Literature Review

Period of Enhanced Oversight for new hospices in Arizona, California, Nevada, Texas, Georgia & OhioCMS MLN Fact Sheet; 12/25CMS is placing newly enrolling hospices located in Arizona, California, Nevada, Texas, Georgia, and Ohio in a provisional period of enhanced oversight. We received numerous reports of hospice fraud, waste, and abuse. The number of enrolled hospices has increased significantly in these states, raising serious concerns about market oversaturation. What’s the Goal? The goal of enhanced oversight is to reduce hospice fraud, waste, and abuse.Publisher's Note: The recent addition of Georgia and Ohio is new. Look for more information to follow.

Healthcare technology: Smart tech, wearable devices, and robotics – 2026 health IT predictions Healthcare IT Today; by Grayson Miller; 1/6/26 As we wrap up another year and get ready for 2026 to begin, it is once again time for everyone’s favorite annual tradition of Health IT Predictions! We reached out to our incredible Healthcare IT Today Community to get their insights on what will happen in the coming year, and boy, did they deliver. We, in fact, got so many responses to our prompt this year that we have had to narrow them down to just the best and most interesting. Check out the community’s predictions down below and be sure to follow along as we share more 2026 Health IT Predictions!

Pediatric respite homes provide a survival mechanism for struggling families [podcast]Medpage Today's KevinMD.com; by KevinMD; 1/1/26Certified coach and professor Kathleen Muldoon and co-founder of Ryan House and Children’s Respite Homes of America Jonathan Cottor discuss the article “The need for pediatric respite care.” Kathleen shares the personal story of raising her son Gideon who lives with over 42 medical diagnoses and explain why the family had to move across the country to find safety. They highlight the critical difference between taking a break and surviving the relentless cycle of 24/7 medical vigilance required for medically complex children. 

Awards and Recognitions: December 2025

Sunday newsletters focus on headlines and top read stories of the last week (in order) - enjoy!   Also, remember our Job Board to find staff for the new year!

Whatever you're meant to do, do it now. The conditions ae always impossible. ~Doris Lessing

No time like the present: End-of-life simulation in the first semester of a 12-month accelerated baccalaureate nursing programJournal of Hospice & Palliative Nursing; by Alexander T Wolf, Karen L Hunt, Maura D Penfield; 12/25Accelerated nursing programs face unique challenges in incorporating palliative care. This report describes a high-fidelity home hospice simulation developed for first-semester students in a 12-month accelerated baccalaureate nursing program in the northeastern United States. The simulation integrated foundational nursing skills with palliative care competencies. Thematic analysis of student reflections revealed 5 emerging themes: pain management, empathy, family involvement, communication, and knowledge and preparation. Despite challenges in creating a realistic home environment, the simulation provided valuable hands-on experience in palliative care, demonstrating the potential for early curricular integration of these crucial skills.

Association between patient-reported engagement and medical record of advance care planning among older adults in the ED: A cross sectional studyAmerican Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine; by Nanako Shirai, Tadayuki Hashimoto, Sho Fukui, Upeka Samarakoon, Gabriel Paasche-Orlow, Seth N. Randa, Yuchiao Chang, Charlotta Lindvall, Katren R. Tyler, Hacho B. Bohossian, Kate R. Sciacca, Karina Klein, Allyson C. Sage, Donovan Nielsen, Eric Hanson, Milton Joel, Timothy F. Platts-Mills, Angelo Volandes, Kei Ouchi; 12/25Most older adults in the U.S. visit the emergency department (ED) in their final 6 months of life, providing an opportunity to engage patients in advance care planning (ACP) conversations ... While many report ACP engagement, the link between self-reported engagement and pre-existing ACP documentation in the ED, where ACP documentation is especially critical, remains unclear. ACP engagement was measured using the validated ACP Engagement Survey. On ED presentation, patient-reported ACP engagement correlated with the presence of pre-existing ACP documentation in the EHR. Conclusion: The ACP Engagement Survey may help identify older adults less likely to have documented ACP,  guiding targeted interventions in the ED.

Palliative care integration in oncology: A review and updateJournal of Hospice & Palliative Care; by Claire Wang, Thomas W LeBlanc; 12/25Palliative care (PC) is increasingly recognized as an essential component of high-quality cancer care, with evidence from randomized trials and meta-analyses demonstrating that it improves quality of life, mood, and goal-concordant end-of-life care. Despite these benefits, PC integration has been inconsistent, with many patients still receiving PC later in their disease course. Current models of integration include outpatient co-located PC clinics, inpatient consultation services, community- and home-based programs, and more recent innovations, such as telehealth and stepped approaches. Symptom control, coping support, longitudinal communication, and existential or spiritual interventions are among the active ingredients that are most consistently associated with improvements in patient outcomes. Implementation of precision PC requires embedding validated patient-reported outcomes and structured referral algorithms into oncology workflows, enabling real-time triage of targeted interventions.

Developing and testing a program to strengthen the dementia palliative care trial workforceJournal of Pain and Symptom Management; Ana-Maria Vranceanu, Hannah Puttre, Sarah Stone, Kathryn I Pollak, Jean S Kutner, Christine Seel Ritchie; 12/25To describe the development and early outcomes of the National Institute on Aging (NIA)-funded Dementia Palliative Care Clinical Trials Training Program (DEM-PCCT)... DEM-PCCT is a novel national training model that advances dementia palliative care by combining didactic training, experiential learning and structured grant development. Thus, DEM-PCCT builds the scientific workforce and serves as a model to accelerate evidence-based dementia palliative care interventions.

[UK] "The system doesn't really cater for the trauma that Black people have experienced" - Experiences of grief and bereavement in Black British and Black Caribbean heritage communities in England: A qualitative studyDeath Studies; by Lucy E Selman, Oliver Clabburn, Yansie Rolston, Karl Murray, Tracey Stone, Lesel Dawson, Michelle Farr, Sabi Redwood, Debi Lewinson-Roberts; 12/25People from Black and other minoritized ethnic communities are known to experience health and social care inequities, including barriers to accessing bereavement support. This qualitative, co-produced study aimed to explore experiences of grief and bereavement among people of Black British and Black Caribbean heritage in England. Through community conversations and interviews with 35 participants, the study illuminates how structural inequities, cultural norms, and systemic racism intersect to shape grief experiences. Participants highlighted the importance of extended family and community in grief, which often clashed with the individualistic norms of white British society. Cultural customs that discouraged emotional expression made grieving harder, while rituals like Nine-Night and storytelling provided crucial communal support.