Literature Review

* CEO, Hildegard House, nonprofit, Louisville, KY

Executive Personnel Changes - 4/10/26

The most connected hospice doctor in California CBS News Investigations; by Laura Geller, Rachel Gold, Adam Yamaguchi and Grace Manthey; 4/7/26 Physicians who oversee hospice clinics deliver a critical and delicate form of care to patients confronting terminal illness with the goal of helping them find dignity and comfort at the end of life. No active physicians oversaw more of these cases in California, or were reimbursed with more taxpayer money, than Dr. Rajiv Bhuva, according to federal records. ... Bhuva's name was listed on reimbursements for at least 2,800 patients across 126 California hospices in 2024. ... While fraud in the hospice industry is a long-running and complex problem, the role of physicians – knowingly or unwittingly facilitating it – has largely gone overlooked. 

Families face identity theft following a death Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 4/8/26 When a loved one dies, the specter of identity theft can loom large, particularly through unclosed digital accounts that family members may not be aware of. Approximately 2.5 million deceased Americans have their identities stolen annually, with roughly 800,000 of these cases specifically targeted because they have died, according to the State of California Department of Justice. Managing and closing digital accounts can help mitigate the risk of identity theft, according to Donnell Beverly, Jr., CEO of Eazewell.

Death smiles at us all; all we can do is smile back U.S. Medicine - The Voice of Federal Medicine; by Cheters Buckenmaier II, MD, COL (ret), MC, USA; 4/9/26 ‘Death smiles at us all; all we can do is smile back.’ — Marcus Aurelius (121 AD-180 AD) The word hospice is derived from the Latin hospitum, meaning “a place of rest and shelter for the ill and weary.” As I have aged, the reality of death and dying has occupied more of my time as aging parents and friends enter the twilight of their lives. ... When my father died suddenly, he had a brand-new car in the driveway and a new suit hanging on the bedroom door for my first daughter’s wedding. ...

81,000 people shared their dreams for AI. Here’s what HR leaders owe them HR Executive; by Jill Barth; 4/7/26 Over one week, 80,508 people across 159 countries and 70 languages described what they actually want from this technology. The result is what Anthropic is calling the largest qualitative study ever conducted, and the picture it paints of how workers experience AI is both more personal and more urgent than most HR leaders have been led to believe. ... One healthcare worker described receiving 100 to 150 messages a day from doctors and nurses, most of which required documentation. “Since implementing AI, the pressure of documentation has been lifted,” the respondent said. “I have more patience with nurses, more time to explain things to family members.”

Association for Death Education and Counseling celebrates 50 years of advancing grief education and end-of-life understanding ADEC - Association for Death Education and Counseling; Press Release; 4/9/26 The Association for Death Education and Counseling (ADEC®), The Thanatology Association®, is celebrating its 50th anniversary, marking five decades of leadership in the interdisciplinary study of death, dying, and bereavement. ... Looking toward the future, ADEC envisions a world in which dying, death, and bereavement are recognized as fundamental aspects of the human experience rather than topics hidden from public conversation. The organization continues to expand its international reach and public engagement. Through initiatives such as the 50 Futures Global Fund, ADEC will support the distribution of digital grief education resources, training opportunities, and micro-grants to communities around the world.

How a $64 million NIH grant will transform palliative care across lifespan | part one Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN); podcast hosted by Chris Comeaux with Dr. Jean Kutner; 4/8/26 In this episode of TCNtalks / Anatomy of Leadership, host Chris Comeaux sits down with Dr. Jean Kutner—one of the nation’s leading voices in Hospice and Palliative Care research—to unpack a historic moment for the field: a $64 million NIH investment designed to transform care for people with serious illness across the lifespan.  More than just a funding milestone, this initiative represents a long-awaited convergence of advocacy, interdisciplinary collaboration, and national prioritization of Palliative Care research.

Paradigm Health opens Valparaiso office Northwest Indiana Business Magazine; by Heather Pfundstein; 4/7/26 Indiana-based Paradigm Health has expanded its hospice and palliative care services to Valparaiso. ... “We’re humbled to begin serving families in Valparaiso and the greater Porter County community,” said Andrew Worswick, CEO of Paradigm Health, in a press release. “Our mission is to raise the bar of the hospice and palliative care experience, one family, one team member, one community at a time. ..."

U.S. AI boom could cause health care costs to soar without changes to payment policy Penn LDI - Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics; by Julia Hinckley, JD; 4/8/26 ... AI is already affecting health care delivery, and the choices policymakers make about payment will define its future trajectory, says LDI Senior Fellow Amol Navathe. AI is already more scalable and varied in its actions than human services. But without policies that create financial incentives to improve care, we risk driving up costs without improved outcomes or stifling innovation, writes Navathe in a recent perspective piece in Health Affairs.

Challenges in the end-of-Life care for patients with severe persistent mental illness: a case series Psychogeriatrics; by Kaushadh Jayakody, Isha Bajaj, Doug Blomeley; 4/7/26 Conclusions: ... This study emphasises the importance of improved clinician training, clearer referral pathways and integrated care models in addressing this disparity. Implementing these measures will aid in addressing longstanding inequalities and ensure individuals with SPMI receive appropriate and timely palliative and EOL care.

Elisabeth DeLuca School of Nursing students travel to Belgium to gain educational and cultural insights into palliative care UConn Today; by Coral Aponte; 4/7/26 ... The End-of-Life Belgium EGL program is a part of the Nursing Capstone Course (NURS 4292) and consists of a two-week intensive experience sponsored by the University College of Arteveldehogeshool (Artevelde) in Ghent. ... The Interdisciplinary Program on Palliative and End-of-Life Care (IPPE) at Artevelde has run consistently at UConn since 2012 and has had a total of 92 students participate in the program. This year, eight UConn Nursing students were selected to attend.