Literature Review

The future of the hospice physician: HOPE, staffing & technology Maxwell TEC; podcast by Tom Maxwell with Dr. Andrew Mayo and Dr. Tiffany Richter; 12/15/25... In this episode, Tom sits down with two of the most respected clinical leaders in the country: Dr. Andrew Mayo (Chief Medical Officer, St. Croix Hospice) and Dr. Tiffany Richter (Chief Medical Officer, Agape Care Group). They break down the debate between full-time vs. contracted physicians, the "hybrid" model that is winning, and the heartbreaking regulatory gaps preventing dialysis patients from accessing hospice care. Plus, they share deeply personal stories that remind us why we do this work. 

West End Health Foundation awards $15,000 to Trillium House hospice care MyUpNow.com, Ishpeming, MI; by Alexandria Bournonville; 12/15/25 To support locally based hospice care, the West End Health Foundation (WEHF) awarded $15,000 to Trillium House, a Marquette-based hospice care center. ... “This grant will help cover some of the cost of caring for those who need hospice support at Trillium House for a total of 50 days a year for three years," said Trillium House Executive Director Melissa Cavill. "That’s 150 days of high-quality, compassionate care in a safe and home-like environment, and it’s all designated specifically for West End residents.”Editor's Note: By translating dollars into days of hospice care, this message makes the grant's impact visible and human. It reminds us that return on investment is not only financial, but measured in serving hospice patients and families through the dying moments that matter most. How does your organization give meaning to its numbers? 

David J. Jones appointed CEO of Sacred Heart, parent of Faith and Freudenthal Home Health & Hospice EIN Presswire; by Creach Family Holdings; 12/16/25 Sacred Heart, the parent organization of Faith Home Health & Hospice and Freudenthal Home Health & Hospice, is proud to announce the appointment of David J. Jones as its new Chief Executive Officer. David brings more than 22 years of experience in home health, hospice, and therapy services to the role.

How palliative services can smooth over transitions of care Hospice News; by Kevin Ryan; 12/17/25 Transitions of care are crucial moments for patients, often fraught with risks, but palliative care providers can help ensure that the changes go more smoothly. One way of doing this is through transitional care. Transitional care is a dynamic and highly personalized type of care that provides care services to assist patients as they move between different levels of health care. This may include a patient transitioning from a hospital setting to another care facility, or to their home. Transitional care helps bridge service gaps and enhances communication as patients move between health care settings, according to Dr. Diane Meier, founder of the Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC). 

Small but mighty: 5 lessons from smaller teams delivering high-quality palliative care CAPC; by Megan Hesketh; 12/16/25 ... High-quality palliative care isn’t defined by program size or budget—it’s defined by consistency, collaboration, and a shared commitment to patients and families. Across the country, smaller palliative care programs are demonstrating what’s possible when teams focus on training, teamwork, and outcomes that matter. In summer 2025, CAPC spoke with twenty smaller organizations—community hospitals, critical access hospitals, independent hospices, and small practice groups serving fewer than 150 beds—to understand how they sustain their commitment to high-quality palliative care. Their experiences highlight what makes these programs effective: clear structures, intentional learning, and a deep sense of accountability to their communities.

Countdown to 2026: New Year changes in telehealth impacting Medicare providersJD Supra; by Christopher Guthrie, Kenya Hagans, Shamika Mazyck, Aaron Sagedahl, Quarles & Brady LLP; 12/16/25 The manner in which services are provided via telehealth has the potential to look very different for healthcare providers—particularly those providing services to Medicare patients—in 2026. ...

Palliative and end of life care: CEJA reports American Medical Association (AMA); updated 12/15/25 Reports by the Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs (CEJA) interpret the AMA Principles of Medical Ethics to provide practical ethics guidance on timely topics. When the AMA House of Delegates adopts the recommendations of a CEJA report they become Opinions in the Code of Medical Ethics. The body of the report, which sets out CEJA’s ethics analysis, is archived and remains available as a resource to help users apply guidance. [Go to the original AMA source to access its CEJA reports:]

'Music makes everything better': Austin doctor spins vinyl to give patients a sense of home KUT 90.5, Austin, TX; by Olivia Aldridge; 12/16/25 Lying in her bed at Dell Seton Medical Center, 64-year-old Pamela Mansfield sways her feet to the rhythm of George Jones’ “She Thinks I Still Care.” Mansfield is still recovering much of her mobility after a recent neck surgery, but she finds a way to move to the music floating from a record player that was just wheeled into her room. “Seems to be the worst part is the stiffness in my ankles and the no feeling in the hands,” she says. “But music makes everything better.” Mansfield was being visited by the ATX-VINyL program, a project dreamed up by Dr. Tyler Jorgensen to bring music to the bedside of patients dealing with difficult diagnoses and treatments. He collaborates with a team of volunteers who wheel the player on a cart to patients’ rooms, along with a selection of records in their favorite genres.

A legacy of care: How Good Shepherd has served Newton for nearly 50 yearsFig City News, Newton, MA; by Parker Maslowski; 12/15/25 … The story of Good Shepherd began, fittingly, with an act of compassion that crossed an ocean. In the late 1970s, members of the Parish of the Good Shepherd learned about the revolutionary hospice movement emerging in England. … A group of parishioners believed Newton needed something similar. … Newton-Wellesley Hospital donated office space in the Ellison Building. The small program assembled a core team of nurses, a physician, social workers, and volunteers who provided direct patient support, administrative help, and fundraising. And the Hospice of the Good Shepherd opened its doors in the fall of 1979 – the first hospice in Massachusetts. 

The hard questions behind medically assisted suicide PJ Media; by David Manney; 12/13/25 Before we start, I need you to know that I'm not advocating for medically assisted suicide (MAS). I do believe that I grasp why some people, in rare and specific circumstances, view it as a deeply personal choice. That belief comes not from emotion, but from watching the hardest years of suffering and listening to families stare at a future without mercy. As more states pass laws, including Illinois, which recently became the twelfth state to legalize medical aid in dying for terminally ill patients with strict criteria, the debate has grown far beyond politics, and into the core of how we treat the most vulnerable among us. ...Editor's Note: In the enacted Illinois statute known as “Deb’s Law,” the formal statutory term is neither “medical aid in dying” nor “medically assisted suicide,” but “aid‑in‑dying medication,” within the “End‑of‑Life Options for Terminally Ill Patients Act.” 

St. Charles Prineville Hospice Auction raises more than $180kCascade Business News (CBN), Central Oregon; by CBN; 12/16/25 St. Charles Foundation’s annual Prineville Hospice Auction was a big success, raising more than $180,000 to support hospice programs. The festive event was held at the Crook County Fairgrounds Indoor Area last week with a fun live auction of handmade quilts and Christmas trees as well as dinner, raffle and more.

Hospice of Wichita Falls expands outreach with renovated facility CBS News-6, Wichita Falls, TX; by Rachel Gomez Ramirez; 12/12/25 Today [12/12/25], Hospice of Wichita Falls held an open house showcasing their newly renovated facility, built by and for the community. Isha Howerton, Director of Development for Hospice of Wichita Falls, explained that the Building on a Legacy of Care fundraiser campaign initially began in 2017 and is nearing completion. Through this campaign, the community raised $15 million to build a new inpatient care center and renovate the existing one. Today’s event marked the new facility’s final renovation phase. ... [Additionally, by] meeting their campaign goal of $340,000, the non-profit hospice can continue to support charity care for those who need end-of-life care.

Palliative and hospice care in prostate cancer: A scoping review Urologic Oncology; by Andrew Glaza, Aidan Kennedy, Minhaj Jabeer, Siddharth Ramanathan, Agyeiwaa Obeng, Bernadette Zwaans, Jason Hafron; Jan 2026 Advanced prostate cancer presents therapeutic and prognostic challenges at the end of life. Palliative and hospice care improve quality of life, reduce hospitalizations, and enhance patient-centered decision-making. ...  On average, 40.4% of patients received palliative care, 14.74% hospice, and 1.3% received both. Early integration was associated with better quality of life, fewer hospital admissions, reduced aggressive interventions, and increased cost savings. Most referrals occurred late in the disease trajectory. ... Future research should focus on barriers to timely referral and evaluate their effects on clinical and economic outcomes in prostate cancer.