Literature Review

‘No Place Like Valley Hospice’ gala honors four decades of care WTRF.com, Wintersville, OH; by WTRF Staff; 11/15/25 Community members followed the yellow brick road to Wintersville on Saturday night [11/15] to celebrate Valley Hospice’s 40th anniversary. St. Florian Hall was transformed into the Emerald City for the “There’s No Place Like Valley Hospice” celebration. “We have been a part of Valley Hospice from the beginning. We are thrilled to be a partner with Valley Hospice. ... I can’t imagine not being a part of the mission of Valley Hospice,” said Laurie Labishak, director of marketing and communication for Trinity Health System. ... From all of us at 7News — congratulations, Valley Hospice, on your 40th anniversary. Editor's Note: This news story reflects your long-standing culture of relationships with your community partners, local news sources, and donors, all splashed with a bit of fun. Yes, congratulations Valley Hospice! 

Preventing falls and hospitalizations: Bayada launches the first AI-enhanced home care model Cision / PR Newswire, Philadelphia, PA; Press Release; 11/13/25 Bayada Home Health Care ... unveiled its Enhanced Quality of Care Model (EQoC), the only approach of its kind to improve safety and health outcomes for aging adults wherever they call home. ... BAYADA's EQoC innovation combines daily nurse oversight with predictive technology to catch risk factors before they escalate and provide timely, appropriate preventative care that helps seniors stay safe and well at home with fewer adverse events.Editor's Notes: Pair this with the article we recently posted, "Why are more older people dying after falls?"

UofL oncology social work expert leads national effort to transform cancer patient support The Lane Report, Louisville, KY; by Holly Hinson; 11/17/25 ... Tara Schapmire, an associate professor in the University of Louisville (UofL) Department of Medicine, Division of Palliative Medicine, and an associate professor at the UofL Kent School of Social Work and Family Science, has worked decades to help individuals and families impacted by cancer. Schapmire was recently awarded a five-year, $1.6 million grant from NCI to lead a national training initiative aimed at transforming psychosocial and palliative care in oncology. The grant will support an intensive training and mentorship program, and 50 social workers from across the U.S. will be competitively selected each year to receive fully funded palliative oncology training and structured mentorship.

And I'm thankful for everyday that I'm givin'. Both the easy and hard ones I'm livin.'." ~ "I'm Here," The Color Purple

Telehealth survives again: What the most recent flexibility extension means for providers JD Supra; by Conor Duffy and Danielle Tangorre; 11/17/25 On November 12, 2025, President Trump signed H.R. 5371 the “Continuing Appropriations, Agriculture, Legislative Branch, Military Construction, and Veterans Affairs and Extensions Act, 2026” (the Act). The Act ended the federal government shutdown by providing necessary funding; it also extends key Medicare telehealth flexibilities to January 30, 2026. ... This represents another short-term extension of Medicare telehealth flexibilities that will again need to be revisited in January 2026. ... Medicare Telehealth Flexibilities Extended by the Act [include]:

Four California residents sentenced to prison in connection with $16m Hospice fraud and money laundering scheme Office of Public Affairs - U.S. Department of Justice; Press Release; 11/18/25 Four California residents were sentenced to prison for their roles in defrauding Medicare of nearly $16 million through sham hospice companies and laundering the fraudulent proceeds.

When Medicare sent patients home sooner, Mary Naylor built the safety net Penn LDI - Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics; by Liz Seegert; 11/17/25 When Medicare’s diagnosis-related group (DRG) payment system took effect in October 1983, hospitals adapted quickly, discharging patients faster to manage fixed reimbursement rates. Heart failure patients who once stayed eight to 10 days were going home in three to four days. But LDI Senior Fellow Mary Naylor, then a fellow with what was then known as the U.S. Senate Committee on Aging and Finance, realized no one had thought about what happened after discharge. She saw how these shifts created new risks for older adults, as hospitals lacked the infrastructure to support care continuity. ...

Honoring compassion: A beautiful afternoon with Hospice Austin ActiveRain, Austin, TX; by Dorie Dillard; 11/16/25 Each year, I look forward to the Beauty of Life Luncheon hosted by Hospice Austin, a tradition that has become both meaningful and deeply personal for me. Held at the JW Marriott in downtown Austin, this year’s event was nothing short of extraordinary. More than 1,000 attendees filled the grand ballroom, creating a powerful sense of community and shared purpose. Even more inspiring, the luncheon raised an incredible $1,000,000 to support Hospice Austin’s mission of providing compassionate end-of-life care.

Applied transformation in healthcare: From digital dreams to operational reality | Viewpoint Chief Healthcare Executive - Opinion; by Clay Holderman; 11/17/25 Healthcare’s digital transformation journey has entered a new, more demanding phase. No longer is it enough to simply adopt technology. Health systems are now expected to show tangible results: stronger margins, better patient access, and improved outcomes are under greater pressure than ever before. ... Here are three key insights from our analysis, and what healthcare leaders can do to make progress real.

Sage advice on aging and dying from a Colorado geriatrician CPR News; by Andrea Dukakis; 11/17/25 Geriatricians – doctors trained to treat older adults – are a scarce commodity across the country and in Colorado. The state has about a million residents aged 65 and older and, according to the most recent data available, only 110 geriatricians. ... Here are five things we learned about aging from Dr. Erika Altneu, a geriatrician in Salida:

Hospice: Track errors, payment caps to avoid facing costly penalties Home Health Line, DecisionHealth; by MaryKent Wolff; 11/13/25 Keep a close eye on possible claim and billing mistakes that could lead to issues related to your payment cap. While increased revenue may seem like a good thing for providers, overpayments could lead to heightened scrutiny and financial hardships for your agency. [May require subscription for additional information]

VITAS Healthcare expands hospice care in Florida, now serving Pinellas County PR Newswire, St. Petersburg, FL; by VITAS Healthcare; 11/17/25 ... On Nov. 14, VITAS began accepting hospice-eligible patient referrals in Pinellas County, ensuring that residents in St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Tarpon Springs and surrounding communities have access to expert care close to home. ... The company also began serving Marion County in May 2025.

Study shows over 90% of older adults with dementia undergo burdensome interventions in their final year Today Headline - Medical Research; by Duke-NUS Medical School; 11/17/25 A new study by researchers from Duke-NUS Medical School has revealed that almost all community-dwelling older adults with advanced dementia in Singapore experience at least one potentially burdensome intervention in their last year of life. The findings highlight an urgent need for new strategies to support families and reduce unnecessary interventions at the end of life.