has partnered with Composing Life Out of Loss for the authoring, publication and distribution of this timely resource.

CMS Posts the FY 2027 Home Health PPS Rate Update and Quality Reporting Proposed Rule
HospiceConsultant.com; by Guest Editor Judi Lund Person; 7/1/26
On July 1, 2026, the FY 2027 Home Health proposed rule was posted in the Federal Register. Among the proposals included in this proposed rule includes a proposal to promote access to and use of community-based palliative care services through the Medicare home health benefit. In the proposed rule’s fact sheet, CMS states that “skilled palliative care services can be furnished and billed under existing Medicare home health benefits for eligible patients with serious illnesses. The agency emphasizes that palliative care under the home health benefit is separate from hospice care and may support patients earlier in the course of serious illness.  Comments on the proposed rule are due on August 31, 2026.

Judge bars San Antonio hospice from using Magnolia name for now
San Antonio Express-News; by Patrick Danner; 7/1/26 
A federal judge has temporarily barred a San Antonio hospice provider from using its current name, concluding the company likely is infringing on a Texas hospice’s federally registered trademark.U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez issued the preliminary injunction against Magnolia Hospice Company Inc. of San Antonio after finding its nearly identical name had caused confusion among patients and health care providers while the businesses marketed the same hospice services in overlapping markets. Tuesday’s order stems from a lawsuit filed by RHI Magnolia of North Texas LLC, which has operated in the state under the Magnolia Hospice name for more than a decade and obtained a federal trademark registration in 2024. [Access to the article may be limited by a paywall.]

VNA Hops for Hospice brings community together in support of compassionate care 
GreatNews.Life, Valparaiso, IN; by Maxwell Barath; 6/29/26 
On Saturday, June 27, more than 250 guests and over 60 dedicated volunteers gathered at the Porter County Expo Center for VNA Hospice NWI’s sixth annual Hops for Hospice, an afternoon celebrating local craft beverages, delicious food, live music, and a shared commitment to compassionate hospice care. The Expo Center was filled with energy as attendees sampled offerings from dozens of regional breweries, wineries, and beverage vendors while enjoying live performances by Bryan Elliott and Duke Tumatoe, whose music provided the perfect soundtrack for an afternoon of community, conversation, and giving back.

New Day CEO Kathy Poland pumps brakes on acquisitions, prioritizes operations 
Home Health Care News; by MK Manoylov; 6/29/26 
With 16 acquisitions since 2020, New Day is shifting focus from aggressive M&A activity toward tighter operational discipline. That’s the strategy of Kathy Poland, who stepped in as interim CEO following the death of New Day’s G. Scott Herman in February. She became permanent CEO on June 18, after serving as the firm’s chief operating officer for over four years. ... Poland spoke with Home Health Care News to discuss her transition into permanent CEO, what difficulties she sees in the forthcoming year, New Day’s growth strategies and what she’s learned as a health care industry veteran for the past 25 years.

Aroostook House of Comfort hosts 13th Annual Golf Classic  
Pulse, Presque Isle, ME; 6/28/26 
The Aroostook Hospice Foundation proudly hosted its 13th Annual Golf Classic on Saturday, June 20 at the Presque Isle Country Club, raising approximately $96,000 to support the Aroostook House of Comfort. The tournament brought together an incredible show of community support, with 161 sponsors, 45 teams, 38 raffle and prize donors, 13 in-kind donors and 31 volunteers helping make this year’s event another tremendous success.

HMN 2026: How AI in nursing raises questions about safety, ethics, and human care 
Health Medicine Network; by University of Pennsylvania, George Demiris et al; 6/26/26 
As artificial intelligence systems spread through hospitals and clinics, a growing debate is emerging over whether the technology will ultimately strengthen nursing care—or gradually replace parts of it. That tension is at the center of a new University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing report, “Artificial Intelligence and Nursing Science: Opportunities, Challenges, Implications, and Guidelines,” published in Nursing Outlook. The paper warns that while AI could reduce paperwork and improve patient monitoring, it also raises concerns about bias, accountability, patient privacy and whether hospitals may view some nursing functions as replaceable.

O&I Subcommittee holds hearing with state Medicaid directors as part of committee’s extensive probe into Medicaid programs nationwide 
U.S. Energy & Commerce, Chairman Brett Guthrie, Washington, DC; Press Release; 6/25/26 
[On Thursday June 25th], Congressman John Joyce, M.D. (PA-13), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, led a hearing titled State Medicaid Program Integrity: Examining Fraud Risks and Oversight Deficiencies. “Let me be clear: fraud is not isolated to these states. As we discussed in two previous hearings before this Subcommittee, Medicaid fraud is a real problem. It happens in every single state, red and blue, and has been harming patients and draining taxpayer resources for decades,” said Chairman Joyce. “It is no longer sufficient to do the bare minimum. States must rise to the occasion and tackle fraud head-on. Our Medicaid program and the patients that rely on it to be healthy depend on it.”
Watch the full hearing here.

Burke County hospice provider responds to national concerns over hospice industry 
The Paper, Morganton, NC; by Allen VanNoppen; 5/16/26 
As questions continue nationwide about hospice oversight and Medicare abuse, leaders at Burke County’s AMOREM say nonprofit hospice providers offer a different model centered on community care rather than profits. AMOREM emphasized the distinction between nonprofit and for-profit hospice organizations, arguing that ownership structure directly affects patient care and family experience at the end of life, the nonprofit’s leaders said. The statement comes amid increased national attention on reports of misuse of the Medicare Hospice Benefit in some parts of the country. 

Two Ann Arbor nurses who transformed how people die mentored her. Then, she became their caregiver.
MLive.com, Ann Arbor, MI; by Jennifer Eberback; 6/28/26 
For in-home private caregiver Kathy Hopps, caring for two trailblazers who helped revolutionize in-home nursing and hospice care in their final days of life brought her journey full circle. Hopps cared for Ingrid Deininger, who co-founded Individualized Home Nursing Care (IHNC) in Ann Arbor in the early 1980s when hospice and in-home care did not yet have the presence in the U.S. as it does today. ... Now she cares for Lois Jelneck, another IHNC founder who is currently under hospice care at the age of 97.

Indiana's Saint Anne eldercare campus opens hospice suites to provide holistic end-of-life care 
Catholic Health World; by Julie Minda; 6/30/16 
Saint Anne Communities, an eldercare campus in northeast Indiana, has opened a five-suite wing that offers people at the end of life holistic care and services. In the Saint Joseph Hospice Suites, staff provide medical, spiritual and emotional care to residents as well as support to their loved ones. Facility leaders said Saint Anne designed the suites to have a homelike feel. They said a key priority is to surround the residents and their loved ones with prayer, comfort and dignity.

Executive Personnel Changes - 6/26/26

• Bill Dombi, prominent home health care policy advocate, joined the government relations firm Liberty Partners Group as Principal
  
  
• George Mark Children's House in San Leandro, CA has selected Michelle Collier as their new Senior Director of Advancement and Philanthropic Strategic Leader
  
  
• Home Helpers, based in Ohio, has appointed Nick Evans as its new CFO

Knowledge and ego are directly related. The less knowledge, the greater ego. ~ Albert Einstein