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While awareness has grown, a sound understanding of palliative care — specialized medical care for people living with serious illnesses — still lacks among the general public and among physicians and other healthcare professionals. The misconceptions present a barrier to its wider use, according to Brynn Bowman, CEO, and Allison Silvers, chief healthcare transformation officer, of the Center to Advance Palliative Care, who spoke to McKnight’s Home Care in a Newsmakers podcast. Among the many myths is that palliative care is not paid for; it is a service under Medicare Part B, they clarified.

Months before the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services proposed federal staffing minimums for nursing homes, the American Health Care Association said it would sue over the rule should it offer providers little hope of compliance.

But when that rule was finalized in May — requiring nursing homes to have RNs on site 24 hours a day and increasing hourly direct care requirements from an earlier proposal — finding providers to carry the legal torch wasn’t necessarily a given.

Many providers might shy away from the possible scrutiny lawsuit involvement would bring, the chance to be pilloried in the mainstream media and have their motives questioned by families. But Derek Prince, CEO and Managing Partner of HMG Healthcare, knew he wanted his company play a major role in the case many now see as a last line of defense for the sector.

When AHCA leaders approached him seeking a Texas provider to share their concerns, Prince told them ‘Hell yes!”

“We instill in all of our folks, ‘Take care of people and we can always defend if you're doing what's right and trying to make stuff better and you're trying to take care of our population,’ ” Prince said. “So in this particular instance, we believe that the lawsuit is what's right.”

The CMS rule is too rigid for the many different kinds of nursing homes in the country and the different patient types they serve, Prince argues.

“It was a fairly easy decision to go, ‘If it’s not us, who,?’ and this is the time to step up. We always tell all of our team members, ‘You've got to get out there and execute, and you've got to be effective.’ And we just thought, ‘We have to walk the walk.’”

In this episode hosted by McKnight’s Long-Term Care News Senior Editor Kimberly Marselas, Prince explains his reasoning on the lawsuit, why his company puts quality achievement ahead of staffing stars and what he sees as the best outcome for his patients and the sector.

Signify Health, which is part of CVS Health, is unique in the healthcare ecosystem. While it performs comprehensive home health evaluations, it is not a home care firm per se. Rather, it sees itself as an extension of health plans, primary care providers and specialists, Heidi Schwarzwald, MD, MPH, chief medical officer and SVP of Signify Health, explained to McKnight’s Home Care. It brings data together to create a holistic patient assessment and help inform a patient’s care plan. The company’s data helps stakeholders understand patients’ social barriers to care, social determinants of health, and where behavioral health issues are affecting physical health issues, she said in a McKnight’s Newsmakers podcast.

As home health providers grapple with challenges like workforce shortages and reimbursement pressures, the need for innovative solutions is clear. BAYADA Home Health Care, a nonprofit organization, has addressed these headwinds by making internal improvements — upgrades to its operations, technology and strategy. Mike Johnson, BAYADA’s practice president for home health and chief researcher for home care innovation, told McKnight’s Home Care in a Newsmakers podcast that the company’s efforts have led to greater success and stronger connections with the patients it serves.

Listen as ALIS by Medtelligent founder and CEO John Shafaee speaks with McKnight's Senior Living Editor Lois Bowers to demystify the hype surrounding artificial intelligence and machine learning in the assisted living industry. He also shares specific tools to help investors and operators navigate this new space.

Providers trying to sort out which tactic might be the most likely to save them from rigid new staffing rules slated to roll out in 2026 might feel like they need a map.

In this episode, Melissa Schakowsky, director of government affairs at the Ambassadors Group, takes us on a tour of the possibilities, the paths through Congress and the factors that may ultimately influence a successful outcome.


“This is certainly the most activity that I have seen [in Washington] surrounding long-term care, and I think that really speaks to the gravity of the consequences if this rule becomes finalized and fully implemented,” Schakowsky says. “I think it's more important than ever that our providers engage in advocacy.”

Schakowsky breaks down the differences between the Congressional Review Act and two bills currently being considered that could reverse the rule. She also briefly touches on a complimentary legal strategy. (This episode was recorded the day before the American Health Care Association filed its 56-page lawsuit seeking to have the rule dismissed by a federal court.)

Listen in as Schakowsky breaks down possible timing, strategies that providers can use to help federal lawmakers understand their viewpoints and what role November’s congressional and presidential elections might play.