Literature Review



HR1: The One Big Beautiful Bill Act - Provisions relevant to Medicaid HCBS providers

07/09/25 at 02:00 AM

HR1: The One Big Beautiful Bill Act - Provisions relevant to Medicaid HCBS providersNational Alliance for Care at Home; 7/7/25The Alliance has created a detailed summary for providers that deliver Medicaid-funded home and community-based services (HCBS) about provisions in the House Resolution 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, also known as the “Reconciliation” bill. View the Alliance's recent statement following House passage of the bill. President Trump signed the legislation on July 4, 2025, and therefore the provisions below will now become law.Publisher's note: Membership required to access full analysis. Also, direct hospice impact appears minimal; indirect hospice impact (e.g., hospice impact as a result of Medicaid nursing home impact) unclear.

Read More

What might the past suggest about rural emergency services amidst critical access hospitals’ decline?

07/08/25 at 03:00 AM

What might the past suggest about rural emergency services amidst critical access hospitals’ decline? AMA Journal of Ethics, American Medical Association; by Siân Lewis-Bevan, MD, MPH, EMT-B and Stephen Powell, MD; July 2025Critical access and other rural hospitals have struggled to remain open, which exacerbates inequity in rural residents’ access to routine and emergency health services and strains already-taxed rural emergency medical services (EMS). This article discusses the recent history of rural hospital closures and their effects on rural emergency care. This article also suggests modifications to EMS policy and practice that could improve rural community members’ access to health services and bolster EMS services in rural areas.

Read More

Reopening of Hospice House stalls after Seasons Hospice exits Steele County

07/08/25 at 03:00 AM

Reopening of Hospice House stalls after Seasons Hospice exits Steele County Southernminn, Faribault, MN; by Annie Harman; 7/1/25 What has been a continuing journey of peaks and valleys has come upon yet another roadblock as volunteers with the Homestead Hospice House announce the reopening of the residential hospice facility will be put on hold. The news comes after Seasons Hospice, a nonprofit hospice care organization based out of Rochester, has made the decisions to discontinue their home care and hospice services in Steele County. Seasons had initially partnered with the board of the Homestead Hospice House in August 2024 to work toward reopening the facility, raising $850,000 — $350,000 to reopen the facility and cover startup funds for IT and staff, and an additional $500,000 to secure operating funds for the first year. 

Read More

Creach Family Holdings acquires Freudenthal Home-Based Healthcare to expand in-home care services

07/08/25 at 03:00 AM

Creach Family Holdings acquires Freudenthal Home-Based Healthcare to expand in-home care services Associated Press, Overland Park, MO; Press Release; 7/2/25 Creach Family Holdings, LLC (CFH), a privately held investment firm focused on healthcare technology and tech-enabled services, today announced the acquisition of Freudenthal Home-Based Healthcare, a leading provider of in- home health services based in St. Joseph, Missouri. ... Freudenthal Home-Based Healthcare will continue to operate under its existing name and will become part of CFH’s growing Home Health and Hospice group which includes Faith Home Health and Hospice, with headquarters in Overland Park, KS.

Read More

Today's Encouragement: We all have wisdom inside us, but ...

07/08/25 at 03:00 AM

We all have wisdom inside us, my friend, but it's a very quiet, gentle voice, so you might need to be very still to hear it. ~ James Norbury, The Journey

Read More

How AI is redefining the nurse’s day

07/08/25 at 03:00 AM

How AI is redefining the nurse’s day Becker's Health IT; by Naomi Diaz; 7/3/25 As generative AI continues to make its way into healthcare, chief nursing informatics officers say the technology’s influence is expanding beyond documentation and reshaping the way nurses work. [Examples described include the following:]

Read More

Introducing Little Lights Pediatric Hospice

07/08/25 at 03:00 AM

Introducing Little Lights Pediatric Hospice Bristol Hospice; Blog; 7/1/25 When a child faces a life-limiting diagnosis, every moment becomes precious—and that’s why Bristol Hospice is shining a new light on pediatric care. On July 1, 2025, we’re proud to launch Little Lights Pediatric Hospice—our first dedicated program designed specifically for young patients and their families, initially available in Hawaii. ... Little Lights Pediatric Hospice is a specialized program under Bristol Hospice dedicated to providing holistic, family-centered care for children with life-limiting conditions. 

Read More

Hospice programs shutter amid financial strains

07/08/25 at 03:00 AM

Hospice programs shutter amid financial strains Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 7/3/25 Financial and staffing headwinds are chipping away at hospices’ sustainability, with some providers recently pausing or closing their programs. Concerns have also mounted amid federal Medicaid cuts.

Read More

5 ways to have a ‘good death’ — including one of the biggest mistakes people make

07/08/25 at 03:00 AM

5 ways to have a ‘good death’ — including one of the biggest mistakes people make New York Post; by Reda Wigle; 7/3/25 No one gets out of life alive — but one expert says we can take steps to make sure we leave the earthly plane riding the high of a “good death.” “While 80% of people want to die at home surrounded by loved ones, only 30% actually do,” End Well founder Dr. Shoshana Ungerleider told The Post. “This massive gap reflects our system’s inability to honor what patients actually value.” As our cultural relationship to mortality has changed, Ungerleider notes that we have become disconnected from the process of death and, in turn, fail to plan appropriately for it. But if you’re not sure where to start, she has a helpful checklist of everything you should be doing to avoid a “bad death.”

Read More

A physician’s reflection on love, loss, and finding meaning in grief [podcast]

07/08/25 at 03:00 AM

A physician’s reflection on love, loss, and finding meaning in grief [podcast] The Podcast by KevinMD; KevinMD's podcast with hospitalist Jasminka Vukanovic-Crily; 7/1/25 Hospitalist Jasminka Vukanovic-Criley discusses her article, “When grief hits all at once: a morning of heartbreak and love.” Jasminka shares a deeply personal account of a Saturday morning where unexpected news of the passing of two friends, Natasa’s mother Mirjana and her friend Thomas, both from cancer, suddenly immersed her in profound grief. She reflects on the fragility of life and the ripple effect of these losses, which led to a cascade of memories: ... 

Read More

When less is more: Addressing polypharmacy in high-risk populations

07/08/25 at 03:00 AM

When less is more: Addressing polypharmacy in high-risk populations Pharmacy Times; by Andrew E. Esch, MD, MBA and Alain Hipensteele; 7/7/25 As digital health tools and artificial intelligence (AI)–powered clinical decision support systems become increasingly embedded in pharmacy workflows, pharmacists are gaining new opportunities to identify and address the risks of polypharmacy—particularly in high-risk populations such as older adults and those receiving palliative care. At the same time, evolving deprescribing guidelines and ongoing drug shortages have underscored the need for coordinated, patient-centered medication management strategies. In this interview with Pharmacy Times®, Andrew E. Esch, MD, MBA, director of the Palliative Care Program Development at the Center to Advance Palliative Care, discusses how pharmacists are using emerging technologies to streamline medication reviews, reduce therapeutic duplication, and engage caregivers in deprescribing conversations. 

Read More

Reimagining hospice in an AI world: In a digital age, how should technology & humanity coexist?

07/08/25 at 03:00 AM

Reimagining hospice in an AI world: In a digital age, how should technology & humanity coexist?HomeCare; by Michelle Cone; 6/3/25Technology is transforming home-based care, but not at the expense of the human touch. As the industry embraces tools like telehealth, remote monitoring and artificial intelligence (AI)-powered care planning, the goal isn’t to replace caregivers but to support them. These innovations boost efficiency and communication, but the heart of hospice—real connection, empathy and human presence—still drives care during what is often a deeply emotional time for families.

Read More

20 states sue after the Trump administration releases private Medicaid data to deportation official

07/08/25 at 03:00 AM

20 states sue after the Trump administration releases private Medicaid data to deportation officials Associated Press (AP), Washington, DC; by Amanda Seitz and Kimberly Kindy; 7/1/25The Trump administration violated federal privacy laws when it turned over Medicaid data on millions of enrollees to deportation officials last month, California Attorney General Rob Bonta alleged on Tuesday, saying he and 19 other states’ attorneys general have sued over the move. Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s advisers ordered the release of a dataset that includes the private health information of people living in California, Illinois, Washington state, and Washington, D.C., to the Department of Homeland Security, The Associated Press first reported last month. All of those states allow non-U.S. citizens to enroll in Medicaid programs that pay for their expenses using only state taxpayer dollars.

Read More

Today's Encouragement: There's zero correlation betwen ...

07/08/25 at 03:00 AM

There's zero correlation between being the best talker and having the best ideas. ~ Susan Cain

Read More

Hospice Savannah launches The GUIDE Model for Dementia Care

07/08/25 at 03:00 AM

Hospice Savannah launches The GUIDE Model for Dementia Care Savannah Business Journal; by Staff Report; 6/30/25 Hospice Savannah will launch their latest program, Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience (GUIDE), on July 1 through the Steward Center for Palliative Care in partnership with the Edel Caregiver Institute. The GUIDE model offers enhanced services for people living with dementia along with support for their caregivers. Its’ focus is to bring high-quality dementia care for all individuals, including those in underserved communities.GUIDE recognizes the complex challenges families face in caring for a loved one with dementia. This model provides a framework for delivering care with additional resources that were not available until now.  

Read More

Visiting nurse organization makes interim leader permanent

07/08/25 at 03:00 AM

Visiting nurse organization makes interim leader permanent Valley News, White River Junction, VT; by Lukas Dunford; 7/3/25 The board of Visiting Nurse and Hospice for Vermont and New Hampshire has appointed a new chief executive officer. Tammy L. Tarsa, who has served as interim CEO and president of VNH since March, will replace Johanna Beliveau, who served as CEO from 2018 to 2025. Tarsa began at VNH as chief clinical officer in 2022. Since then, she led a financial sustainability plan and improved VNH’s hospice rating to four stars. The rating is based on a family caregiver experience survey, which the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services, or CMS, uses to assess the experiences of patients and their informal primary caregivers. Tarsa also increased payouts by 310% from the Home Health Value-Based Purchasing Model, a program designed by the CMS to reward quality and efficiency in home health care. 

Read More

Essentia Health is putting Duluth Hospice patients in jeopardy, healthcare workers speak out

07/08/25 at 02:00 AM

Essentia Health is putting Duluth Hospice patients in jeopardy, healthcare workers speak out Minnesota Nurses Association; Press Release; 7/1/25 In a move hospice nurses are calling “cruel and unnecessary,” Essentia Health has informed staff that it will suspend patient care at Solvay Hospice House beginning July 8, the same day an open-ended unfair labor practice (ULP) strike is set to begin across Duluth hospitals. The Minnesota Nurses Association has proposed seven bargaining dates in the week before the strike, but Essentia Health has not accepted a single date for Solvay Hospice House or its hospitals and clinics. Solvay healthcare workers say these transfers are not being driven by a shortage of caregivers, but by Essentia’s refusal to engage in good faith bargaining with frontline healthcare workers at Solvay and across Duluth facilities. Caregivers at Solvay have been seeking a fair contract for nearly a year. 

Read More

Natural disasters, climate change, and the impact on hospice and palliative care teams and their patients

07/07/25 at 03:10 AM

Natural disasters, climate change, and the impact on hospice and palliative care teams and their patients American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM) Quarterly; by Larry Beresford; Summer 2025 Edition, 7/3/25 Several recent natural disasters, including highly destructive wildfires in Los Angeles and Maui and flooding in the North Carolina hills caused by rains from Hurricane Helene, have provided vivid reminders that disasters can happen anywhere, anytime. Hospice and palliative care providers, responsible for the care of patients with serious illnesses who live in their homes and in long-term care facilities, could be dealing with disruptions in power or phone service, other communication barriers, staffing shortages, impassible roads, even large-scale evacuations of their patients. ... Are agencies doing what they can to plan, prepare, and practice for managing disasters, which could also include human-caused crises or events like earthquakes that are not subject to weather or climate?

Read More

Avera Medical Minute: Family shares their experience with hospice care

07/07/25 at 03:00 AM

Avera Medical Minute: Family shares their experience with hospice care Dakota News Now, Sioux Falls, SD; by Dakota News Now staff; 6/30/25 Hospice care is more than just medical support. At the Dougherty Hospice House, it can be considered a home away from home, where staff aim to offer patients and their families the assistance and comfort they need during this difficult time. In this Avera Medical Minute, one Sioux Falls family shares how, thanks to the hospice team, they were able to focus on spending time with their loved one. Craig Lloyd was known as a development leader in the Sioux Falls community, building homes and more throughout the city. “He had a big heart, so he just kept trying to improve things, his thought was always ‘God put me on this Earth to make it better,’” said Craig’s wife, Pat Lloyd. ... Craig was also in Florida at the time when he needed hospice care and Pat credits the work of Avera and the hospice team in making a smooth transition for Craig from there to home in Sioux Falls and then to Dougherty Hospice House.

Read More

Home Health & Hospice’s 35th Jiggety Jog surpasses goal: Annual fundraiser supports McClure Miller Respite House

07/07/25 at 03:00 AM

Home Health & Hospice’s 35th Jiggety Jog surpasses goal: Annual fundraiser supports McClure Miller Respite House Vermont Biz (VB), The University of Vermont Health Network - Home Health & Hospice; by Tim; 7/3/25 A rainy forecast couldn’t stop supporters of the McClure Miller Respite House from gathering on May 31 for the University of Vermont Health Network - Home Heath & Hospice’s 35th Jiggety Jog. The annual 5K run/walk raises funds to directly support the care of residents at the Respite House in Colchester. The 2025 Jiggety Jog included 247 participants and secured 530 donations surpassing the event goal of $125,000. Meeting this goal will provide more than 140 days of care at Vermont’s only Medicare-certified inpatient hospice residence. 

Read More

Pennant announces home health acquisition in Southern California

07/07/25 at 03:00 AM

Pennant announces home health acquisition in Southern California Classic 96.7 FM BWZ, Eagle, ID; 7/1/25; 7/1/25 The Pennant Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: PNTG), the parent company of the Pennant group of affiliated home health, hospice, home care and senior living companies, announces the acquisition of a premier home health agency, GrandCare Health Services. The newly acquired agency, to be known as GrandCare Home Health, provides services in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Diego counties in California, and broadens Pennant’s service area in the region. 

Read More

Children and their families: Grief and coping with flood disaster news about camps

07/07/25 at 03:00 AM

Children, grief and flood disaster news about campsCompilation by Hospice & Palliative Care Today; by Joy Berger; 7/6/25Summer can be both a healing and vulnerable time for grieving children, especially those attending bereavement camps. The devastating flooding in Texas, resulting in the deaths of children at summer camps, has undoubtedly shaken many communities, particularly families and professionals involved in grief care. This type of tragedy can retraumatize children already processing loss and create new layers of anxiety and sorrow for parents and counselors. Here’s how families and grief care professionals might be coping, along with some practical and emotional support strategies:

Read More

Center for Acute Hospice Care to close in August

07/07/25 at 03:00 AM

Center for Acute Hospice Care to close in August 29 News, Charlottesville, VA; by Jacob Phillips; 7/1/25 After nearly a decade of offering around-the-clock end-of-life care, Hospice of the Piedmont is closing their Center for Acute Hospice Care (CAHC) on Ivy Road in Charlottesville in August. “It gives us an opportunity to concentrate more on where patients want to be, which is home, and those services will still be provided,” Hospice of the Piedmont President and CEO Nancy Littlefield said. “[CAHC] is a 10-bed unit that we lease...and it’s for patients who might be having needs of a higher level of hospice care.” Littlefield says the main reason for closing the center is the lease is coming to an end and with uncertainty surrounding federal budget cuts of hospice care, continuing in this location is not sustainable. “Our hospice, as well as all hospices across the state, are having to be very cautious about what Medicaid and other reimbursement changes may occur under the current administration,” Littlefield said, “and I think the worst thing we can do for families and patients is to not be prepared.”

Read More

Medicaid provisions threaten home and community-based services for millions of vulnerable Americans

07/07/25 at 03:00 AM

Medicaid provisions threaten home and community-based services for millions of vulnerable Americans National Alliance for Care at Home, Alexandria, VA and Washington, DC; Press Release; 7/3/25The National Alliance for Care at Home (the Alliance) issued the following statement today in response to the House’s passage of the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” also known as the Reconciliation bill, which now heads to President Trump’s desk for his signature. “The Alliance is deeply troubled by the Medicaid provisions within the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which has passed both chambers of Congress and now awaits President Trump’s signature,” said Alliance CEO Dr. Steve Landers. “These provisions—including work requirements, reduced provider taxes, and new cost-sharing mandates—prioritize short-sighted budget savings over the health and wellbeing of our most vulnerable citizens who rely on home and community-based services (HCBS).” The home care community advocated throughout the legislative process for Congress to mitigate these harmful Medicaid provisions.

Read More

Petaluma and Santa Rosa hospice workers kick off 2-day strike against Providence

07/07/25 at 03:00 AM

Petaluma and Santa Rosa hospice workers kick off 2-day strike against Providence Petaluma Argus-Courier, Petaluma, CA; 7/2/25 Nearly 100 hospice workers and supporters protested in Petaluma and Santa Rosa on Wednesday as part of a two-day strike against what they call bad-faith bargaining with Providence as the health care giant joins forces with a private equity-backed hospice company. The hospice workers, who are represented by the National Union of Healthcare Workers, said they’ve been locked in negotiations for their first contract for two years and are frustrated with Providence’s “stalling.” They accuse the health care provider of not wanting to settle their contract while it works on a joint venture with a for-profit company. 

Read More