Literature Review

Hospice telehealth once again endangered as federal shutdown looms  Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 1/28/26 The prospect of another government shutdown could result in the expiration of COVID-era telehealth flexibilities. The government experienced a lengthy shutdown in November 2025, which ended with the passing of the Continuing Appropriations Act of 2026. That bill not only funded the government through Jan. 30, but it also extended the telehealth flexibilities to that date. Now, a further extension sits in limbo as congressional lawmakers spar along partisan lines. If a new shutdown occurs, it would likely be partial, according to Logan Hoover, vice president of policy and government relations for the National Alliance for Care at Home.

Another strike sends 31,000 Kaiser Permanente health care workers to picket lines AP, U.S. News, Oakland, CA; 1/27/26 An estimated 31,000 registered nurses and other front-line Kaiser Permanente health care workers launched an open-ended strike this week in California and Hawaii to demand better wages and staffing from the health care giant. The picketing that began Monday marked the second major walkout in recent months by employees represented by the United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals. A five-day strike in October ended with negotiations resuming, but talks broke down in December. This week the union accused Kaiser of refusing to return to national bargaining discussions.

[Netherlands] Pediatric advance care planning: a mixed-methods evaluation of documentation and sharing in current practice BMC Palliative Care; by Sophie Tooten, Rosella P.M.G. Hermens, Manel Verhoeven, Ellen M. Vierhoven, Fatima Boulakhrif, Jana M. Reintjes, Michel A.A.P. Willemsen, Judith L. Aris-Meijer, Jurrianne C. Fahner, Marijanne Engel, Marijke C. Kars, Inge M.L. Ahout & Esther Deuning-Smit; 1/29/26 Pediatric advance care planning (pACP) aims to align future care and treatment of children with life-limiting conditions (LLCs) with children’s and their families’ values, goals and preferences. Documenting and sharing pACP elements with healthcare professionals (HCPs) is essential for goal-concordant care. This study evaluates how pACP elements are documented in electronic health records of children with LLCs and shared with other HCPs.

California revokes 280 hospice licenses in fraud fight; Congressional hearing set Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 1/28/26 California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has provided an update on how the state is tackling fraudulent activity in the hospice space amid rising federal concerns. More than 280 licenses have been revoked among new hospice operators entering the state during the last two years, the governor reported on Tuesday. ... CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz and other agency officials visited hospices in California and Nevada earlier this month, pledging greater efforts to combat fraud.

Protecting patients at the end of life: Why CON still matters / part one, with Tim Rogers and Paul A. Ledford Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN); podcast/video hosted by Chris Comeaux with Time Rogers and Paul A. Ledford; 1/28/26 Certificate of Need (CON) laws remain one of the most debated—and misunderstood—regulatory frameworks in healthcare.  In this in-depth conversation, Chris Comeaux is joined by two of the nation’s most respected Hospice association 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.

The final year of the late Ben Hurd’s Christmas Tree Farm raised more than $25k for Hospice of Humboldt

MedPAC signals need to bolster Medicare physician payments AMA - American Medical Association; by Tanya Albert Henry; 1/27/26 Influential body backs added 0.5% Medicare pay update but backtracks on linking doctor payment to practice-cost inflation. ... The influential Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) voted in January to address inadequate payment for Medicare physician services under current law, once again underscoring a longstanding policy failure that is widely recognized but remains unresolved. MedPAC voted to recommend an additional 0.5% update on top of the updates specified in current law—0.25% and 0.75%—and will forward that recommendation to Congress. 

Defining palliative care quality in a tight reimbursement environment Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 1/27/26 Palliative care delivery is undergoing an evolutionary period of change. These services are offered in several different ways across the country, which brings both benefits and challenges when it comes to defining quality in the space. Today’s palliative care providers are shaping the outlook of the field, but through diversified approaches, according to Brynn Bowman, CEO of Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC). The field is reaching a pivotal stage when it comes to supply and demand or resources, an issue that greater standardization could help to address, she indicated. 

At least 28 dead as winter storm brings ice, snow, extreme cold USA Today, The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA; by Karissa Waddick and Dinah Voyles Pulver; 1/26/26 At least 28 people have died amid a monster winter storm over the weekend that unleashed freezing temperatures and heavy snow across dozens of states, causing power outages and treacherous road conditions for emergency responders. ... The treacherous conditions have so far been linked to 28 deaths in 12 states, including one each in Arkansas, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan and South Carolina; two each in Louisiana, Massachusetts and Mississippi, three each in Pennsylvania and Tennessee and nine in New York. ... Here’s what we know about deaths related to the winter storm. ...

Very often you are in the right place, at the right time, but you don't know it. ~ Maria Tallchief

Many in Pacific Northwest delay end-of-life paperwork, expert says NonStop Local Tri-Cities/Yakima, WA; by NonStop Local; 1/21/26 Experts are saying the beginning of the year is a great time to break the silence around one of life's most important, yet most avoided conversations: our wishes for the end of life. Research reveals that only one in three people have completed necessary paperwork like advanced directives, according to Meagan Williams of Compassion and Choices. This national nonprofit focuses on end-of-life healthcare planning and options. 

Half a million without power and dozens of deaths. A winter storm’s toll, in numbers Associated Press; by Jeff Martin; updated 1/27/26, 1:50pm EST As a deadly storm that brought crippling ice to the South and deep snow to the Northeast finally swirled out to sea, it represented a light at the end of the tunnel for some. However, roughly half a million Americans were still without power or heat, and temperatures were forecast to fall well below freezing Tuesday evening in areas where the massive ice storm did its worst damage. ... Here’s a look at the storm by the numbers. ...

[United Kingdom] Winner's £25k hospice donation matched by lottery BBC News; by Rebecca Kenyon; 1/27/26 A lottery winner who donated £25,000 of her prize to a Kent hospice which cared for her late husband says she is "thrilled" her donation has been matched by the company which ran the draw. Linda Styles donated the money to the Heart of Kent Hospice in Aylesford in August after winning £250,000 in the People's Postcode Lottery. ... It costs £7.6m a year to provide services at the hospice but only 20% of that funding comes from the government. The hospices says this means it relies on voluntary donations for the other 80%.