Medical Aid in Dying Annual Reports
A compliation by Hospice & Palliative Care Today; 4/14/25
Just released:

• Oregon Health Authority: 2024 Oregon Death with Dignity Act: Data summary

Current:

• California End of Life Option Act 2023 Data Report
• Colorado End-of-Life Options Act- Year 7: 2023 Data Summary
• District of Columbia Death with Dignity Act 2022 Data Summary 
• Hawaii 2023 Our Care, Our Choice Act Annual Report
• Maine Death with Dignity Act Annual Report 2023
• Montana: no data
• New Jersey Medical Aid in Dying for the Terminally Ill Act 2022 Data Summary
• New Mexico: no data
• Vermont Report Concerning Patient Choice at the End of Life 2024
• Washington 2023 Death with Dignity

Proposed FY26 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate
CMS press release; 4/11/25
On April 11, 2025, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a proposed rule that proposes updates to Medicare payment policies and rates for hospices under the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate Updated Proposed Rule (CMS-1835-P). [Major provisions include:]

1. For FY 2026, CMS proposes to update the hospice payment rate by 2.4% (an estimated increase of $695 million in payments from FY 2025).
2. Hospice payments are subject to a statutory aggregate cap which limits the overall payments made to a hospice annually. The proposed hospice cap amount for FY 2026 is $35,292.51.
3. This rule also proposes to clarify in the hospice payment regulations that the physician member of the interdisciplinary group (IDG) may recommend admission to hospice care, which would align with certification regulations and the Conditions of Participation (CoPs).
4. CMS also proposes to clarify that the hospice face-to-face encounter attestation must include the physician’s/practitioner’s signature and date.
5. In addition, CMS proposes to provide a regulatory text change for the Hospice Quality Reporting Program.
6. The final rule can be viewed at the Federal Register at: https://www.federalregister.gov/public-inspection.

Ahead of National Volunteer Week and in celebration of National Volunteer Month, NPHI CEO urges Americans: “Step forward. Be present. Volunteer with your local hospice.” 
National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI), Washington, DC; by Matt Wilkinson; 4/16/25 
Ahead of National Volunteer Week next week [April 20-26], and in celebration of National Volunteer Month this April, the National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI) is shining a light on the often-unsung heroes of hospice: volunteers. These compassionate individuals are central to the mission of NPHI’s member providers nationwide, offering their time, energy, and hearts to patients and families during life’s most tender and vulnerable moments. NPHI member organizations rely on nearly 30,000 volunteers to keep their programs running—almost matching the number of full- and part-time staff employed across its national member network. Nationwide, hundreds of thousands of hospice volunteers contribute millions of hours of service annually. This deep tradition of volunteerism isn’t just symbolic—it’s built into the very structure of hospice care. All Medicare-certified hospices are required to have volunteers actively involved in patient and family support, reflecting the core values of compassion and community care that define the field.
Editor's note: Throughout the year, find this and more national observances on our newsletters "Healthcare Observances" tab at the top of our website, https://www.hospicepalliativecaretoday.com/resources/healthcare-observances.

Community Catalyst leads national response against new rule that threatens health care access 
Community Catalyst, Boston, MA; by Jack Cardinal; 4/11/25 
Today, Community Catalyst organized hundreds of local, state and national partners to submit comments to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) opposing a new proposed rule from the Trump administration that would make it harder and more expensive for people to buy their own insurance on Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplaces and increase their medical debt. ... The administration’s own estimates suggest that as many as 2 million people will lose their coverage under this proposal, ...

Social Media Watch 4/11/25

• Hospice & Palliative Care Today: Has a new LinkedIn page - follow us - we'll follow you!
• Nancy Reeder @ CHAP: LHC Group realized 32% increase in admissions with CHAP Growth Solutions.
• Jennifer Bechtel: Comments on the USAging Policy Priorities 2025 report. Recommendations include: support aging well at home through Older Americans Act (OAA) programs and services, increase the capacity of family and professional caregivers, reduce unnecessary institutionalization by protecting Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services, and connect health care and aging sectors to reduce costs.
• Meg Pekarske: One size doesn't fit all: Figuring out what is your hospice+ podcast.
• Roger Sullivan: has been promoted to Senior Director of Social Services at Northwell Hospice Care Network, NY.

Today is National Healthcare Decisions Day - Make your advance care plans 
Institute for Healthcare Improvement - The Conversation Project; retrieved from the internet 4/14/25
The links and resources [provided in this article] explore a variety of resources to help make, discuss and document future healthcare wishes and decisions in your advance care planning. ... The Conversation Project offers free tools, guidance, and resources to begin talking with those who matter most about your and their wishes.

• The Conversation Project's Conversation Guides ...
• State Specific Resources ... [Download and Complete Your State or Territories' Advance Directive Forms]

Editor's note: If you or other family and friends have not completed your Advance Directive, this site equips you with state-specific information and forms. Pair this with today's related posts ...

• Hospitalists in a bind when cancer prognosis hasn’t sunk in
• For AYAs with advanced cancer, study finds serious communication gaps about their care
• Today's Encouragement: I have an advance directive, not because ...

National Alliance for Care at Home responds to the FY 2026 Hospice Proposed Rule 
National Alliance for Care at Home, Alexandira, VA and Washington, DC; Press Release; 4/11/25 
The National Alliance for Care at Home (the Alliance) issued the following statement [Fri 4/11] in response to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Hospice Wage Index proposed rule, which proposes payment and regulatory updates under the Medicare hospice benefit. The proposed 2.4% payment update fails to adequately address the mounting financial pressures facing hospices nationwide. With escalating operational costs driven by inflation, workforce shortages, and rising expenses for supplies and services, the proposed payment increase would threaten the ability of hospices to sustainably provide quality end-of-life care. “The proposed payment update for FY 2026 falls short of what is needed to sustain high-quality hospice care,” said Dr. Steve Landers, CEO of the Alliance. “Without meaningful adjustments, hospices across the country will face serious challenges—jeopardizing access to care for terminally ill patients and placing added strain on families already facing the unimaginable. ..."

Hospitalists in a bind when cancer prognosis hasn’t sunk in
Medscape; by Jake Remaly; 4/15/25 
When a patient with cancer is admitted to the hospital, the reason might not be related to the malignancy. But the hospitalist in charge sometimes becomes aware of a major disconnect: The patient, who they just met, does not grasp the severity of their cancer prognosis. On the one hand, the hospital medicine team and patient have advance directives and goals of care to consider, which may steer the course of the hospitalization and any use of hospice. The cancer prognosis — the patient might only have months to live, for example — could be a key component of those conversations. On the other hand, explaining the cancer situation should fall to the oncologist, right? ...
Editor's notes: Pair this with today's posts, 

• Today is National Healthcare Decisions Day - Make your advance care plans
• For AYAs with advanced cancer, study finds serious communication gaps about their care
• Today's Encouragement: I have an advance directive, not because ...

Rural US loses 43% of independent physicians: 5 things to know 
Becker's Hospital Review; by Kelly Gooch; 4/7/25 
The number of independent physicians in U.S. rural areas declined 43% over five years — from 21,956 in January 2019 to 12,467 in January 2024 — according to an Avalere study sponsored by the Physicians Advocacy Institute. ... Five things to know:

1. From 2019 to 2024, rural areas lost nearly 2,500 total physicians. This represents a 5% decline from approximately 52,600 to 50,100.
2. Likewise, the number of medical practices in rural areas fell from 30,000 at the beginning of 2019 to 26,700 in January 2024, an 11% decline.
3. [Continue reading ...]

A mother’s goodbye-Barriers to microtransitions in care
JAMA Internal Medicine; Aval-Na’Ree S. Green, Benjamin E. Canter; 3/25
After a long, debilitating battle with lupus, my cousin died at the doorsteps of our health system. The funeral was at 11:00 am. I arrived at the facility at 8:45 am. Although the catheter was in place, my aunt was undressed, with remnants of breakfast on her gown. She had not been bathed. The staff and I wheeled my aunt outside and attempted to load her into the van. Once my aunt was in the chair, it could not fit through the van door. Because this transition was not a medical health care appointment, the facility did not coordinate the resources, including use of the van, that were necessary for it to occur successfully. In contrast, had this been a medical outing, such as a weekend dialysis appointment, the facility would have been required to provide transportation. If this microtransition had been treated like a major health care transition, perhaps it would have had a better chance of success. Nursing teams use checklists during major care transitions; similar procedures should apply to microtransitions.

RCT of PC in ED
GeriPal podcast; by Eric Widera, Alex Smith, Corita Grudzen, Fernanda Bellolio, Tammie Quest; 4/10/25
Today we focus on an intervention, published in JAMA, that gave emergency clinicians basic palliative care knowledge, training, and skills. We talk with Corita Grudzen and Fernanda Bellolio about their cluster stepped wedge randomized trial of a palliative care intervention directed at emergency clinicians... We are fortunate to have Tammie Quest, emergency and palliative trained and long a leader in this space, to help us unpack and contextualize these findings.

Transforming communities through leadership with Quint Studer
Teleios Anatomy of Leadership podcast; by Chris Comeaux, Quint Studer; 4/9/25
In this episode, Chris sits down with Quint Studer, Founder of Healthcare Plus Solutions Group and one of his most trusted mentors, to dive deep into the transformation of Pensacola, Florida. Quint reveals his powerful framework for community change, sharing essential leadership insights and the challenges of driving real transformation.

Faith is the strength by which a shattered world shall emerge into the light. ~ Helen Keller