Literature Review

CMS posts information on hospice election notification pilot: Crushing fraud, waste, & abuseCMS.gov; 5/1/26 On April 30, 2026, CMS announced that they had expanded the Hospice Election Notification pilot from Nevada into California.  During the pilot, when a hospice provider files a Notice of Election, a notification letter is immediately sent to the beneficiary to make sure they know they have been enrolled in hospice. If they did not enroll, they are instructed to call 1-800-MEDICARE who can help with overturning the election. Since the start of the pilot in Nevada in May 2025, more than 25,000 letters have been issued.  A copy of the letter being sent to beneficiaries in these states is available here.

Home health & hospice M&A in 2026: Why the market has reset and what buyers want now JD Supra; by Arnall Golden Gregory LLP, Jason Bring, Matthew Brohm, Jennifer Downs Burgar; 5/1/26 This five-part series examines current trends in home health and hospice M&A as the sector enters 2026, including valuation discipline, compliance and clinical risk, the role of artificial intelligence, and how deal structure and preparation are affecting transaction outcomes. Part 1 focuses on the current market environment and the factors driving buyer selectivity. Key Takeaways

Teeing it up for Hospice of the Valley Lovin' Life; by Lin Sue Flood; 5/3/26 Hospice of the Valley’s 2026 Pro‑Am Golf Tournament, presented by Cigna Healthcare, brought together 27 fabulous threesomes and 27 talented pros at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale for an unforgettable day on the course. Under picture‑perfect skies, the 28th annual event on April 2 netted more than $45,000 for the nonprofit’s charity care programs. Since launching the tournament in 1998, volunteer chairman Jay Hoselton has helped raise more than $1.1 million to ensure patients and families in need receive excellent care, regardless of their financial circumstances. 

End-of-life doctors reveal 5 common fears people face in their final moments SavingAdvice.com; by Amanda Blankenship; 5/3/26  Most people avoid thinking about death, but doctors who work in hospice and palliative care say the same fears come up again and again. ... Research shows that death anxiety is common, with many people experiencing fear tied to the process of dying, not just death itself. ... here are five of the most common fears [identified by these doctors] among people facing their final moments.

The most valuable possession you can own is an open heart; the most powerful weapon you can be is an instrument of peace. ~ Carlos Santana

Empower Oversight widens state fraud queries to New York Hospice Regulator Empower Oversight Whistleblowers & Research, Washington, DC; Press Release; 5/1/26 Empower Oversight has filed a public records request with New York’s Center for Hospice and Palliative Care, the state agency responsible for regulating the hospice industry, as part of its broader investigation into fraud involving federal taxpayer funds. The request seeks documents that shed light on potential systemic failures in hospice oversight, and on how the agency has identified, responded to, or declined to act on known fraud indicators. ... For a copy of the letter click here.

Alliance sounds alarm over federal payment suspensions tactic to fight hospice fraud McKnights Home Care; by Liza Berger; 5/1/26 As the federal government continues to crack down on rampant hospice fraud in California and other states, advocates for the field fear that the government’s latest enforcement effort is unintentionally trapping ethical providers. ... While the government is basing a payment suspension on “a credible allegation of fraud,” the National Alliance for Care at Home worries that the government is using just one metric to justify its “credible allegation.” ... In a post this week, law firm Foley & Lardner LLP CMS defined a “’credible allegation of fraud’ as an allegation of fraud from any source, including but not limited to the following: (1) fraud hotline tips ... verified by further evidence; (2) claims data mining; and (3) patterns identified through provider audits, FCA cases and investigations.”

Hospice nurses are changing how we care for patients at the end-of-life South Florida Hospital News and Healthcare Report; by Karen Peterson; 5/1/26 Hospice nurses are often associated with compassion at the end of life. What is less understood is that they are also among the most clinically skilled nurses in healthcare. During National Nurses Week (May 6-12), it is important to recognize the many ways nurses shape patient care across the continuum. Hospice nursing is not a step away from acute care. It is an extension of it. ... A hospice nurse may be called to a patient’s home late at night for uncontrolled pain or severe shortness of breath .... In that moment, the nurse must assess, intervene and stabilize, while also supporting the family through fear and uncertainty. 

Rural palliative care: Karl Bezak, Jeanie Youngwerth, Adie Goldberg, and Gregg VandekieftGeriPAL podcast; by Eric Widera, Alex Smith, Karl Bezak, Jeanie Youngwerth, Adie Goldberg, Gregg Vandekieft; 4/9/26Rural populations in the United States face unique healthcare challenges. These communities tend to be older, have higher mortality rates, and experience higher rates of chronic conditions and physical disabilities compared to urban populations. Despite the increased need for palliative care in rural areas, access remains alarmingly limited. Even in hospital settings, where palliative care programs are more common in urban areas, only 35% of rural hospitals report having such programs, compared to 81% of urban hospitals.

Celebrating National Volunteer Month: ways hospice organizations showed appreciation (April 2026) Hospice & Palliative Care Today; compilation by Joy Berger; 5/1/26 

Art exhibit is about 'Completing the Journey.' It offers window into hospice through patients’ eyes Hartford Courant, Hartford, CT; by Christopher Arnott; 4/30/26 “Completing the Journey: The Art of Hospice Care” is an art exhibit created by those in hospice care at Masonicare Hospice & Palliative Care senior/assisted living communities throughout Connecticut. Masonicare hasn’t created a project like this in over 15 years. It’s meant to be much more than an art exhibit and is curated so as to present the artists — some of whom have passed away — as prominently as their art.

Virtual reality for serious illness: connecting, healing, and inducing awe | part one Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN); podcast hosted by Chris Comeaux with Kathleen Benton and Teri Yarbrow; 4/29/26 What if, even in the most limiting and uncertain moments of serious illness, a person could still experience freedom, movement, beauty, and a renewed sense of meaning? In this episode, Kathleen Benton and Virtual Reality (VR innovator Teri Yarbrow reveal how virtual reality is reshaping Hospice and Palliative Care by restoring something often lost in modern medicine—human experience.  As care becomes increasingly clinical and documentation-driven, VR creates space for patients to reconnect with meaning, beauty, and identity beyond their diagnosis.

Discontinuation of medications with limited benefit at end of life in community-dwelling older veteransJournal of the American Geriatrics Society; by Joshua M Thorpe, Kelvin A Tran, Sherrie L Aspinall, Shelli L Feder, Brystana G Kaufman, Ann Kutney-Lee, Maria K Mor, Loren J Schleiden, Florentina E Sileanu, Carolyn T Thorpe, Courtney H Van Houtven; 4/26Discontinuation of medications with limited benefits (LBM) in patients nearing the end of life can reduce burden, adverse events, and costs, and enhance quality of life. However, most research on end-of-life prescribing has focused on nursing homes or hospice settings. [This study setting was] community-residing, non-hospice older veterans. Among community-dwelling older veterans in their final year of life, 73% were receiving at least one LBM at the start of that year, and 78% of these individuals continued LBM use until death. These rates parallel those reported in long-term care populations and underscore the need for community-based healthcare providers to routinely screen for LBMs and support appropriate medication discontinuation in older patients with advanced illnesses and limited life expectancy.