Literature Review

Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.  ~Charles R. Swindoll

Changes in RI hospice utilization and quality of care with increase in number of hospice programsJournal of Pain and Symptom Management; by Joan Teno; 3/26The number of licensed hospice programs in Rhode Island increased from four prior to 2017 to eleven by 2025, with many new providers being for-profit entities, some backed by private equity. Using public data, I analyzed trends in hospice use and quality, hypothesizing that the growth in providers may increase health care costs and raise concerns about the quality of care. Using public data, I analyzed trends in hospice use and quality, hypothesizing that the growth in providers may increase health care costs and raise concerns about the quality of care... Compared to not-for-profit hospices, for-profit providers showed significant differences in several measures, including a higher focus on enrolling patients with dementia—a population that may be more profitable because of their long length of stay and higher live discharge rates. A four-point difference in bereaved caregiver willingness to recommend for profit hospices indicates a moderate effect size5 and raises concerns about quality.

Executive Personnel Changes - 3/27/26

Mass AI job replacement? Not in healthcare, CIOs say Becker's Health IT; by Giles Bruce; 3/18/26 While some doomsayers predict that AI will replace human workers en masse, health system CIOs told Becker’s that healthcare, so reliant on the human touch, is safe. But that doesn’t mean duties won’t change dramatically. In late February, an investment analyst scenario outlining economic cataclysm caused by AI momentarily jolted the stock market. The authors, from Citrini Research, imagined white-collar job openings “collapsing” in late 2026, with blue-collar hiring staying “relatively stable.” While healthcare may be best described as “gray-collar,” the sector is still the nation’s largest employer, driving much of the country’s job growth over the past few decades. Could AI change that equation? ...

The limits of efficiency in home health’s cost-cutting era Home Health Care News; by Morgan Gonzales; 3/24/26With reimbursement pressures, rising inflation and rampant workforce shortages, efficiency has become a top priority for many home-based care providers. But efficiency initiatives carry certain risks if not executed with precision. The home-based care industry must retain a long-range view when looking to improve efficiency, according to Zac Long, CEO of Well Care Health, a family-owned and operated home health and hospice provider. ... “What AI does is just basically pour gasoline on an existing process,” Long said. “So if that process isn’t 100% buttoned up and compliant, it can create a lot of risk when you pour gas on it. ..."

Keys to reinvigorating hospice quality Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 3/24/26 Health care disparities across a swelling aging population are driving a need for evolutionary change in hospice quality standards. ... Staffing shortages are playing a more significant role in the push for regulation changes, Hospice Analytics CEO Cordt Kassner said. Keeping pace with rising demand and fewer staffing resources has hospices seeking creative avenues, Kassner indicated. Leveraging technology has helped some hospices to improve clinical capacity and staffing ratios. However, more regulatory change that supports expanded hospice and palliative care education and greater transparency around staffing could go a long way in quality improvement, he said. “We can create these staffing ratios, but if they aren’t publicly reported and available how helpful are they?” Kassner said in the assembly. “It makes sense that we would want the experts, the people with the most experience in this field, to be helping to craft the regulations. ..."Editor's Note: Cordt Kassner, PhD, is also the owner and publisher for Hospice & Palliative Care Today.

Hospice of St. Lawrence Valley grief services coordinator discusses deeper meaning for spring cleaning North Country Now, Potsdam, NY; by Kate Favaro; 3/26/26 There is something about those first few spring days in the North Country that makes us want to throw all the windows up and let in the fresh air and sunlight. Spring cleaning has become a ritual of sorts. ... Hospice of St. Lawrence Valley offers the following when considering a deeper meaning behind spring cleaning: ... widen your idea of what spring cleaning can involve. Start with the basics and work out from there. Clean out a drawer. Label a photograph. Update a document or password. Tell a trusted person where they can find the important papers. Sometimes the most meaningful spring cleaning happens where no one else can see it, but everyone you love will one day feel its impact.

Power outages can quickly become emergencies for families with home medical devices Hawai'i Public Radio; by Savannah Harriman-Pote; 3/25/26 ... Power outages from this month's storms have sent ripples through the health care system. ... Access to power is crucial for people who rely on certain medical devices like oxygen machines. Faye Mitchell, executive director of North Hawaiʻi Hospice, said these at-home machines allow her patients to receive care in the comfort of their homes. Without electricity to operate them, some of her more vulnerable patients need to go to a hospital. North Hawaiʻi Hospice provides palliative in-home care to about 25 patients spread out across northwest Hawaiʻi Island. One of their patients is a young boy who requires a medical device to breathe properly. "This is a child that's so fragile that when he can't breathe properly, they have to fly to Oʻahu," Mitchell said. "So it's really not a matter of inconvenience. It's really a serious issue." Mitchell said they care for patients as best as they can during power outages. North Hawaiʻi Hospice has a trained safety officer who reviews emergency plans with families, and patients who require oxygen are given extra oxygen tanks if weather conditions might cause the power to go out.Editor's Note: What emergency disaster risks are prevalent for your service areas? Floods, hurricanes, tornados, wildfires, extreme heat, ice, something else? Today, become familiar with USA Today's National Power Outage Map Tracker, updated every 15 minutes. In the future, be as ready as possible, using these and other resources.

* CEO, Hildegard House, nonprofit, Louisville, KY

CMS clarifies hospice revocations, face-to-face encounters McKnights Home Care; by Suzy Frisch; 3/24/26 If a hospice patient is discharged from care or has their benefits revoked, they do not have to complete a waiting period to arrange for new care, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, which provided such clarifications earlier this month. If a hospice patient is discharged from care or has their benefits revoked, they do not have to complete a waiting period to arrange for new care, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, which provided such clarifications earlier this month. 

Building excellence: The journey to American Heart Association Certification Journal of Hospice & Palliative Nursing; by Fahey, Donna M. MSN, MFA, RN, AHN-BC, CHPN, CNL; 3/24/26 Heart failure patients often arrive at hospice with advanced symptoms, variable care plans, and limited coordination across settings. To address this, Samaritan Healthcare and Hospice pursued the American Heart Association Palliative/Hospice–Heart Failure Certification. The initiative required a full system redesign focused on standardizing education, documentation, care coordination, and performance measurements. This article outlines the challenges encountered ... and describes the process used to achieve certification in October 2025. 

... And they'll walk out to the bleachers, and sit in shirt-sleeves on a perfect afternoon. They'll find they have reserved seats somewhere along one of the baselines, where they sat when they were children and cheered their heroes. And they'll watch the game, and it'll be as if they'd dipped themselves in magic waters. The memories will be so thick, they'll have to brush them away from their faces. ~ from Field of Dreams, actor James Earl JonesCelebrating 2026's Opening Day of Baseball!