Literature Review

What palliative care teaches us about living well Psychology Today; by Jill Schwartz-Chevlin, MD, MBA; 9/2/26 When I reflect on my 20 years of practicing palliative medicine, the biggest takeaway is how the setting changes the work. Sitting down at a kitchen table with a patient and their family, instead of standing at a hospital bedside or in a clinic, changes the relationship. The person in front of me is in the comfort of their own home, surrounded by the people and objects that hold their history, and the conversation becomes theirs to lead. ...

Sagility volunteers host back-to-school Event for Hospice El Paso's Butterfly Program Cision PRWeb, El Paso, TX; by Sagility; 9/3/26 Sagility, a leading tech-enabled healthcare operations and transformation company, recently hosted a volunteer-led back-to-school picnic for children and families connected to Hospice El Paso's Butterfly Program. The event brought together local families, community partners, and Sagility employees to help students prepare for the upcoming school year. ... Hospice El Paso's Butterfly Program provides specialized pediatric and perinatal hospice care, emotional support, and resources for families facing serious illness, end-of-life care, or loss. Hosting the event reflects Sagility's broader dedication to giving back to the regions where its employees live and work.Editor's Note: A back-to-school picnic sounds simple — until you consider that these children and families are living with serious illness, end-of-life care, or loss through the Butterfly Program's pediatric and perinatal hospice care. Sagility's volunteers didn't just fund it; they showed up, in person, restoring an ordinary joy that grief so often steals. Which local employer in your community could become this kind of partner — not just a donor, but a familiar face at your next family event?

Mercy Hospice change in operator created conditions that posed ‘immediate jeopardy’ to patient well-being, state regulators say The Journal; by Jessie Bowman; 9/1/26 The ownership transition of Durango’s hospice program created serious problems in patient care and organizational oversight, according to state inspections that found multiple deficiencies and twice determined patients were at immediate risk of serious harm or death. In October 2025, the for-profit arm of the national CommonSpirit Health system – CommonSpirit Health at Home – took over ownership of the Mercy Hospice program. CommonSpirit assured the community the quality of care would not decline as a result of the transition. ... However, in May, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment conducted two concurrent relicensing inspections that found the ownership transition created system-wide deficiencies that led to clinical care practices and poor organizational oversight that put patient health and safety at serious risk. 

[United Kingdom] Majority of nurses have given end-of-life care in corridors The Daily Mail; by Shaun Wooller; 9/1/26 More than half of nurses have treated patients receiving end-of-life care in corridors or other makeshift spaces, a damning report reveals. Terminally ill patients are being condemned to 'undignified' deaths and poor quality care in NHS hospitals due to crippling staff shortages, the health workers warn. Meanwhile, overcrowding means some of the most vulnerable are left languishing on trollies where they must go to the toilet and even die in 'full glare of the public.' Nurses told researchers of widespread problems in care planning ... and in some cases patients being resuscitated against their wishes. The survey of 1,153 UK nurses and healthcare professionals by the charity Marie Curie and nursing website Nursing Standard found 55 per cent had treated patients in corridors or non-clinical areas, such as cupboards and offices.

9/11 Memorial Map: Prepare for next Friday, 9/11's 25th anniversary 9.11 Legacy Foundation; Editor's Note by Joy Berger; retrieved from the internet 9/1/26 Explore a growing map of memorials nationwide that honor the lives lost and the heroes who responded to the September 11 attacks. Each marker reflects a community’s dedication to remembrance, resilience, and unity.Editor's Note: Where were you on the morning of September 11, 2001? How did you learn? Whom did you contact? What do you remember feeling? Fearing? What unfolded in your life, your family, your community because of the tragedies of 9/11? We--in hospice--know the longterm impact of both "normal" loss, and of tragic losses that live on in us until we die. I implore you to create ways to allow your employees and volunteers to honor this day in ways that can be meaningful to them, while respecting the tasks that need to be done on this standard workday. Perhaps, a message from your CEO, from a chaplain, a bereavement counselor, an employee who was directly affected by 9/11, or someone else. Perhaps--sent ahead of time, a link to a live-stream memorial service. Perhaps, a real-time text that marks a moment of silence on 9/11. Use your imagination and skills for healing, for compassionate care. Do you have a story to share? Please send the URL link to me.

Office of the Governor — Gov. Green announces $58 million federal investment to strengthen rural healthcare across Hawaiʻi The America Watch - State of Hawai'i, Honolulu, HI; by Office of the Governor, Josh Green, MD; 9/1/26 Governor Josh Green today announced $58 million in federal funding through the Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) to improve access to healthcare and strengthen services in rural and underserved communities across Hawaiʻi. “As a physician who has practiced in rural communities, I know that distance can determine whether someone receives care in time,” said Governor Green. “This $58 million federal investment will help us train and retain more healthcare professionals, provide new ambulances in every county and modernize emergency communications. ..."

The hospice moratorium: what CMS is really signaling about the future | part one Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN); podcast hosted by Chris Comeaux with Dr. Jennifer Kennedy; 9/2/26 In Part One of this timely conversation, host Chris Comeaux and co-host Cordt Kassner,  sit down with Dr. Jennifer Kennedy, Vice President for Quality, Standards and Compliance at CHAP, to unpack what the CMS hospice moratorium means, why it was implemented, and what hospice leaders should be watching next.  Jennifer explains how escalating concerns around fraud and abuse, rapid market expansion, transactional hospice models, accreditation oversight, and Medicare enrollment have created an unprecedented regulatory environment.  She also shares why she believes the moratorium could be extended as CMS continues strengthening enrollment screening and program-integrity efforts.

Alzheimer’s blood test gets FDA clearance, but not CMS coverage Inside Health Policy, Washington, DC; by Jessica Karins; 9/2/26 A blood test aiming to help with early identification of Alzheimer’s disease, including in primary care settings, by detecting buildup in the brain of the key Alzheimer’s biomarker amyloid beta plague, has been cleared by FDA, but the test and others in its category are not yet covered by CMS or any Medicare Administrative Contractors, its developer confirmed, with MACs having to make an individual determination for each patient of whether payment for the test is appropriate.

When eating fruit, remember the one who planted the tree. ~ Vietnamese proverb

Bloom Healthcare expands Dallas-Fort Worth presence with acquisition of Christian Care House Calls Business Insider, Denver, CO; Press Release by GlobeNewswire; 8/31/26 Bloom Healthcare, a passionate team of medical providers specializing in in-home primary care for seniors with complex health needs, today announced its acquisition of Christian Care House Calls, a Dallas-Fort Worth-based home primary care practice. Effective August 31, Christian Care House Calls will operate under the Bloom Healthcare name, strengthening Bloom’s presence in the region and expanding its ability to provide high-quality primary care to patients in their homes and senior living communities. ... Through Bloom’s integrated Hospice, that coordinated approach can continue through end-of-life care, with individualized care plans that honor the wishes of patients and families and keep primary care closely involved throughout the care journey.

Palliative care is about living better — not giving up Patch, Westport, CT; by Hartford HealthCare, featuring Dr. Sara Dost; 8/31/26 For many patients and families, the words palliative care can be difficult to hear. Some assume it means treatment has stopped. Others confuse it with hospice care or believe it is only appropriate during the final stages of life. But according to Dr. Sara Dost of Hartford HealthCare's Cancer Institute at St. Vincent's Medical Center, palliative care is about something much different: helping people feel better and live as fully as possible while facing a serious illness. “I like to call palliative care supportive care,” Dr. Dost said. “We help patients deal with side effects, decision-making and the challenges that can come with a serious illness. Think of us as an extra layer of support.”

Priorities for advancing palliative care for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: a consensus report from a palliative care for ALS working group in the United States Muscle & Nerve; by Kara E. Bischoff, Yaowaree L. Leavell, Jessica M. Besbris, Christi Lero, Kelsey Noble, Astrid Grouls, Jerome Kurent, Benzi M. Kluger, Steven Z. Pantilat, Ambereen K. Mehta, on behalf of the International Neuropalliative Care Society's Palliative Care for ALS Working Group; 8/31/2026 The Palliative Care for ALS Working Group was formed within the International Neuropalliative Care Society, consisting of interprofessional ALS and palliative care clinicians, researchers, advocates, and patients and care partner representatives who are committed to improving palliative care for people living with ALS. The group engaged in a strategic planning process to determine what is needed to advance palliative care for people with ALS over the next 3–5 years. This report outlines the core recommendations from that strategic planning process. Recommendations are divided into five sections: (1) clinician education, (2) clinical service expansion, (3) research, (4) public awareness, and (5) policy change. Editor's Note: ALS is an especially devastating, demanding disease for patients, caregivers and families, for your clinical staff and volunteers. What disease-specific education and resources do you provide? How many ALS patients have your organization served in "x" years? Do you partner in any way with your regional ALS association? For non-clinical leaders, an important, easy distinction for you to remember the clinical, deeply personal differences between ALS versus ALZ: 

Patient and caregiver perspectives on communication quality in tele-palliative care Journal of Palliative Medicine; by Julia I. Bandini, PhD, Elaine Li, BA, Dio Kavalieratos, PhD, FAAHPM, Natalie C. Ernecoff, PhD, Kimberly Curseen, MD, and Jordan Harrison, PhD; 8/27/26 Objective: To qualitatively explore patient and family caregiver experiences with telehealth and in-person visits for outpatient palliative care, including preferences related to mode of care and any perceived differences in communication quality by mode in a post-pandemic context. Results: Three themes emerged: (1) participants weighed convenience, symptom burden, and visit reason in choosing mode of care; (2) opinions differed on the authenticity of communication via telehealth; and (3) comfort and privacy shaped communication quality. Some patients and family caregivers perceived communication via telehealth as comparable to in-person care, while others felt in-person visits allowed for more authentic interactions. Many found that the convenience of telehealth outweighed any perceived differences in communication quality. In addition, some patients noted that without the option for telehealth, the benefits of an in-person palliative care visit may not have outweighed the travel burden.