Literature Review

Brookdale Senior Living continues downsizing with focus on owning communities McKnights Senior Living; by Lois A. Bowers; 2/2/26The future, including the future size, of the country’s largest senior living company was brought into sharper focus Friday during Brookdale Senior Living’s Investor Day. In the near term, that future appears to include a more aggressive portfolio pruning than previously announced. In the long term, CEO Nick Stengle didn’t rule out a potential return to the home health and hospice care space, although he said the company has no current plans to do so.

Blaming younger doctors for setting boundaries ignores the broken system The Podcast by KevinMD; podcast hosted by KevinMD with Christie Mulholland; 1/31/26 Palliative care physician and certified physician development coach Christie Mulholland discusses her article “5 things health care must stop doing to improve physician well-being.” Christie challenges the pervasive narrative that younger physicians lack work ethic and argues that their boundary-setting is a rational response to an untenable system. ... Christie explains the double standard where new technology is an investment but physician wellness is expected to prove immediate financial return. 

De-mystifying performance measures for hospitalists: Mortality The Hospitalist; by Matt Cersale, ND, MPH, SFHM; Kristin Gershfield, MD, FHM; Preetham Talari, MD; Anunta Virapongse, MD; 2/2/26 Mortality is the ultimate outcome metric for patient care. In the hospital, measuring mortality appears simple and straightforward, but upon considering the layers of attribution and risk stratification, it becomes significantly more complex. Measures of mortality are used in various quality reporting and national ranking programs, making them a common focus of hospital leadership. However, the connection between hospitalists and measures of mortality is not always clear.

Home Care Sector Update - February 2026: 2025 M&A activity recap & key themes shaping 2026 Capstone Partners; Press Release; 2/2/26 As owners evaluate growth, partnership, and exit strategies in 2026, this article provides an update of merger and acquisition (M&A) activity within the Home Care sector, highlighting key themes and summarizing transaction activity across the Personal Home Care, Home Health, and Hospice segments. 

Hospice of the Western Reserve rebrands as Reserve Care Reserve Care, Cleveland, OH; Press Release; 2/2/26 Hospice of the Western Reserve is now operating under a new name, Reserve Care, reflecting the organization’s full scope of services and its role supporting individuals and families across Ohio through caregiving, serious illness and end of life. Founded nearly 50 years ago as a leading nonprofit hospice provider in Northeast Ohio, the organization has served nearly 640,000 patients and family members throughout its history. Over time, it has expanded to offer personalized services across the continuum of care ...

From new division to new leadership: White House appoints national “Fraud Czar” Benesch; by Robert J. Kolansky, Pilar G. Mendez, Briana Cowman; 1/30/26  The White House has announced the creation of a new senior enforcement role focused on identifying, coordinating and advancing large-scale fraud matters across federal programs and the private sector, signaling a renewed emphasis on centralized fraud enforcement strategy rather than a shift in underlying legal standards. According to recent reporting, the Administration has appointed a seasoned investigator and prosecutor, Colin McDonald to serve in this newly created role, informally described as a national “fraud czar.” 

[United Kingdom] Parents to open 'virtual hospice' after unit shuts BBC News, London, England, UK; by Chris Slegg; 1/31/26 Families of seriously ill children in east London say they are setting up their own hospice service after being left without adequate care following the closure of local hospice, Richard House. The facility in Newham closed on 18 December despite a campaign by parents to keep it open in December. Parents, working with former Richard House chief executive Paul Richards, now plan to open East London Hospice, in order to provide care to families in their homes. 

The future of palliative care? Community-based models with Alan Chiu, Mindy Stewart-Coffee, and Ben ThompsonGeriPal podcast; by Eric Widera, Alex Smith, Alan Chiu, Mindy Stewart-Coffee, Ben Thompson; 1/22/26In this thought-provoking episode of the GeriPal podcast, we are joined by Alan Chiu (Chief of Palliative Care at Monogram Health), Mindy Stewart-Coffee (National Vice President of Palliative Care at Optum Home and Community), and Ben Thompson (National Medical Director for Hospice and Palliative Care at Gentiva) to discuss this revolution happening in palliative care. The conversation centers around the rapid growth and investment in community-based palliative care, which has emerged as a key area of innovation and opportunity to meet the largely unmet needs of patients living with serious illnesses. With a focus on expanding access, improving outcomes, and addressing workforce shortages, the guests explore how value-based care models are reshaping palliative care delivery.

Drivers of disease-specific end-of-life disparities Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 1/30/26 ... Racial and ethnic disparities persist among underserved patient populations with dementia, who have a stronger likelihood of dying without awareness or access to hospice, recent research has found. Clinicians may play a vital role in moving the needle forward. Nearly 260, 000 Black, Hispanic and white Medicare decedents with dementia-related conditions were recently examined in a new study, which was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Health Forum.  Editor's Note: We posted this study in our Saturday Research newsletter, 12/27/25, End-of-life care for older adults with dementia by race and ethnicity and physicians’ role. This article gives more practical descriptions and applications for its results.

Protecting patients at the end of life why CON still matters - part 2 Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN); podcast hosted by Chris Comeaux with Paul A. Ledford and Tim Rogers;  1/30/26 In Part Two of Protecting Patients at the End of Life: Why CON Still Matters, host Chris Comeaux continues the conversation with two of the nation’s most respected hospice policy leaders—Paul A. Ledford, President & CEO of the Florida Hospice & Palliative Care Association, and Tim Rogers, President & CEO of the Association for Home & Hospice Care of North Carolina. This episode moves beyond regulatory theory and into the real-world patient and family experience—especially in states without hospice Certificate of Need (CON) laws. Drawing on decades of leadership, personal stories of loved ones in hospice, and data-informed insights, Paul and Tim explore what families actually face when hospice markets are oversaturated, fragmented, or poorly regulated.

Cultivating leaders in medicine: We can do better Medscape; by Aba Black, MD, MHS; 1/29/26 ... there’s no question that medicine as a field has lagged when it comes to propagating tenets of effective leadership. ... [Too] many doctors make it through the endurance run that is medical education without ever being told what makes a good leader. There’s good reason to want more doctors in leadership roles, as healthcare administrators with clinical expertise bring an important skill set to the challenges facing our healthcare system. While hospitals led by economists may fare better financially, physician-led hospitals are associated with lower mortality rates and higher patient satisfaction. 

In February, the smallest gestures of kindness can melt the coldest of hearts. ~ Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Husband with Parkinson's was admitted into at-home hospice program and has dramatically improved. Have others experienced this? Aging Care; by Klwolf; 1/21/26 My DH has Parkinson’s that has been getting progressively worse for months. In early December we had him assessed for hospice and he was admitted. Since then, he’s improved dramatically. Has anyone else experienced dramatic improvement AFTER hospice enrollment? The hospice staff simply shrugs and says this sometimes happens and that we need to be prepared for him to revert back to his previous state. Editor's Note: Many clinicians have seen individuals improve after hospice enrollment, often due to better symptom control, reduced stress, or consistent interdisciplinary care. The concern here is not the improvement itself, but the hospice team’s reported response. A shrug can feel dismissive to families already living with uncertainty. How do we teach teams to communicate about improvement—honoring hope while preparing families with clarity, compassion, and trust?