Literature Review

Maui Hospice calms jitters after feds freeze new Medicare sign-ups Hoodline; by Marc Suzuki; 5/20/26Hospice Maui moved quickly this week to calm worried island families after federal officials hit pause on new Medicare hospice and home health enrollments. The Wailuku nonprofit stressed that long-standing, Medicare-certified providers like itself are not the focus of the federal action, and that patients already in its care will continue to receive visits, medications and support services without interruption. The organization also pointed families to a direct phone line for anyone who wants a real person to walk them through what the freeze does and does not mean.

CMS’s nationwide moratorium on new hospice and home health enrollments: operational, transactional, and enforcement risks for existing providers, healthcare organizations, and investorsClark Hill; by Jose Vela Jr.; 5/19/26 ... Key Takeaway: The larger issue may no longer be whether fraud exists within isolated hospice or home health agencies. ... Healthcare organizations, investors, healthcare professionals, and operational leaders affiliated with hospice and home health providers may wish to evaluate ownership structures, pending transactions, enrollment status, billing practices, referral relationships, operational controls, reimbursement exposure, and existing government scrutiny before operational disruptions, payment suspensions, recoupment activity, or enforcement actions arise.

Loving Hands Hospice challenges Medicare payment suspension, cites due process concerns amid California hospice enforcement actions TMX Newsfile | Newsfile Corp., Los Angeles, CA; Press Release; 5/19/26 Loving Hands Hospice, a women-owned hospice care provider based in Los Angeles, California, has announced that it is currently involved in a legal dispute connected to Medicare payment suspension measures and related allegations under review (Reference Number: PSP-260330-00042). ... Loving Hands Hospice, which has provided hospice services to patients and families in the Los Angeles area for approximately five years, says it supports enforcement actions where legitimate fraud is identified. However, company leadership states that broad enforcement measures applied across California's hospice sector may not adequately account for differences in individual provider circumstances, patient populations, and compliance histories.

Each May, Kennedy students raise money against cancer KELO Pierre, SD; by Bob Mercer; 5/18/26 Students at Kennedy Elementary School in Pierre are learning a valuable lesson. Giving can be the greatest gift of all. There was a friendly competition again during the first two weeks of May between the school’s 19 classrooms to see which one could raise the most money for a life-saving cause. It’s called Kennedy versus Cancer. Their goal was to raise $7,500 — and they’ve reached it once again. ... The money goes to Countryside Hospice. ... Kennedy Elementary students have been raising money to help the fight against cancer since their school opened in 2015. ... So far, more than $60,000 has been brought in.

HealthView CEO Steven Gonzalez announces Inc. articles on why presence beats certainty — and why it matters even more in the age of AI Associated Press, Cerritos, CA; 5/19/26 Steven Gonzalez, President & CEO of HealthView Home Health, Hospice & Palliative Care, announces the publication of his latest Inc. article, “Certainty Is Overrated. Presence Is Underrated,” now live on Inc.com. ... In the published article, Gonzalez challenges a long-held leadership myth: that strong leaders must always project confidence, clarity, and absolute answers. Instead, he makes the case that presence, consistency, and authenticity matter more than false certainty in times of rapid change. When leaders remain visible, grounded, and human, they build the trust and stability that carry teams forward — even in the middle of ambiguity.

The future of hospice: how HOPE will transform reimbursement & care | part one Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN); podcast hosted by Chris Comeaux with Andrea Hale and Raianne Melton; 5/20/26 In this Part One episode of The Future of Hospice: How HOPE Will Transform Reimbursement & Care, healthcare leaders and hospice professionals, Andrea Hale, CEO of Valley Hospice and Raianne Melton, Director of Clinical Services of Professional Services for Axxess, explore how CMS hospice changes will impact hospice operations, compliance, documentation, and outcomes-based reimbursement models. We take a deep dive into one of the most significant changes facing hospice providers in decades—the implementation of the Hospice Outcomes & Patient Evaluation (HOPE) tool.  

Family Hospice expands compassionate care with new Greenwood, South Carolina location NEWSnet; by EIN Presswire; 5/18/26 Family Hospice is proud to announce the opening of its newest location in Greenwood, South Carolina. This expansion strengthens the organization’s presence across the state and increases access to high-quality hospice services for individuals and families throughout Greenwood and the surrounding communities. The new location builds on Family Hospice’s established presence in the Upstate, including its Greenville and Spartanburg offices.

Mayo Clinic and Bayesian Health co-develop new AI-powered solution to expand palliative care access and improve patient outcomes PR Newswire, Rochester, MN and New York , NY; by Bayesian Health; 5/19/26Mayo Clinic and Bayesian Health today announced they have co-developed an artificial intelligence (AI) solution to identify hospitalized patients who may benefit from palliative care earlier in their stay. The solution is designed to support timely consultations, with the objective of improving goal-concordant care for patients with serious illness and reducing non-beneficial readmissions.

Family Hospice expands compassionate care with new Greenwood, South Carolina location EIN Presswire, Greenwood, SC; by Family Hospice, LLC; 5/18/26 Family Hospice is proud to announce the opening of its newest location in Greenwood, South Carolina. ... The new location builds on Family Hospice’s established presence in the Upstate, including its Greenville and Spartanburg offices. As part of the expansion, Greenwood covers Abbeville, Clinton, Greenwood, Laurens, McCormick, Edgefield, Newberry, Saluda, and parts of Anderson, Greenville, Spartanburg, and Aiken counties.

The woman painting lost loved ones for free BBC News; by Tom Atkinson and Elliot Ball; 5/18/26 A Herefordshire artist has pledged to paint people's loved ones who have passed away for free, following the death of her own granddaughter.Judy Young, from Bromyard, has been creating posthumous portraits since 2017, and only requests a donation to St Michael's Hospice in return. ... Discussing her artwork, Young said: "It's very moving, it's always moving painting a portrait, and I have painted still born babies right up to people in their 80s and 90s." She continued: "What's so moving to me is because I want to hear about the person and learn about them, I don't just have a photo, I have an idea of their character and their essence."

[New Zealand] Hospices turning away dying patients as funding shortfall bites Europe Says | New Zealand; 5/16/26 Hospices across New Zealand are being forced to turn away dying patients as they struggle to cope with rising costs and insufficient government funding. There are 32 hospices nationwide providing palliative care, but the sector says it needs an additional $80 million to $100 million a year from the Government to remain financially sustainable. 

A husband’s story of end-of-life care at home MedPage Today's KevinMD.com; by Ron Louie, MD; 11/27/25... When my wife died at home, it wasn’t really a surprise. ... Over the previous few weeks, we had notified her primary care physician’s office of the need for a home hospice referral, but because of some snafu, the correct wording wasn’t used, and the paperwork stalled. ... Years before, we had already obtained a POLST (Portable Order for Life-Sustaining Treatment, our state’s “green form”), signed by a doctor, that made clear my physician wife’s choices in advanced directives: no CPR, tube feedings, or IV treatments. ... Since we didn’t have an active home hospice referral, I knew that firefighters could pronounce her death; my own license had lapsed in retirement. ... The firefighters left, but the police stayed quite awhile until they were cleared by the Medical Examiner’s office. ...Editor's Note: This caregiver story powerfully tells challenges experienced by a retired oncologist/spouse. Calling all leaders who are part of referral and admissions processes, pay attention to the problems caused by delays: firemen, police, and (not named) lack of bereavement care.