Hospice at a Crossroads: The Top News Stories Leaders Can’t Ignore | Part Two

 For hospice leaders, the stakes go far beyond keeping up with the news—they reach into every decision that shapes patient care, public trust, and the future of the mission.

Hospice’s future is being shaped by the headlines leaders cannot afford to overlook.  In Part Two of Hospice at a Crossroads, Chris Comeaux and Cordt Kassner look beyond the most-clicked stories to explore the developments that deserve a place on every healthcare leader’s agenda.  Drawing from Hospice and Palliative Care Today, they connect industry news to the decisions facing hospice professionals, nonprofit executives, and business leaders.

From fraud’s damage to public trust to the growing urgency of caregiver support and workforce sustainability, this conversation examines the pressures reshaping hospice and palliative care.  Chris and Cordt also explore AI implementation and governance, tools for predicting hospice length of stay, consolidation, and the strategic questions surrounding private equity and hospice’s place in the broader healthcare system.

Along the way, lessons from Netflix, enterprise software projects, and healthcare branding bring the discussion back to leadership: recognizing change, asking better questions, and staying grounded in the mission when decisions meet resistance.  This episode challenges leaders to turn information into thoughtful action for the people delivering care—and the patients and families depending on them.

Five key takeaways

• Public trust requires leadership attention. Fraud stories can damage perceptions of the entire hospice field, making integrity, accountability, and clear communication essential.
• Caregiver support belongs on the strategic agenda. The conversation highlights the emotional and practical demands of caregiving and the growing attention to benefits, policy, and technology.
• Workforce planning must extend beyond recruitment. Leaders need to consider how they will sustain their teams as care needs and demographic pressures evolve.
• AI adoption raises deeper operational questions. Predictive tools and AI agents prompt discussion about governance, implementation, and how organizations will use new information.
• Mission should guide adaptation. Branding, technology investments, and changing care models call for leaders who listen carefully, explain their purpose, and respond thoughtfully to resistance.
  
  

Which headline deserves a place on your next leadership meeting agenda? Listen to Part Two, share it with your team, and choose one issue to turn into a meaningful conversation.  Subscribe to TCNtalks / Anatomy of Leadership for more perspectives that connect leadership decisions to better care for patients and families.

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