National Hospice Locator – Sixth quality score update
Hospice Analytics blog; by Cordt T. Kassner; 10/14/25
Based on feedback from hospice leaders nationwide, the sixth update of the hospice quality score calculation was uploaded on October 14, 2025. Launched in 2012, the National Hospice Locator helps individuals find hospice providers in their area and now averages 15,000+ monthly visits and searches. Beginning in 2023, the default sort order changed to prioritize quality scores, offering a more meaningful measure of excellence. This marks the first (and only) publicly available national ranking of all hospices by quality. Notably, nine hospices achieved a perfect score of 100 in this update. Congratulations:

1. Avow Hospice, FL
2. Hospice of Central Ohio, OH
3. Brite Health Services, TX
4. Alpha Omega Hospice, TX
5. Frontier Hospice, OK
6. Angels Grace Hospice, IL
7. Hospice of Lenawee, MI
8. Hospice of Miami County, OH
9. AseraCare Hospice, NE

Hospice quality matters - and the time is now.

HHAC welcomes new Executive Director and association management partner
HHAC blog; 10/15/25
The Home Care and Hospice Association of Colorado (HHAC) is proud to announce that Matt Hansen has been appointed executive director, marking an exciting new chapter in the association’s leadership and advocacy for home-based health and hospice care across the state. HHAC has also partnered with The Solution, an association management firm founded in Colorado, to provide association management and administrative services.
Publisher's note: Congratulations Matt!

Chesapeake Supportive Care and Southern Maryland House Calls partner to expand access to in-home palliative care in Calvert County 
Southern Maryland News Net, Chesapeake, MD; 10/16/25 
Chesapeake Supportive Care (CSC), the palliative care arm of Hospice of the Chesapeake, is excited to announce a new partnership with Southern Maryland House Calls (SMHC), a trusted leader in home-based geriatric care, to enhance access to palliative care services for residents of Calvert County. ... “Southern Maryland House Calls has been an exceptional partner in caring for our shared patients,” Becky Miller, President and CEO of Hospice of the Chesapeake, said. “Together, we’re building on that relationship to help more people access the kind of care that truly improves quality of life.”

Center provides hospice care options 
The Laker / Lutz News, New Port Richey, FL; Press Release; 10/15/25 
Gulfside Healthcare Services celebrated the opening of its newest inpatient care facility Sept. 19 in New Port Richey. Guests not only toured patient rooms and family areas but also applauded the announcement of a gift by Dr. Jay Weil. The new care center will be called the Dr. Jay Weil Center for Hospice Care in honor of his generosity. Gulfside Healthcare Services celebrated the opening of its newest inpatient care facility Sept. 19 in New Port Richey. Guests not only toured patient rooms and family areas but also applauded the announcement of a gift by Dr. Jay Weil. The new care center will be called the Dr. Jay Weil Center for Hospice Care in honor of his generosity.

From mom-care to action: Identifying the crises in eldercare 
Minnesota Women's Press; by Amy Gage; 10/15/25 
“I didn’t set out to write a book,” author Judy Karofsky said. ... “My mom was my inspiration.” ... DisElderly Conduct: The Flawed Business of Assisted Living and Hospice (New Village Press, 2025) ... began as a notebook of jokes and one-liners that her mom would toss off during their time together. A one-time amateur comedienne, Lillian Deutsch “was an amazing personality,” Karofsky says. DisElderly Conduct walks readers through Karofsky’s journey through six assisted living facilities and eventual hospice care before her mother’s death in 2018. Several themes emerge in the well-researched book:

• Unlike nursing homes, assisted living facilities lack federal regulation.
• Facilities are marketed to downsizing retirees — and desperate, grieving family members — as more homelike, active environments than they have the staff or resources to be.

Hospice, as compassionate as the concept sounds, “is a business, with a bottom line,” Karofsky says. Its strict requirements for Medicare coverage include the expectation that a patient will die within six months.

Understanding parts of Medicare: A through N explained 
U.S. News & World Report / WTOP News; 10/14/25 
The alphabet soup of Medicare — multiple parts and plans, starting with A all the way through N — can be bewildering, especially for those who are newly eligible for Medicare. In this guide, we break down each part of Medicare to help you find the best health insurance fit for your needs.

Medicare aborts apparent plan to pause all physician payments during shutdown 
MedPageToday; by Shannon Firth; 10/16/25 
Amid the federal government shutdown, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on Wednesday appeared to announce a pause on all Medicare payments to doctors, but then quickly backed off. An initial notice stated that CMS had instructed all Medicare Administrative Contractors to temporarily hold "all claims paid under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, ground ambulance transport claims, and all Federally Qualified Health Center claims" with dates of service of Oct. 1 and later. ... But within hours, the agency issued another notice saying it would only stop processing claims related to expired programs such as certain telehealth and hospital-at-home services, both of which had been expected ahead of the shutdown.

Oasis Hospice & Palliative Care unveils scholarship program for health care, social work students
Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 10/14/25 
Chicago-based Oasis Hospice & Palliative Care has launched a new initiative designed to bolster its workforce. The company’s charitable arm, the Oasis Foundation, is now offering the Pathway to Purpose Scholarship, which includes $2,500 in tuition dollars for students whose lives have been shaped by hospice or palliative care. New clinicians and other interdisciplinary group members who have had past, personal experience with hospice and palliative care can enrich hospice teams, according to Toso Mohammed Haruna, content strategist for Oasis Hospice & Palliative Care. 

CommonSpirit Health to acquire Good Samaritan Hospice 
WTWO/WAWV, Vincennes/Terre Haute, IN; by Brayton Riley; 10/16/25 
... As we have previously reported, Good Samaritan planned on closing its hospice program at the end of 2025. However, leadership began looking at ways that would allow hospice services to continue. During that process, Good Samaritan said CommonSpirit Health was identified as the best organization to assume ownership of the services. ... Rob McLin, CEO of Good Samaritan [said,] “After announcing the planned closure, our goal was to find a qualified organization that could continue this vital service for our community. CommonSpirit Health at Home’s acquisition of our hospice program ensures that care will continue seamlessly, delivered by the same trusted caregivers who have supported patients and families for years.” ... The transition is anticipated to take effect in February of 2026. 
Editor's Note: Per the National Hopice Locator, over a dozen hospices are named "Good Samaritan"; this is located in Vincennes, Indiana. 

From her hospice bed, Sister Grace Miller watches her new homeless shelter come to life 
WXXI News NPR, Rochester, NY; by Gino Fanelli; 10/15/25  
The last mission of Sister Grace Miller is set to come to life through a partnership with the Open Door Mission. La Madonna Della Strada, or “The Lady of the Streets,” will operate a new low-barrier overnight shelter for men on West Main Street. The shelter has capacity for up to 25 people. Folding cots dot the floor of the space in a grid, and the space also includes a full kitchen and bathrooms. The building’s signage reads “Sister Grace’s Homeless Shelter.” Miller, who currently is in hospice care, first announced plans to launch a new shelter in 2023 ... 

• Hearts for Home Care and BAYADA Home Health Care announced the upcoming retirement of David Totaro, chief government affairs officer and president and executive director of Hearts for Home Care, effective at the end of 2025, having served in these roles for 16 years.

If one door closes and another one opens, your house is probably haunted. ~ Unknown