Literature Review

The deep roots never doubt Spring will come. ~ Marty RubinGoodbye, Winter. Welcome, Spring!

* CEO, Hildegard House, nonprofit, Louisville, KY

What the BrightSpring-Sevita deal means for large health care transactions Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 3/13/26 Though not a hospice transaction, the trajectory of BrightSpring Health Services’ (Nasdaq: BTSG) divestiture of its ResCare community living business could signal changes in the way the federal government approaches large health care deals. BrightSpring in January 2025 entered into a definitive agreement to sell ResCare Community Living to Sevita, a provider of home and community-based specialty health care, for $835 million in cash consideration. Closure of the transaction was delayed by a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) anti-trust complaint. The FTC later cleared the deal after reaching an agreement with Sevita, which required the company to sell 126 intermediate care facilities to reduce any anti-competitive impact of the acquisition. ... 

May the best, most random "I don't watch basketball much" bracket win your office pool.

[Spain] Queen Letizia supports universal access to palliative care Aragon Health Research Institute | Biomedical Research Center; Press Release; 3/16/26 Her Majesty Queen Letizia received a delegation from the Spanish Society of Palliative Care (SECPAL) with representatives from all essential professional profiles in palliative care. During the meeting, they conveyed to Queen Letizia the current situation of palliative care in Spain as well as the important challenges that persist ... Queen Letizia showed her sensitivity and commitment towards ... those facing advanced illnesses or who are at the end of their lives, and conveyed to SECPAL her support for initiatives aimed at strengthening the development of palliative care in Spain. ... Faced with this reality, SECPAL handed the queen over a decalogue [ten-point plan] which outlines the priorities for the development of palliative care in our country, such as ensuring that there are sufficient resources and appropriately trained teams at all levels of care.

Hospice CARE Act reintroduced Hospice News; Jim Parker; 3/18/26 Rep. Linda T. Sánchez (D-Calif.) and Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) have re-introduced the Hospice Care Accountability, Reform, and Enforcement (Hospice CARE) Act, designed to modernize the Medicare Hospice Benefit, fight fraud and expand access to care. The bill contains a blend of program integrity provisions and payment reforms intended to “strengthen” the benefit, according to the lawmakers. The bill would establish new safeguards to prevent fraudulent providers from enrolling in Medicare and bolster federal oversight of hospices. It would also change payment structures to incentivize high-quality care. 

The secure leader: How attachment styles shape leadership | part one Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN); podcast hosted by Chris Comeaux with Jamie Goff; 3/18/26 What if the greatest barrier to effective leadership isn’t a lack of skills—but a lack of self-awareness?  What if the real challenge isn’t learning more tactics, but understanding the internal stories, beliefs, and patterns that shape how you lead every day? In Part One of this powerful conversation, Chris Comeaux sits down with Dr. Jamie Goff, executive coach and author of The Secure Leader, ... Dr. Goff challenges the traditional focus on technical leadership skills and instead shines a light on the internal mindset shifts that truly transform leaders.

Most newly enrolled California hospice agencies flagged for fraud, CMS says Washington Examiner; by Mia Cathell; 3/18/26 A top official at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services informed Congress on Tuesday that federal investigators have stripped billing privileges from three-fifths of newly enrolled hospice agencies that have continued to pop up in California, a state long riddled with healthcare fraud. Of the remaining California-based hospice service providers that emerged over the past six months, 35% were flagged for corrective action, Kimberly Brandt, the chief operating officer of CMS, told the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.

HCA’s CEO-to-worker pay ratio widens in 2025  Becker's Hospital Review; by Andrew Cass; 3/16/26 Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare CEO Sam Hazen was paid 420 times more than the health system’s median employee in 2025, according to a March 13 proxy statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Mr. Hazen’s total compensation was $26,456,606 in 2025. The total compensation of HCA’s median compensated employee was $62,955. The ratio of these amounts was 420:1. 

Antibiotics in hospice: Applying the four-quadrant approach to improve patient-centered care Oxford Academic | Clinical Infectious Diseases; by Patrick D. Crowley, Karen M. Meagher, Amelia K. Barwise; 3/5/26The use of antibiotics in the hospice setting is complicated by differing patient goals, elevated side effects, and limited information regarding effectiveness. Here, we describe a case and apply the four-quadrant approach (4QA). This includes analyzing the case through the lenses of (1) medical indications related to improving function and reducing symptoms; (2) patient preferences ...; (3) quality-of-life factors that include managing infectious symptoms versus antibiotic side effects; and (4) contextual features, which include antimicrobial resistance concerns and cost considerations. Antibiotics may be beneficial in some cases and should not be denied to patients enrolled in hospice care. More robust evidence-based information about outcomes is needed to inform discussions at the time of enrollment. Applying the 4QA to a case can help determine the best approach for each individual patient.

CMS implements enhanced oversight for MAC MBI lookup tools Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 3/17/26 ... In response to a rise in these fraudulent activities, CMS has strengthened oversight of Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) MBI lookup tools. The agency now monitors MBI searches against submitted claims using National Provider Identifiers (NPIs). Access to these tools may be revoked if providers conduct a high volume of lookups without submitting corresponding claims. This move by CMS is likely an important step in combatting fraud, according to Sheila Clark, president and CEO of the California Hospice and Palliative Care Association (CHAPCA).

Facing death as a doctor: Knowledge vs natureMedscape; by Sarah Amandolare; 3/12/26 The decision to enroll her father in hospice care came easily for Janet Abrahm, MD. Abrahm, a palliative care doctor and former oncologist, helped her father — an internist who died of prostate cancer at home — understand the program’s benefits, such as family bereavement services, and that he could be readmitted to the hospital if needed. “Most doctors don’t know that,” said Abrahm, who is also a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston and the author of Comprehensive Guide to Supportive and Palliative Care for Patients with Cancer. “They think it’s a one-way street, I imagine — that you put somebody in hospice and then that’s it. ... The level of engagement physicians have with death in their practice may inform how they want to die — and how they counsel loved ones facing a serious illness. But a new study suggests even as they face end-of-life decisions through the lens of their expertise, physicians can also be swayed by the same financial, familial, and existential burdens afflicting their patients. 

If you don't get out of the box you've been raised in, you won't understand how much bigger the world is. ~ Angelina Jolie