Literature Review

[Premier's tonight!] NPHI proud to announce its partnership on the upcoming documentary for PBS, Caregiving, from Executive Producer Bradley Cooper National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI), Washington, DC; 5/19/25 The National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI) is proud to announce its partnership on the upcoming PBS documentary Caregiving, a powerful new film executive produced by Academy Award-nominated actor, director, and producer Bradley Cooper. Created in collaboration with Cooper’s production company, Lea Pictures, as well as WETA Washington, D.C., and Ark Media, Caregiving will shine a national spotlight on the often unseen yet essential work of caregivers across the country. NPHI is honored to serve as a national partner on this important project. Narrated by Uzo Aduba (The Residence, Orange Is the New Black) and directed by Chris Durrance, Caregiving intertwines deeply personal stories of caregivers with the untold history of the American care system. The documentary examines how caregivers—often family members, friends, and frontline professionals—navigate the immense challenges and unseen achievements of their roles.

Addressing financial toxicity for patients and families facing serious illnessCAPC position statement; 6/23/25The U.S. is reaching a point of crisis in health care affordability. People living with serious illness in the U.S. are not only navigating complex medical conditions—they’re also facing overwhelming financial hardship. A new position statement from CAPC highlights that the prevalence of financial distress for patients and caregivers can climb as high as 53%, depending on diagnosis. The consequences of financial toxicity are staggering, manifesting in medical debt, low credit scores, and bankruptcy. Financial toxicity can also lead to delayed treatment, skipped medications, or other cost-related coping mechanisms that worsen health outcomes and increasing costs for hospitals and payers alike. CAPC’s new position statement outlines eight recommendations that can ease hardship for patients and caregivers, while improving financial stability for hospitals.Guest Editor's Note, Ira Byock: The importance of CAPC’s new position statement cannot be overstated. This report highlights one of the most difficult problems seriously ill patients and families encounter and goes further to provide tangible ways to diminish the impacts of financial toxicity to patients and the healthcare system. Key actions include routine financial screening and availability of trained financial navigators. The value of this statement extends well beyond palliative care; it should be considered must reading for leaders of hospitals, cancer centers, heart failure programs, and dementia treatment centers.

New! Pediatric e-Journal Issue #79National Alliance for Care at Home press release; 6/23/25The 79th issue of the Alliance's Pediatric e-Journal - Community Bridge of Support - is available now! This issue focuses on ways in which individuals, programs, and communities can work together in support of pediatric hospice and palliative care. The e-Journal is available to all through the Alliance website.

Texas governor signs bill to significantly expand state’s medical marijuana programMarijuana Moment; by Kyle Jaeger; 6/21/25The governor of Texas has approved a bill to significantly expand the state’s medical marijuana program... The new law will expand the state’s list of medical cannabis qualifying conditions to include chronic pain, traumatic brain injury (TBI), Crohn’s disease and other inflammatory bowel diseases, while also allowing end-of-life patients in palliative or hospice care to use marijuana.

Local hospice volunteer shares story of helping families through grief edglentoday.com, Edwardsville / Glen Carbon, IL; by Sydney Sinks; 6/18/25A local BJC volunteer works with people in hospice care so they have a friend in their final days. Kathy Barrow [describes her time with a hospice patient], “To help someone else, that’s what it’s all about, really.” ... “I try to spend an hour [with the patient]. That’s not much out of a week for someone who’s on their way out of this world.” ... Over the past few months, she has helped him write cards for his family members, read to him, watched TV and played games. Her most recent visit was quieter; he didn’t feel up to talking ... . ... When she isn’t volunteering, Barrow spends a lot of time sewing teddy bears and quilts for grieving families. She will use a loved one’s t-shirt as fabric to create the teddy bears for their families. She shared that her mother always spoke about wanting a hug from a lost loved one, and she thinks about her mom as she creates these bears.

Meet winners of the Jennifer D. Hale Memorial Scholarship!Personal communication; 6/21/25Congratulations Dionne Carter, Old Dominion University!

BrightSpring’s president of hospice services resignsHospice News; by Jim Parker; 6/20/25Michael McMaude has resigned as the president of hospice services of BrightSpring Health Services, effective Friday. He will continue to provide services to the company as a non-employee consultant, according to a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing by BrightSpring... BrightSpring is a home- and community-based health care services platform that serves more than 400,000 patients daily across all 50 states. The Louisville, Kentucky-based company provides hospice, home health, primary care, rehabilitation, pharmaceuticals, behavioral and home health. BrightSpring went public last year with a $1 billion initial public offering (IPO).

Time is like a river. You cannot touch the same water twice because the flow that has passed will nver pass again. Enjoy every moment of life. ~Unknown

He’s dying. She’s pregnant. His one last wish is to fight his cancer long enough to see his baby.The Philadelphia Inquirer; by Ariana Eunjung Cha, Drea Cornejo, Jahi Chikwendiu, Dan Keating, Julia Wall; 6/21/25Tanner Martin was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer in November 2020 at age 25, and since then, life had been a series of starts and stops. Would he make it to this big milestone?Publisher's note: Accessing article may require a subscription.

Do you know how to prepare for your digital life after death? CU Boulder’s student-run clinic has some adviceThe Conversation; by Dylan Thomas Doyle, Jed R. Brubaker; 6/10/25From family photos in the cloud to email archives and social media accounts, the digital lives of Americans are extensive and growing. According to recent studies by the password management companies NordPass and Dashlane, the average internet user maintains more than 150 online accounts. Individuals produce hundreds of gigabytes of data each year. But few people have plans for what happens to that digital legacy after they die. Unlike physical possessions, online assets often don’t pass smoothly from one generation to the next. Loved ones struggle to access important accounts or recover treasured photos. Many families face these challenges while already overwhelmed with grief.

‘It was meant to be’: How a haircut became a gift for hospice patients Simple Health - KXAN, Austin, TX; by Esmerald Zamora; 6/15/25 In addition to its clinical care, Blue Water Homecare and Hospice [in Central Texas]also runs a volunteer program designed to enhance patients’ quality of life. Through that program, a new partnership has formed with Maria’s Hair Studio and Barbershop in Round Rock to provide free haircuts to hospice patients in the comfort of their homes. ... Volunteer Coordinator Steve Wanzer said the idea came from a patient request. A social worker reached out to Wanzer, asking if he knew anyone who could provide a haircut. As fate would have it, Wanzer was driving past Maria’s Hair Studio at that very moment. ... Since then, the simple gesture has become a cherished part of the care Blue Water provides. [Bluewater owner Jennifer Prescott said,] “As hospice professionals, we understand how important it is to help people feel good. This small act of kindness goes a long way.”Editor's Note: How beautiful, and so easy to replicate. This brings a smile to me. My Mom was living in our home with hospice care. Confined to an upstairs bedroom, she asked me how she could get a long overdue haircut. She laughed, "I want to look good in my casket!" My longtime hairdresser came to our home, lovingly tended Mom and her hair, and took a now-favorite photo of Mom and me. She died 3 weeks later. Yes--in her casket--Mom's hair was beautiful!

Omaha man on hospice gets wish to see College World Series game CBS KMTV-3, Omaha, NE; by Katrina Markel; 6/17/25 Lifelong baseball fan, Thomas Coker, is on hospice and lives at a skilled nursing facility in Central Omaha. His wish for his 75th birthday: attending a baseball game at the College World Series. His care team made that happen through the Dreamweaver Foundation. 

68% of hospices lack star ratingsHospice News; by Jim Parker; 6/18/25 The proportion of hospices that do not have a star rating from the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is growing. CMS introduced the hospice star rating system in 2022 to help patients make informed decisions about which provider to choose. They appear on CMS’ Care Compare website. The scores are based on Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) survey results. Between August 2022 and that same month in 2024, the number of hospices without a star rating rose from 3,912 to 5,086, an average of 68%, according to a new study published in Health Affairs.