Top News Stories from 2025 and Predictions for 2026 Part 1

Part 1 | Top News Stories from 2025, and Predictions for 2026 by Chris Comeaux and Cordt Kassner

In this special episode of TCNtalks/Anatomy of Leadership, Chris Comeaux and Cordt Kassner look back at the most important healthcare, hospice, and aging stories that shaped the close of 2025—and what those headlines reveal beneath the surface.

From AI and digital transformation to Medicare Advantage pressures, workforce realities, financial sustainability, and the evolving role of volunteers, this conversation connects policy and innovation to real-world leadership decisions. Rather than reacting to news in isolation, Chris and Cordt explore how leadership, governance, and values determine whether change strengthens care—or complicates it.

Part 1 sets the foundation by framing 2026 as a hinge year, where deeper forces are already at work. Stay tuned for Part 2, where Chris and Cordt revisit their 2025 predictions and share what they see coming next.

Chapters:
0:00 Opening And New Format
1:45 Holiday Check-In And Warm Winter
3:25 Why Technology Won’t Fix Broken Processes
6:40 Hospice In SNFs And Payment Incentives
9:40 Medicare Advantage Access And AI Authorization
12:20 Volunteers As Core To Hospice Care
14:25 Hospice, Heal Thyself And Margin Realities
16:30 Learning Mode Vs Knowing Mode In Leadership
18:20 Aging Trends, Caregiver Tech, And Ratings
21:00 Hospital Closures And Tough Leadership Truths
23:20 AI Ethics, Surrogates, And Civilizational Values
26:10 Patient-Led Pain Scales And Identity In Aging
28:00 Policy Gridlock And Reform Headwinds
29:00 Using TCN’s Curated Research Library
31:00 Waste, Fraud, Abuse: Enforcement Signals

Host:
Chris Comeaux, President / CEO of TELEIOS

Co-Host:
Cordt Kassner, PhD, Publisher of Hospice & Palliative Care Today
& CEO and Founder of Hospice Analytics

https://www.teleioscn.org/tcntalkspod...