Literature Review

Providence Care appoints Werner Freymann, Jr. as new Chief Executive Officer Morningstar; by Business Wire; 12/10/25 Providence Care, a leading hospice, palliative and primary care for seniors organization, today announced the appointment of Werner Freymann, Jr. as its new Chief Executive Officer. In the role of CEO, Werner will lead the company’s strategic direction and drive continued growth and innovation across its continuum of care for the elderly wherever they call home. Mr. Freymann brings more than 25 years of executive leadership experience, previously serving as SVP of Discovery at Home. 

'Get out of my house': 84-year-old man shoots son in the face for not visiting mother in hospice care, police say Law & Crime, Palm Bay, FL; by Conrad Hoyt; 12/12/25 An elderly man is accused of shooting his son in the face because he and his spouse did not visit the older man's wife over the weekend while she was in at-home hospice care. William Nowak, 84, has been charged with attempted murder, according to an arrest affidavit reviewed by Law&Crime. Nowak was at his home ... in Palm Bay, Florida, where he lived with his wife and their disabled daughter. His wife had recently been put on in-home hospice care, "and William has been taking care of both of them," ... The defendant's son and his wife came over to the house to visit, something she said they did "on a weekly basis." After they arrived around 6 p.m., "William began to express how he was upset they did not visit over the weekend." According to authorities, an argument between the father and son ensued.

Long-term hospice stay: New edit to prevent overpayment CMS - MLN Matters - Medicare Learning Network; by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services; 12/5/25Related CR Release Date: December 5, 2025Effective Date: April 1, 2026Implementation Date: April 6, 2026Action Needed: Make sure your billing staff knows about a new edit that will help identify and prevent overpayments of long-term hospice care for claims submitted with matching “admission” and “from” dates.Key Updates: This new edit in the CWF will close the gap in the system that allows claims to pay at a higher rate when the “admission” and “from” dates match. MACs will reject hospice claims when the “admission” date doesn’t match the election period start date on the corresponding election period. ...

A flight to the North Pole Fairfax County Times, Reston, VA; by Kristin Johnson; 12/12/25 Last Saturday morning [12/6], Gate D15 at Dulles Airport was filled with families wearing Christmas sweaters and pajamas. They were waiting for a 10 a.m. departure to the North Pole. The Fantasy Flight is a 30-minute plane ride that takes off annually on the first weekend in December. The event is for the families of children currently in hospice or long-term care. ... The mood at the gate is festive, but a little chaotic. The busyness helps to dull Tabitha Johnson’s grief. Her son died in hospice three weeks ago. She decided the family should still come. 

4 hospice buyers acquire Traditions Health Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 12/3/25 Traditions Health has been acquired by four hospice providers, each dividing the company’s assets across their geographic footprints. The Care Team, VitalCaring, LifeCare Home Health Family and Mission Healthcare have each purchased a portion of Traditions Health’s locations. Financial terms of these transactions are undisclosed. Traditions was formerly a portfolio company of the private equity firm Dorilton Capital Partners. 

Medicare's AI prior authorization pilot sparks backlash over incentives to deny care Complete AI Training | Insurance; by Joren Erne; 12/7/25 CMS will pilot AI prior auth in traditional Medicare across AZ, NJ, OH, OK, TX, WA through 2031. Expect tougher reviews, vendor incentives, and pushback on denials and delays. ... For insurance professionals, this is a signal: CMS is importing private-plan utilization tactics into fee-for-service Medicare, with financial incentives tied to denial-driven cost savings. Expect policy, operations, and provider relations to feel it. 

Hospice margins dropping despite utilization gains Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 12/9/25 Hospice margins are falling despite record-high utilization, according to data from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC). The commission has released its draft recommendations to Congress, repeating its annual call to eliminate hospice payment rate increases in future years. “For fiscal year, 2027, Congress should eliminate the update to the 2026 Medicare base payment rate for hospice,” MedPAC indicated in its draft recommendations. ... The average Medicare fee-for-service margin for hospices fell to 8% in 2023, down from 9.8% in 2022 and 14.2% in 2020, according to MedPAC. Among for-profit providers, the average 2023 margin was 13.7%, whereas nonprofits in aggregate showed a loss at -1.3%. These numbers exclude cap overpayments and non-reimbursible costs. These declines occurred during a time of record-breaking demand. Hospice utilization in 2024 reached the highest rate it has ever seen at 53%, MedPAC reported. More than 1.8 million Medicare decedents received hospice care that year for a total of 148 million days of service. [MedPAC 12/5/25 report here.]

Poured out and given: The lived experience of self-care among hospice nurses in rural Appalachia Journal of Hospice and Palliative Nursing; by Amanda Camden, Sandra P Thomas, Lisa C Lindley, Lisa Davenport, Ali Winters; 12/5/25, Online ahead of print Hospice nurses encounter profound challenges that make self-care both essential and deeply complex. ... The findings suggest that practicing self-care must be augmented by other actions such as systemic changes, caseload limits, leadership training, and structured emotional support systems. This study highlights the urgent need for health care systems to prioritize hospice nurses' well-being and help sustain compassionate nursing care.

AARP: 55 percent of family caregivers use tech to coordinate care McKnights Home Care; by Donna Shryer; 12/9/25 Technology adoption is surging on both sides of the caregiving equation. AARP estimates there are about 63 million unpaid caregivers nationwide, and among those caregivers age 50 and older, 55% now use one or more digital tools to manage routines, coordinate care or track health. Among all adults age 50+ (unpaid caregivers and care recipients), 78% say they rely on technology to stay connected with friends and family, according to AARP’s newly released 2026 Tech Trends and Adults 50-Plus report.Guest Editor's Note, by Judi Lund Person: As AARP points out, today’s caregivers are increasingly likely to use technology to coordinate care for their loved ones. Are hospice and palliative care providers up to the challenge – if your plumber can notify you that they are 15 minutes away, is there technology in place that will alert the caregiver that the hospice nurse or aide is 15 minutes away? How are you equipping your care teams to communicate with caregivers effectively, efficiently, and securely? Remember, a CAHPS Hospice question is, "How often did the hospice team let you know when they would arrive to care for your family member?"

Healthcare fraud enforcement trends to expect in 2026 JD Supra; by Arnall Golden Gregory; 12/8/25Key Takeaways

Sunday newsletters focus on headlines and top read stories of the last week (in order) - enjoy!   Also, remember our Job Board to find staff for the new year!

No matter at what stage of our journey,for each of us the inevitability of dyingis always there, like the blank wallof an imprentrable fortress.Or an unexplored planet.Or a looming cliff face before us,with few visible toeholds...Myself, I'm hoping for an airy work spacewith lots of light and booksand some flowering potted plants.And a PC that never gets obsolete.~ Luci Shaw, from Adventures of Ascent: Field Notes from a Lifelong Journey (a poet who died recently, just prior to her 97th birthday)