Literature Review

Sought-after physician specialty roles are taking longer to fill Modern Healthcare; by Tim Broderick; 9/24/25 The time it took to fill open positions for the most sought-after physician specialties increased to almost five months in 2024, according to new research. The nonprofit Association for Advancing Physician and Provider Recruitment, with research firm Industry Insights, examined 2024 data from more than 15,000 searches of the association’s site, 61% of which were related to physician searches. ... The analysis found the estimated median days to fill the selected jobs increased by 11.5%, to 145 days in 2024 from 130 days in 2023. Oncology positions were the hardest to fill, at an estimated median of 332 days. Cardiology positions followed with an estimated median of 248 days to fill. [Access to the full article might be limited per a paywall.] Editor's Note: Oncology and cardiology are now the two hardest physician specialties to fill. This matters for hospice care because, according to NHPCO’s Facts and Figures 2024, cancer and circulatory diseases join Alzheimer’s and other nervous system disorders as the top three hospice diagnoses—together representing nearly three-fourths of all admissions. Delays in recruiting oncologists and cardiologists risk postponing timely palliative and hospice referrals. Newly hired specialists in these fields also need focused training—and intentional relationship-building with hospice teams—to ensure patients and families receive seamless, compassionate care.

Landmark verdict awards over $510 million to Saint Mary’s Health Network Business Wire, Reno, NV; by Noel True and Mark Reece; 10/2/25 In a historic decision with national implications for healthcare, a Washoe County jury awarded Saint Mary’s Health Network, affiliate of Prime Healthcare, over $510 million in damages, including punitive damages, after finding Universal Health Services of Delaware, Inc. (UHS) and affiliated defendants liable for fraud, malice, and oppression in a coordinated scheme against Saint Mary’s Health Network during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. ... “This verdict delivers a resounding message for all of healthcare: integrity and compassion must guide every decision we make,” said Sunny Bhatia, M.D., President of Prime Healthcare. 

The CMS activities that will, won’t continue during the shutdown Becker's Hospital Review; by Andrew Cass; 10/2/25 CMS has outlined the activities that will and won’t continue during the federal government shutdown. The federal government shut down at 12:01 a.m. Oct. 1 after lawmakers failed to reach a spending deal. CMS is retaining 53% of its staff, 3,311 employees, during the shutdown. Here is what the agency said will and won’t continue during a lapse in appropriations: ... Editor's Note: While this article is for the broader healthcare community, we posted extensive hospice-specific information for you in yesterday's issue, Government shutdown impact on telehealth for hospice and palliative care providers, by Judi Lund Person. Click here to download her complete PDF report.  

Nevada hospital wins half-billion fraud verdict against Universal Health Services Reno Gazette Journal; by Jason Hidalgo; 9/29/25, updated 9/30/25 Saint Mary’s Health Network earned a big win in court after a jury awarded it half a billion dollars in its case against Universal Health Services. A jury in Washoe County awarded the Prime Healthcare affiliate $510 million after it found Universal Health Services liable for fraud against Saint Mary’s during the COVID-19 pandemic. The verdict included punitive damages. "This verdict affirms that the weaponization of corporate power, betrayal of physician trust, theft of proprietary information, and reckless endangerment of patients will not be tolerated,” said Saint Mary’s Health Network CEO Derrick Glum in a statement. “The verdict restores justice and allows our hospital’s mission to serve our community with compassion and dignity to endure.”

Report sounds alarm about private equity’s growing involvement in PACE McKnights Home Care; by Adam Healy; 9/24/25 The Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), a program funded by Medicare and Medicaid, is an increasingly attractive target for private equity investors. This may be a cause for concern, according to a new report by the Private Equity Stakeholder Project. “Private equity sees PACE as a guaranteed revenue stream, not a care model,” Michael Fenne, report author and PESP’s senior healthcare research coordinator, told McKnight’s Home Care Daily Pulse Wednesday in an email. “The result is that PACE, once a nonprofit-driven model focused on keeping seniors healthy at home, is increasingly being treated as a financial opportunity for investors.”

Confidential conversations in palliative care: An ethnographic exploration of trust and interpersonal relationship between nurse and patient Journal of Clinical Nursing; by Tove Stenman, Bodil Holmberg, Ylva Rönngren, Ulla Näppä, Christina Melin Johansson; 9/30/25 Confidential conversations in palliative care are grounded in fragile, dynamic trust, necessitating ongoing presence, sensitivity and adaptability from RN. To support these interactions, healthcare environments must prioritise privacy, relational continuity and communication training. Future research should investigate how organisational structures and clinical settings influence confidential conversations. ... Healthcare environments should facilitate confidential conversations by ensuring relational continuity and minimising distractions. Communication training that emphasises presence and management of silence can strengthen nurse–patient relationships, enhancing patient care and emotional support.

Hospice: A vital safety net for sepsis survivors South Florida Hospital News and Healthcare Report; by Lauren Loftis, MD, VITAS regional medical director; 10/1/25Sepsis remains one of the most complex and deadly medical conditions treated in hospitals today. ... For patients with advanced illness or multiple comorbidities, the post-sepsis period is often marked by functional decline, emotional distress, and a high risk of rehospitalization or death. ...For sepsis survivors with advanced illness, hospice offers a bridge between high-intensity hospital care and the realities of life at home. It provides interdisciplinary support—including a physician, nurse, hospice aide, social worker, chaplain, volunteer, and bereavement specialist—tailored to the patient’s evolving needs.

Peace is not the absence of conflict, but the ability to cope with it. ~ Mahatma Gandhi

Human judgment: The magic ingredient for making AI work across aging services disciplines McKnights Senior Living; by Kimberly Marselas; 9/29/25 From tackling a scabies outbreak in a long-term care facility to scheduling shifts and helping write plans of correction that satisfy regulators, a range of aging services providers are eagerly already putting artificial intelligence to work. But what is it not doing for them? Taking the place of human staff members, their workplace knowledge or their clinical judgment. That was a resounding takeaway of a recent McKnight’s Tech Summit webinar exploring how AI technologies are supporting care teams role by role. 

B2B website navigation: Structure that guides complex buyersTrajectory; updated 9/29/25 ...  42% of users will abandon your website as soon as they experience issues with functionality or usability. ... When someone can't find basic information quickly, they don't just leave your website. They question your company's competence. ... If [the site visitor] can't find the information category they need within 10-20 seconds, they often assume it doesn't exist and leave. That's not much time to prove you have answers to their complex questions. Your navigation must immediately signal that you understand their needs and have the depth of information they require.Editor's Note: Though written for B2B, these lessons matter for hospice websites (B2C). Patients, caregivers, healthcare decision makers, and family members of diverse generations need clarity in moments of stress. Review your website’s navigation through their intergenerational eyes—can they quickly find what hospice is and how to begin care? Clear pathways reflect the heart of hospice care: guidance and compassion.

Commentary: New York must act now to protect quality hospice care Times Union; by Cara Pace, Liz Krueger and Amy Paulin; 9/30/25 When your loved one is entering the final stage of their life, who would you rather manage their care: a nonprofit solely dedicated to providing the highest quality care possible? Or a private entity seeking to maximize profits? ... However, for-profit hospices now account for 70% of the market, up from 5% 35 years ago. This comes despite studies showing that for-profit hospices provide fewer essential services, employ less skilled staff, receive a higher volume of complaints and contribute less to their communities than their nonprofit counterparts. ... That's why we introduced legislation (S.3437/A.565) to prohibit the state from approving new applications for the establishment, construction or increased capacity of for-profit hospice entities. The two existing for-profit providers would not be touched, though their capacity to expand would be limited. The legislation now awaits Gov. Kathy Hochul’s signature.Editor's Note: For-profit or non-profit status alone does not speak to the quality of care provided by the individual hospice. Some for-profits provide excellent care; some non-profits do not. This article speaks to evidence-based data, quality scores, patterns, trends, and cumulative results from CAHPS, HIS (which is being replaced by the HOPE Tool, effective today), and more. Examine quality scores in your services with the National Hospice Locator (ranked by scores), provided by National Hospice Analytics.

Hospice of Santa Barbara’s No One Dies Alone Program ensures that those who are alone and actively dying, have someone at their bedside Santa Barbara Independent, Santa Barbara, CA; by Hospice of Santa Barbara; 9/29/25Hospice of Santa Barbara’s (HSB) No One Dies Alone (NODA) program has partnered with local senior living facilities in Santa Barbara for over a decade, providing compassionate volunteer support to seniors in their final 24 to 72 hours when family or friends are unavailable. Currently, NODA has 21 trained volunteers serving in the program. Before becoming a NODA volunteer, applicants must graduate from a six-week patient care training and serve as a patient care volunteer for a minimum of 9 months before attending a NODA specific training. Most NODA volunteers have been with the program for years and feel a strong commitment to the work they do.