HPNA News

HPNA’s Advocacy Toolkit is now available for download. This resource is a great way to get started with HPNA’s policy initiatives and advocate at the local, state, and national levels.

The designation of Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association (HPNA) Fellow in Palliative Care Nursing (FPCN®) is bestowed upon HPNA members who have made significant contributions to HPNA, the Hospice and Palliative Credentialing Center (HPCC), and/or the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Foundation (HPNF), while also impacting the field of hospice and palliative nursing. HPNA fellows are leading the way for the future of hospice and palliative nursing as clinicians, researchers, managers, and advocates. These individuals will be recognized in-person at the 2026 HPNA Annual Conference from May 7–8, 2026, in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.

Congress passed legislation Wednesday to end the weeks-long government shutdown, funding the government through January 30, 2026, and reinstating telehealth flexibilities among other healthcare extenders. The final vote in the House was 222-209 with two Republicans opposed to the legislation and six Democrats voting for it, and the bill was signed into law soon after. The bill includes a continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government through January 30 and provides full fiscal year (FY) 2026 appropriations for Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, Legislative Branch, and Agriculture, and the Food and Drug Administration. It also reinstates through the end of January all healthcare extenders, including: Medicare telehealth flexibilities, the Acute Hospital at Home waiver, Medicare-dependent hospital program, community health centers, prevention of Medicaid disproportionate share hospital (DSH) cuts, and low-income Medicare programs.

The Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association (HPNA) congratulates the following individuals on being selected as 2026 HPNA Award recipients.

HPNA joined a broad alliance of health care providers this week in urging federal policymakers to enact a long-term extension of telehealth flexibilities, restore telehealth services that expired in October, and work with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to ensure retroactive payment to clinicians who continued providing telehealth services during this funding lapse. For more information on HPNA’s advocacy work, please join the HPNA Advocacy Network here.

The Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association (HPNA) hosted the HPNA Annual Conference last week from October 27–28 in Lake Buena Vista, FL. The event kicked off with an insightful keynote presentation delivered by Betty Ferrell, RN, PhD, MA, CHPN®, FAAN, FPCN®. Dr. Ferrell shared insights from her 25 years of experience providing palliative care and urged all nurses to use education as a force for improving care.

Congressional leaders were unable to negotiate a federal funding bill this week, and a government shutdown is now in effect. It is unclear how long this lapse in funding will last; historically, some shutdowns have lasted a few days, and the longest, in 2018, was for 34 days. Among the programs impacted by the funding lapse is one of HPNA’s policy priorities: the extension of pandemic-era telehealth flexibilities, which are expired as of September 30 and will only be renewed if Congress provides funding for the extension in the next appropriations bill. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has provided some guidance for providers during this time, but it has not indicated whether claims for telehealth services delivered outside rural areas and other settings will be covered retroactively after the government reopens. HPNA’s advocacy team continues to monitor the funding lapse and telehealth extension. Please join the Advocacy Network for frequent updates and advocacy engagement opportunities, or reach out to the advocacy team with any questions.

HPNA hosted a briefing on Capitol Hill September 17 for House and Senate staff and representatives of partner organizations that highlighted the important work hospice and palliative nurses do every day and underscored the need for continued support of federal programs that support this work, such as the National Institutes for Nursing Research (NINR), Title VIII education and workforce grants, and palliative care research through the National Institutes of Health. 

The 2025 Brandon Hall Group™ HCM Excellence Awards® recognizes best practices for initiatives in Learning and Development, Talent Management, Leadership Development, Talent Acquisition, Human Resources, Sales Performance, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, and the Future of Work.

Do you have a few minutes? Take part in the HPNA Membership challenge for your chance to win a $250 Amazon Gift Card! Simply complete the tasks. The deadline to submit is October 24.

The Hospice and Palliative Credentialing Center (HPCC) and National End-of-Life Doula Alliance (NEDA) are working together to gauge interest in development of a certification program for End-of-Life Doulas. Certification is defined as a non-governmental and voluntary process. A certification program would be administered through a national, non-profit organization and participation would be voluntary. While certification might require training, it would not be limited to training provided by any specific training providers.

The Hospice and Palliative Nurses Foundation (HPNF) and the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association (HPNA) mourn the loss of our beloved colleague and friend, Dr. Jiayun Xu, a brilliant nurse scientist, devoted mentor, and passionate advocate for patients, families, and caregivers.

The U54 grant application entitled Advancing the Science of Palliative Care Research Across the Lifespan (ASCENT) Consortium) has been funded. This will include a national consortium of experts in palliative care that will advance innovative, high-quality research to improve care for people living with serious illness by providing resources and expertise in a coordinated manner.

The National Coalition for Hospice and Palliative Care is launching an open call for experts to join the Guideline Expert Panel (GEP) for the 5th Edition of the Clinical Practice Guidelines for Quality Palliative Care. These Guidelines provide a blueprint for excellence in the delivery of high-quality, person- and family-centered palliative care across all disciplines and settings.

Before Congress adjourned for the August district work period last week, the Senate Appropriations Committee passed legislation to fund the Departments of Labor, Health, and Human Services, and Education for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026. This bill still must be voted on by the full Senate and negotiated with the House Appropriations Committee, but it is a positive step forward for nursing education and research, in particular because it includes language preserving the National Institutes for Nursing Research (NINR) and Title VIII nursing education and workforce development programs, which were proposed to be eliminated in the President’s budget. Additionally, the bill provides continued funding for palliative care research through the National Institutes of Aging.