Hospice Keys

01/28/2026

Hospice and palliative care clinicians see this every day: doing meaningful work inside systems that don’t always support good care.

This video dives into physician agency, moral injury, and how clinicians can make intentional choices -- even when resources are limited.

What are your thoughts?

Palliative care physician and certified physician development coach Christie Mulholland discusses her article, "Reclaiming physician agency in a broken syste...

01/27/2026

Timely access to hospice care can make all the difference -- for patients and families alike.

As Medicare Advantage enrollment grows, there is renewed discussion about bringing hospice into Medicare Advantage plans. Many in hospice care remain concerned that doing so could add delays, prior authorizations, and network restrictions at a moment when patients need immediate, compassionate support.

Hospice was intentionally kept outside Medicare Advantage to protect clinical judgment, patient choice, and speed of care. Recent demonstrations testing a carve-in revealed real challenges including confusion, administrative burden, and limited access to in-network providers.

For those providing hands-on care, this conversation isn’t just policy; it’s about ensuring people receive comfort, dignity, and support without unnecessary barriers when time matters most.

Opposition to a Medicare Advantage hospice “carve-in” remains strong in the field, though some say the lack of one creates a serious gap in the MA

01/26/2026

A new study in PLOS ONE looks at how music affects the brain -- especially how we pay attention, learn, and remember. While it’s science-focused, it helps explain something many in hospice care already know from experience: music can be incredibly powerful.

In hospice care, music therapy isn’t about performance. It’s about comfort, connection, and meeting people where they are. Music can calm anxiety, lift spirits, spark memories, and bring moments of peace to patients and families alike.

It’s encouraging to see research that supports what members of the hospice team witness every day: music truly matters. 💜

🔗 If you’re curious, you can read the article here: https://tinyurl.com/47h5zup3

Music is omnipresent in daily life and may interact with critical cognitive processes including memory. Despite music’s presence during diverse daily activities including studying, commuting, or working, existing literature has yielded mixed results as to whether music improves or impairs memory f...

01/24/2026

When families lose someone they love, the experience is already heavy. Adding confusion and uncertainty only makes it harder.

BestFarewell came out of someone’s personal experience navigating loss - the paperwork, the unanswered questions, the emotional weight that shows up when a loved one is gone.

The idea behind the platform is simple: help reduce chaos during an already difficult time, keep important information in one place, and preserve the stories and memories that make a life meaningful.

Create heartfelt obituaries in 5 minutes with SageLink AI. BestFarewell powers digital memorials, estate management, and end-of-life planning for families, funeral homes, and healthcare systems. Enterprise solutions with HIPAA compliance.

01/23/2026

01/22/2026

Most hospices understand why QAPI is required. What’s far less clear is how to collect data in a way that actually reveals risk, trends, and opportunities for improvement.

QAPI data collection isn’t about dashboards or spreadsheets. It's about collecting the right data, consistently, so leaders can see what’s happening before problems escalate.

In this blog we walk through:
- What QAPI data should accomplish
- The most common data collection mistake
- A real-world example using late nursing visits
- How to turn data into action -- not paperwork

👉 Read the full blog here: https://tinyurl.com/y5u3r4ew

Learn how to collect hospice QAPI data that reveals real problems, patterns, and risks so your improvements are targeted, measurable, and survey-ready.

01/21/2026

01/20/2026

Many hospices struggle with QAPI because they treat it likepaperwork instead of a system.

A strong hospice QAPI program isn’t a binder. It is a structured way to identify risk, improve care, and show measurable improvement over time.

In this post, we break down what QAPI really is, how it works in practice, and how to build a repeatable structure that stands up in survey and improves patient care.

👉 Read the full guide here: https://tinyurl.com/3xy8nwh6

A hospice QAPI program is a data-driven system for identifying risk, improving care, and demonstrating continuous quality improvement under CMS rules.

01/19/2026

Talking about death isn’t easy. For many of us, it’s something we avoid. But asking questions like “What matters most to you?” and “How would you want to be cared for?” can bring clarity and peace to individuals and their loved ones.

When these conversations happen early, they can help families understand each other’s wishes, avoid confusion, and make difficult decisions with confidence. It’s not about being morbid - it’s about making space for meaningful connection and planning.

Not many people are comfortable talking about death and dying, at least not in the middle of a coffee shop. But for LeeAnne Watkins, conversations around death are a part of the job. She’s the …

01/19/2026

In hospice QAPI, documentation matters because it proves that improvement is real, ongoing, and data-driven. Surveyors want to see evidence that problems were identified, actions were taken, results were measured, and decisions were adjusted over time.

This post breaks down:
- What CMS actually expects to see in QAPI documentation
- Common documentation pitfalls that weaken compliance
- How to document improvement in a way that tells a clear story
- Real examples of documentation done well

👉 Read the full post here: https://tinyurl.com/5n8p2u9w

Learn how to document an active, CMS-compliant hospice QAPI program with clear data, actions, re-measurement, and proof of continuous improvement.