Anti-Fraud Task Force Suspends 447 Hospices
A federal anti‑fraud task force led by Vice President J.D. Vance has suspended 447 hospice providers and 23 home‑health agencies in the Los Angeles area over alleged fraud totaling roughly $600 million. The coalition, created by the White House in March, brings together ten federal departments, including Justice, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security and Labor. Investigators say the entities enrolled seniors in hospice or skilled‑home‑health programs without consent, engaged in kickbacks, license‑flipping and duplicate‑address schemes. California hospice leaders welcomed the action, calling it a necessary step to protect Medicare and Medi‑Cal beneficiaries.
Enhanced Hospice Oversight Creates ‘Drastic, Domino’ Effect
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has broadened its Provisional Periods of Enhanced Oversight (PPEO) to include Georgia and Ohio, adding to the original four fraud‑hotspot states. As of June 2025, CMS revoked billing privileges for 122 hospices...
St. Croix Hospice CCO: Transparency, Compliance Fosters Growth
St. Croix Hospice has appointed Tami Johnson-White as its chief compliance officer, bringing three decades of health‑care leadership, including recent CCO work at Guardian Healthcare. She says her top priorities are building transparent, partnership‑based compliance, supporting the organization’s growth across...
HFA Launches New End-of-Life Dementia Care Training
The Hospice Foundation of America (HFA) has launched a new educational program, Best Practices in Hospice Care for Advanced Dementia, to help hospice and palliative teams address the complex needs of patients with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. The curriculum...
Tuesday Health Partners with Humana on Palliative Care
Tuesday Health, a 2023 startup backed by Valtruis and Mass General Brigham Ventures, has partnered with Humana to launch a value‑based palliative‑care program for Texas members on June 1. The initiative offers coordinated clinical guidance, proactive symptom management and continuous support...
Hospice Volunteerism Nears ‘Age of AI’
Hospices are turning to artificial intelligence to boost volunteer recruitment and retention. AI can match volunteers to patients, streamline workflows, and help meet the Medicare mandate that volunteers provide at least 5% of hospice patient‑care hours. Executives from Angel Hands,...
Bridging Access Gaps in Pediatric Palliative Care
Community- and person‑centered models are gaining traction as a way to close access gaps in pediatric palliative care. Leaders from the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine highlight that children in rural, suburban and urban settings face distinct barriers,...
State Associations Urge CMS to Forgo Potential National Hospice Enrollment Moratorium
A coalition of state hospice associations—including Florida, North Carolina, and South Carolina—has written to CMS urging it to reject a proposed national moratorium on new hospice provider enrollments. They argue that a blanket freeze would restrict legitimate hospice growth in...
AI Grief Bots Present ‘New Complexities’ in Bereavement Care
Artificial intelligence is entering bereavement care through "grief bots" that recreate a deceased loved one’s voice, likeness, and mannerisms from audio, video, texts and social‑media data. Companies such as Hereafter.ai, You, Only Virtual, StoryFile and Uare.ai are already offering interactive...
Improving Quality for Gender-Diverse Hospice Patients
At the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine’s annual assembly, clinicians highlighted systemic barriers that prevent transgender and gender‑diverse patients from receiving goal‑concordant end‑of‑life care. Gaps in electronic medical records, billing codes, and staff training leave gender identity information...
Families Face Identity Theft Following a Death
Families of deceased Americans face a growing risk of identity theft as unclosed digital accounts become vulnerable. The California Department of Justice estimates 2.5 million dead individuals have their identities stolen each year, with 800,000 cases directly targeted because the owners...
Empath Health, Trustbridge Solidify Affiliation
Empath Health and Trustbridge have completed a two‑year affiliation, creating Empath Trustbridge Hospice, which now cares for roughly one‑in‑five hospice patients daily in Florida. The merged nonprofit combines the reach of multiple hospice foundations, serving over 100,000 patients across a...
Patient Spreads Word About Hospice En Route to the Stars
Pam Harter, a hospice patient in Napa, California, is campaigning to become the first hospice patient in space while using her journey to highlight the benefits of hospice care. Diagnosed with the rare genetic disorder pseudoxanthoma elasticum, she entered hospice...
Strategies for Hospices Supporting Family Caregivers
Family caregiving in the United States has surged to 63 million adults, a 45% increase since 2015, placing unprecedented strain on hospice providers. End‑of‑life caregivers average 20 hours of support per week, juggling medical, logistical, and emotional duties. Hospices are responding by...
Kara Health Builds JV With Loma Linda University Health
Kara Health, a California hospice and palliative‑care provider, has formed a joint venture with Loma Linda University Health to launch Loma Linda University Hospice serving the Inland Empire’s Riverside and San Bernardino counties. Under the agreement, Kara will run day‑to‑day...
