Literature Review

NPHI organizes listening tour on hospice program integrity with CMS leaders Dr. Oz and Kim BrandtNational Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI); Press Release; 1/8/26On Thursday [1/9], Dr. Mehmet Oz, Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and Kim Brandt, CMS Chief Operating Officer ... are visiting Nathan Adelson Hospice in Las Vegas as part of a listening session and on-site tour. On Friday, the tour continues in California, where NPHI is supporting discussions with federal leaders and providers in the state focused on fraud and abuse challenges impacting hospice care. These conversations are intended to help federal leaders better understand what providers are seeing on the ground and explore how CMS and the provider community can work together to strengthen program integrity while protecting access to high-quality, mission-driven care.

Sue Ryder urges people to donate unwanted Christmas gifts to support hospice care RDG.Today, United Kingdom; by Staff Writer; 1/5/26 The charity Sue Ryder is encouraging people to donate unwanted Christmas presents to its local shops to help raise funds for palliative care and bereavement support. The national charity, which supports people facing terminal illness and grief, said items such as clothing, unused gadgets and home accessories could be given a second life by being donated rather than left unused at home. ... Sue Ryder has almost 400 shops across the UK, with money raised helping to fund palliative and end-of-life care in hospices and in people’s homes, as well as free bereavement support services. 

Kobacker program moves to Ohio’s Hospice in landmark partnership preserving future of quality nonprofit end-of-life care US National Times, Columbus, OH; Press Release; 1/7/26 The Kobacker family today announced that Kobacker House, central Ohio’s pioneering inpatient hospice facility founded in 1989, will move and continue its mission under Ohio’s Hospice, the state’s largest nonprofit hospice provider. As part of the announcement, the family published a guiding charter, The Kobacker Way, which details fundamental principles for quality nonprofit hospice care. The full document is available at www.TheKobackerWay.org. 

New hospice room at Crestview Manor helps homeless veterans Crestview Bulletin, Crestview, FL; by Tony Judnich; 12/31/25 [On December 26,] a 60-year-old man who was a homeless military veteran became the first resident of the "Peoples Health Services Heroes Hospice Room" at the Creview Manor assisted-living facility. [The rest of the article is behind a paywall.]

Superior Health Holdings expands Louisiana hospice footprint with acquisition of Hope Healthcare & Hospice (Bayou Country) Business Wire; Press Release; 1/7/26 Superior Health Holdings (“Superior”) ... announced the acquisition of the Bayou Country hospice operations of Hope Healthcare and Hospice BC, LLC ("Hope Hospice"), a community-based hospice provider headquartered in Houma, Louisiana. This acquisition expands Superior’s integrated care capabilities and deepens its presence in Southern Louisiana. Hope Hospice serves a broad area throughout the Bayou Region and offers all Medicare-defined levels of hospice care, including routine home care, general inpatient care, continuous home care, and respite services. The organization delivers care in patients’ homes as well as in assisted living communities, nursing facilities, memory care centers, and partner hospitals. 

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. More information to follow.

Harbor Hospice Foundation raises over $1M for Muskegon County residence MLive.com, Muskegon County, MI; by Ehren Wynder; 1/7/26 The Harbor Hospice Foundation said it has officially exceeded its $1 million fundraising goal in support of the Leila & Cyrus Poppen Hospice Residence. As of Tuesday, Jan. 6, the foundation said it has raised $1.17 million from donors, supporters and partner organizations. The campaign is still accepting donations until the end of January. “This milestone represents more than a dollar amount; it represents the collective commitment of our community to care for one another during life’s most vulnerable moments,” Ammy Seymour, director of development and communications for the Harbor Hospice Foundation, said in a statement. 

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!

Physicians’ end-of-life choices: a surprising study Medpage Today's KevinMD.com; by M. Bennet Broner, PhD; 1/3/26 In July, I wrote about the importance of end-of-life planning (EOL). Shortly after, I read a study that examined physicians’ EOL plans with advanced cancer and Alzheimer’s disease (stage unspecified). The study encompassed nations with different forms of aid in dying, from the U.S., where a terminal coma is the only option most states allow, to Belgium, where physician-assisted dying (PAD) and euthanasia are available. Although the term suicide has been used for PAD, it is incorrect, as no one who chooses these options desires to die; they just want a choice in how and when they do so. ... One would assume, as the researchers did, that physicians would utilize all available medical technology. However, they found that end-of-life choices were nuanced decisions. ...

Creating and sustaining a culture of excellence American Nurse; by Aileen Cassada, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, NRP, and Holly Puckett, DNP, RN, CNE, CMSRN; 1/5/26 Takeaways:

Dying with dignity - personal perspective: The sacred ending we don’t talk about enough. Psychology Today; by Cynthia Chen-Joea DO, MPH, FAAFP, DABOM; 12/24/25 In the U.S., we spend enormous amounts of energy keeping people alive, curing, fixing, and prolonging life at all costs. What we rarely talk about is how people die. And more importantly, how poorly our system supports them when the end is clearly approaching. ... [Background story about her dad's Parkinson's and eventual death] ... Then came our request for hospice. After an evaluation, we were told he didn’t “qualify” because he had gained some weight and his albumin levels were “too high.” An arbitrary checklist, based on labs values, prevented him from getting into hospice. [Keep reading] So we tried for palliative care instead. I made call after call, only to be bounced between departments, many unclear on the difference between hospice and palliative care, ... Even as a physician, I was stunned by how many barriers we encountered simply trying to do the most humane thing: to advocate for dignity, comfort, and respect at the end of my father’s life.

The overlooked driver of digital transformation MIT Technology Review; by Genevieve Julliard and Chris Schyvinck; 1/5/26 When business leaders talk about digital transformation, their focus often jumps straight to cloud platforms, AI tools, or collaboration software. Yet, one of the most fundamental enablers of how organizations now work, and how employees experience that work, is often overlooked: audio. ... "Audio is the gatekeeper of meaning,” stresses Julliard. “If people can't hear clearly, they can't understand you. And if they can't understand you, they can't trust you, and they can't act on what you said. ..." Without clarity, comprehension and confidence collapse.

Big Bend Hospice expands its mission and services across the Florida Panhandle Big Bend Hospice, Tallahassee, FL; by Cristal E. Baer; 1/6/26 ... Beginning in January 2026, hospice services will expand into Jackson, Calhoun and Gulf Counties, marking the first phase of a thoughtful, long-term effort to ensure individuals and families throughout the region have access to the care and support they need. ... This growth represents the first step in a broader, long-term commitment to the Florida Panhandle. While the immediate focus is on delivering exceptional hospice care, the expansion also creates opportunities for future service growth that will further strengthen support for individuals and families throughout the region.