How to build trust in a new team and establish psychological safety--fast 
TylerHayden.com; by Tyler Hayden; 7/6/26 
Psychological safety is one of the most talked-about concepts in modern leadership — and one of the least understood in practice. Most leaders know they’re supposed to create it. Far fewer know what it actually looks like when it’s missing, what it feels like when it’s present, or how to build it deliberately and quickly when the clock is ticking and the stakes are real. This post is for those leaders. The ones stepping into a new team, a skeptical room, or a group that’s been burned before — and who need more than theory. ...

• What the Absence of Trust Looks Like ...
• The Most Important Five Minutes You’ll Ever Plan ...
• What Psychological Safety Actually Feels Like ...
• A Story: The Group That Almost Didn’t Come ...
• The Trust Bank Account ...
• The Repeatable Framework: Three Steps to Safety ...
• What Destroys Safety — Instantly ...
• How Long Does It Actually Take? ...
• Stepping Into a Team That’s Been Burned ...

Dignity shouldn’t depend on having an address: Holly Klein 
The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, OH; by guest columnist Holly Klein; 7/5/26 
As a hospice nurse for more than 25 years, I’ve cared for people surrounded by family -- and I’ve cared for people who had no one. Today, as executive director and co-founder of Grace House Akron, I care for people who are experiencing homelessness, abandonment or extreme social isolation at the end of life. We provide a home and hospice care at no cost because we believe one simple truth: No one should die alone. I've cared for people living in motels, sleeping in shelters, staying in abandoned buildings or moving from one temporary place to another while facing a terminal illness. ... Hospice is not a place -- it's a model of care. But our healthcare system assumes everyone has somewhere safe to receive it. Many people don't.

Young entrepreneurs raise $4,600 for Hospice & Palliative Care of the Piedmont 
The Index-Journal; by Staff Writer; 7/2/26 
What began in 2023 as two young boys wanting to make a difference has grown into a beloved community tradition benefiting Hospice & Palliative Care of the Piedmont. At just 6 years old, brothers Pat and Wells hosted their first lemonade stand with a goal of raising $1,000. Thanks to the generosity of family, friends, and the community, they exceeded that goal by raising $1,200. Inspired by the outpouring of support, the boys set a $2,000 goal in 2024 and raised $2,500. In 2025, they aimed even higher with a goal of $3,000 and raised $4,082. This year, Pat and Wells welcomed a new team member to the fundraiser—their 3-year-old cousin Keaton ... With the support of family, friends, neighbors, and the community, the young entrepreneurs raised $4,600, making the 2026 event their most successful fundraiser to date. Over the past four years, the lemonade stand has raised a total of $12,382 for the nonprofit organization.

N.J.’s hospice problem is also an equity problem | opinion 
NJ.com; by Christopher Rinn; 7/5/26 
Again and again, families tell me the same thing after a loved one enters hospice care: “We wish we had called sooner.” By the time many New Jersey families reach hospice, they are physically exhausted, emotionally overwhelmed and navigating a medical crisis that has already taken a heavy toll. In our state, the median length of stay in hospice is just 13 days. That means many patients are receiving only days, not months, of the support, comfort and guidance hospice was designed to provide. The biggest reason is not denial or a lack of compassion from families. It is misunderstanding. ...

[Canada] Palliative care is a fundamental human right 
TroyMedia; by Rebecca Vachon; 7/6/26 
... Despite the fact that everyone dies, and despite the fact that something like 180,000 Canadians and their families interact with some form of end-of-life care in a year, I keep confronting the perception that palliative care is a niche issue, not one of broad interest. But this reaction only underscores the poll's findings: namely that many Canadians continue to misunderstnad what palliative care is and isn't. On a more positive note, however, when Canadians do understand it, palliative care is, in fact, identified as a priority issue.

Saluting their own: veterans share sacred bond 
Lovin' Life; by Lin Sue Flood; 7/6/26 
This July, as we celebrate America’s independence, the bonds of military service between two veterans are stronger than ever. This powerful connection drives Hospice of the Valley’s Saluting Our Veterans program, which matches patients with volunteers who also served our country. Especially trained volunteers have completed more than 3,500 tribute visits since the program launched in 2011. For hospice patients like Bill, an Air Force veteran of the Korean War era, these visits bring a profound sense of peace. His volunteer, Tom Kasbeer, is a fellow veteran who visits frequently to talk about the olden days. When I salute him, it makes me feel proud to be a veteran, Tom says. It’s like I have a whole new friend in Mr. Bill.

Investigation revealing $6.5B in healthcare fraud signals more oversight of wound care 
Nurse.com; by Zelda Meeker; 7/6/26 
... Why skin substitutes have become a fraud target: The heightened focus surrounding wound care reflects a dramatic increase in Medicare spending on skin substitute products over the past several years. According to the HHS-OIG, Medicare Part B spending on skin substitutes grew from approximately $256 million in 2019 to more than $10 billion by the end of 2024. The OIG has warned that this rapid increase far outpaced expected utilization and identified significant vulnerabilities for fraud, waste, and abuse under the current reimbursement system. ... In terms of wound care fraud, alleged schemes have included:

• Billing for medically unnecessary skin substitute applications
• Performing repeated applications without documented clinical need
• Treating wounds that had already healed or no longer met Medicare coverage requirements
• Falsifying wound measurements or clinical documentation
• Billing for products that were not used as claimed
• Paying or receiving illegal kickbacks for patient referrals

CMS proposes expanded authority to revoke Medicare privileges 
TechTarget; by Jacqueline LaPointe; 7/6/26 
CMS proposes expanding its authority to revoke Medicare providers in fraud crackdown, while updating home health payments with a 2.4% increase and continued PDGM adjustments. The Trump administration wants to double down on its healthcare fraud, waste and abuse crackdown. This time, policymakers are seeking to expand CMS' powers to remove providers from Medicare -- a move that the agency says will save taxpayers about $82 million a year. The added capabilities are part of the Calendar Year 2027 Home Health Prospective Payment System Proposed Rule (CMS-1844-P), which CMS released ahead of the July 4th weekend.

Core competencies for effective management in any industry 
Markmeets.com; by Web Desk; 7/6/26 
The foundation of success in any sector often depends on strong managerial skills. While each industry may demand specific technical expertise, there is a core set of foundational skills that underpin effective management across all fields. ...

1. Leadership and People Management Skills: The Cornerstone of Managerial Success ...
2. Strategic Thinking and Business Acumen: Driving Organizational Success ...
3. Adaptability and Personal Effectiveness: Navigating a Rapidly Changing Business Environment ...
4. Cultivating a Culture of Collaboration and Ethical Leadership ...
5. The Role of Formal Education and Continuous Development ...
6. How These Skills Translate Across Industries ...
7. Building a Personal Development Plan for Management Success ...

Final Thoughts: Embracing the Journey Toward Managerial Excellence ...

Medicare Advantage insurers deny prior authorization requests for post acute care at substantially higher rates than the overall denial rate 
KFF; by Jeannie Fuglesten Biniek, Meredith Freed, and Juliette Cubanski; 7/6/26 
The OIG recently published two reports finding that Medicare Advantage insurers deny more than half of all prior authorization requests for the most expensive types of post-acute care, including 65% of requests for stays in long-term care hospitals (LTCHs) and 54% of requests for stays in inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs), as well as 12% of requests for stays in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs).

As AI listens to patients, physicians face new questions 
Medscape; by Michael Waldholz; 6/22/26 
Like much of modern life, medicine is rapidly being reshaped by AI. The fastest-growing — and potentially most consequential — application in healthcare is a technology known as “ambient intelligence.” ... According to a new report from the Peterson Health Technology’s AI Taskforce, “There is no technology in recent memory that has been adopted more enthusiastically by clinicians or has scaled up so uncharacteristically fast, absent a regulatory mandate.” But with the enthusiasm comes concern. The AI scribe field is unregulated, so an application’s accuracy isn’t being independently monitored. In one recent study, researchers reported scribes produced inaccuracies that the authors say will require “vigilance.” 

Three billion people on the face of the earth go to bed hungry every night, but four billion people go to bed every night hungry for a simple word of encouragement and recognition. ~ Cavett Robert