Literature Review

Calendar Year (CY) 2027 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule CMS Newsroom; Fact Sheet; 7/14/26 paired with U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, CMS CY 2027 Payment Policies under the Physician Fee Schedule, 7/16/26; summary by guest editor Judi Lund Person On July 14, 2026, the Federal Register posted the CY 2027 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule proposed rule – CMS-1848-P. The CMS Fact Sheet on the proposed rule can be found here. While the proposed rule is 1,592 pages, there are two items of note to hospice and palliative care readers: 1) Supporting Beneficiaries Planning for Future Medical Decisions.CMS is proposing to create two new HCPCS codes to describe advance care planning (ACP) services furnished by clinical staff under the direct supervision of the billing physician or other practitioner. These new codes will more accurately distinguish and value the work done by billing practitioners from time spent by their clinical staff providing ACP services. We are further proposing that the existing ACP CPT codes 99497 and 99498 would only be used to report time personally spent by the billing practitioner. 2) RFI on Community-based Palliative Care, asking questions on eligibility for serious illness care and palliative care, the future of care management services and advanced primary care management.   

Leveraging technology in hospice sales and marketing Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 7/14/26 Technology is becoming increasingly important in hospice sales and marketing, but it can’t replace the human touch, according to provider leaders. One of the most proliferating sets of technologies sweeping the hospice space and many other industries right now is artificial intelligence (AI). While AI can be a tool to generate referral growth and streamline operations, building person-to-person relationships is more important, Craig Dresang, CEO of the nonprofit hospice provider YoloCares, said during a Hospice News webinar.  “Nothing will replace relationship management person to person. AI is a tool to be used. We use AI here in a number of ways,” Dresang told Hospice News. “There are a number of ways that AI can be used as a tool, but nothing will replace good old-fashioned people skills and relationship management skills.”

Medicare’s hospice bill doubled over the last decade U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO); WatchBlog Post; 7/14/26 In recent years, Medicare’s spending on hospice has nearly doubled. We looked at this spending and found that the way Medicare pays for hospice care could be costing taxpayers billions more than it should. Today’s WatchBlog post looks at our new report about inefficiencies in Medicare's payments.

Why joint ventures may outpace M&A during the CMS home health enrollment moratorium Home Health Care News; by MK Manoylov; 7/14/26 The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) six-month moratorium on new Medicare home health enrollments limits one pathway for providers to scale, but operators can still expand organically and through M&A. Growth-minded operators can increase census, improve workforce availability, acquire other businesses and forge joint ventures, home health industry insiders said during a recent Home Health Care News webinar. Organic growth can mean improving conversion rates from referrals, expanding partnerships and developing operations, said Andwell Health Partners CEO Ken Albert.

Empath Health expands hospice support for Jewish communities Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 7/13/26 Empath Trustbridge Hospice has established a formal partnership with Ruth & Norman Rales Jewish Family Services (JFS) to expand access to end-of-life support. The partnership with JFS is aimed at improving access to culturally responsive care provided by Empath Trustbridge Hospice’s Tikvah Jewish Care & Support Program. The program provides faith-based support, honors Jewish traditions and holiday observances, as well as kosher dietary coordination. The two organizations launched the partnership after years of relationship-building and a mutual commitment to honoring the Jewish community through every stage of life. 

Most Americans prefer to die at home, but the US healthcare system often prevents it ArcaMax; by Karen Lutfey Spencer; 7/14/26 Ask people what they want at the end of their lives, and overwhelmingly the answers will revolve around comfort, dignity and time at home with loved ones. Yet the U.S. healthcare system often thwarts these wishes. Most Americans say they want to die at home, but only one-third do. What could be an intentional last chapter may instead become a roller coaster of hospitalizations and decisions made with incomplete information. News headlines reflect the challenges of facing the end of life in crisis mode. ... Unfortunately, these crisis scenarios are happening to millions of families each year.

[United Kingdom] Development of the ‘Culturally Informed Ecological Model of Grief’ – a national qualitative study of bereavement experiences among ethnically diverse communities BMC Medicine; by Catriona R Mayland, Emily Fisher, Adejoke O Oluyase, Nikel-Shaniece Hector-Jack, Toslima Khatun, Rukia Saleem, Naureen Khan, Shirin Shahid, Riffat Mahmood, Gurpreet Grewal-Santini, Monika Afolabi, Candice Wang, Sarah Ng, Rashmi Kumar, Katherine Bristowe, Emily Harrop, Zoebia Islam, Jonathan Koffman, Gurch Randhawa, Lucy E Selman & Sabrina Bajwah; 7/14/26  Background: Among people from ethnically diverse communities, evidence regarding bereavement experiences and support needs is limited; there are known inequities in access to formal bereavement support. Conclusions: Racism was evident across multiple settings and closely intertwined with bereavement, compounding the emotional burden of grief. This study represents the largest qualitative investigation of bereavement among ethnically diverse communities in UK healthcare to date, providing a robust evidence base for improving equity in support. Bereavement services must prioritise cultural safety and actively address structural racism. The ‘Culturally Informed Ecological Model of Grief’ offers a new framework guiding more equitable bereavement support, relevant across national and international contexts.

Advance Care Planning is becoming quality data: why the conversation must be documented clearly ICD10monitor, Inver Grove Heights, MN; by Penny Jefferson, MSN, RN, CCDS, CCDS-O, CCS, CDIP, CRC, CHDA, CRCR, CPHQ, ACPA-C; 7/13/26 Advance care planning has always been personal. It is one of the most human conversations that occurs in healthcare. It asks patients, families, caregivers, and clinicians to talk about goals, values, fears, treatment preferences, and what should happen if the patient is no longer able to speak for themselves. But advance care planning is also becoming something else: quality data. In the FY 2027 IPPS/LTCH PPS proposed rule, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposes adopting an Advance Care Planning electronic clinical quality measure, or eCQM, beginning with the FY 2030 payment determination. CMS also proposes adopting the same eCQM in alignment with the Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program and adopting an Advance Care Planning eCQM for the PPS-Exempt Cancer Hospital Quality Reporting Program beginning with the FY 2030 program year. Editor's Note: FY 2027 Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) and Long-Term Care Hospital Prospective Payment System (LTCH PPS) Proposed Rule — CMS-1849-P

Home health advocates accuse CMS of overreach on fraud-fighting measures McKnights Home Care; by Liza Berger; 7/10/26 While there has been much focus so far on the continuing behavioral adjustments in the recent home health proposed rule, there is another aspect of the rule that has drawn providers’ scorn — the harsh fraud measures. “The rule proposes significant expanded authority for CMS to deny or revoke Medicare enrollment,” Jennifer Sheets, CEO of the National Alliance for Care at Home, said during a webinar hosted by the Polsinelli law firm Thursday. “These enrollment provisions are a particular concern for us.” Sheets pointed out to a provision in the program integrity proposals that would expand the reapplication bar — prohibiting a provider from re-enrolling for up to 10 years — for any enrollment denial reason. “This really concerns us,” she said. “We think it is overreach from CMS, and that 10-year bar is a pretty scary thing to be looking at.”

[United Kingdom] Man, 94, taking on 100-mile walking challenge BBC News; Andy Giddings; 7/13/26 A man is planning to mark his 95th birthday by completing a 100-mile walking challenge for charity in memory of his wife. Smudge Smith, who lives in Telford and is a regular walker, is doing it to support Severn Hospice and hopes to complete the challenge in 100 days. His wife Margaret was cared for by the hospice in Bicton and since her death he has completed a number of fundraising walks to support it and other charities. He plans to get out each day on one of his five pre-planned routes and he will be joined by friends and family including his children Diane, Sue and David. Smith, who lives in the Ketley Bank area of Telford, set off on 3 July and aims to finish the challenge by his birthday on 14 October. 

Community gathers to strike out cancer and honor loved ones during awareness event WUFT | PBS/NPR, Gainesville, FL; by Curan Ahern; 7/12/26 Just over one year ago, Corey Williams received the news everyone dreads: a loved one being diagnosed with cancer. A local artist, poet, videographer and father of four, Williams found out in May 2025 his fiancée, Iya Burkett, had cancer. Within a month, Williams saw the disease rapidly progress. ... Williams faced one of the worst realities a man can experience: Burkett died, and he was not prepared. ... Williams also lost his mother to cancer three years prior, leaving him to face the world without the two most important women in his life. After wrestling with the losses, he planned community events to commemorate his loved ones, raise awareness and start uncomfortable conversations about preparedness — conversations that often need to be had but are avoided. ... Along with friends and family, members of Haven Hospice’s bereavement program, Healing Hearts, showed up to support Williams and his family. Burkett worked for Haven Hospice for 13 years, and the organization helped Williams transition into life without his fiancée. 

Lessons from 70 triathlons about why enterprise software projects fail Forbes; by Alan Rencher for Forbes Technology Council; 7/13/26 ​In 2004, I weighed 280 pounds. ... I am not proud of how I got there. But I am genuinely grateful for what getting out of it taught me, not just about endurance training, but about the thing I have spent my career trying to get right: why enterprise software almost always fails. I have now completed 70-plus triathlons. I also have a long list of painful firsthand experiences with enterprise software that launched expensively and landed quietly in a drawer. Building it, selling it, buying it, implementing it. I have been on every side of that table. The failure modes are the same. And the reason is not what most people think.​ ...

Utilization of hospice and palliative care among patients with mental illness: a retrospective cohort study Journal of the American Geriatrics Society; by Sean O'Mahony, Utpol Das, Yuanyi Zhang, Anirudh S. Babu, Mukaila A. Raji, James Gerhart, Yong-Fang Kuo; 7/11/26 Background: Individuals with mental illness (MI) experience premature mortality and health disparities, yet little is known about their access to hospice and palliative care. Conclusions: Mental illnesses were associated with complex hospice utilization patterns characterized by longer length-of-stay, higher likelihood of enrollment far from death, lower likelihood of enrollment within 180 days before death, and lower palliative care consultation use in some groups.