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.

The Hospice and Palliative Credentialing Center (HPCC) completed a Certified Hospice and Palliative Licensed Nurse (CHPLN®) Feasibility Study in the spring and summer of 2025 alongside SeaCrest Consulting. The purpose of the study was to better understand interest in the certification and perceived value of the credential by Licensed Practical Nurses and Licensed Vocational Nurses. The study also helped decipher how employers support and encourage certification, employer perceptions on the value of certification, and potential factors contributing to the low volume of exam takers.

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.