Literature Review

Saturday newsletters focus on headlines and research - enjoy!

Additional CMS website information for the Hospice Wage Index Final RuleCMS 

LATE vs Alzheimer’s: Biomarkers, Mixed Dementia, and Clinical Realities with Nate Chin and Sterling Johnson GeriPal; podcast by GeriPal with Sterling Johnson and Nate Chin; 8/6/26 Up until just a couple years ago, an 85-year-old patient presenting with gradual, amnestic memory loss was almost automatically presumed to have Alzheimer’s disease. However, new biomarkers and the recognition of conditions like Limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy (LATE) are reshaping our understanding of cognitive decline in older adults. It’s looking more clear that pure Alzheimer's dementia is rare in older adults, and co-occurring pathologies that may include Alzheimer’s, LATE, Lewy Body, and vascular neuropatholigies, are the rule rather than the exception. ... Sterling Johnson is a clinical neuropsychologist and researcher who leads the CLARiTI study, which is attempting to uncover the intersecting causes of dementia.  Nate Chin is the medical director and Clinical Core Co-Leader for the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC), the host of the Dementia Matters podcast, and author of a new book When Memory Fades.  

Hospice Coalition Questions and Answers: June 25, 2026Palmetto GBA; 8/4/26Includes Coalition questions, Hospice Appeals Reports, and Hospice CAP Updates.

If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito. ~ Dalai Lama

Elisabeth Kübler-Ross at 100: a legacy that changed how the world faces deathe-hospice; by Ken Ross and Stephen Connor; 7/13/26 On July 8, the world marked the 100th anniversary of the birth of Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, the Swiss American psychiatrist whose work helped transform how clinicians, families, faith communities, and societies understand death, dying, grief, and compassionate care. Born in Zurich in 1926, Kübler-Ross entered medicine at a time when dying patients were often kept at the margins of care—physically present in hospitals, yet too often emotionally abandoned. She challenged that silence with a simple but radical act: she listened. Sitting at the bedside of people facing the end of life, she heard their fears, hopes, anger, questions, and need for honesty. In doing so, she insisted that dying people were not medical failures, but human beings with voices, wisdom, and dignity. Her landmark 1969 book, On Death and Dying, grew from interviews with seriously ill patients and introduced a language that reshaped modern conversations about loss. 

Elder mistreatment prevention and solutions: Carrie Rubenstein, Julia Hiner, & Tony RosenGeriPal podcast; by Alex Smith, Eric Widera, Carrie Rubenstein, Julia Hiner, Tony Rosen; 6/4/26Today we revisit a topic we last discussed in a 2020 podcast with Laura Mosqueda: elder mistreatment. Our guests today are geriatricians Carrie Rubenstein and Julia Hiner, and Tony Rosen, an emergency medicine doctor. They talk about where we are now, in 2026, with elder mistreatment...

Heart failure hospital-at-home program matches traditional hospital care on readmission Home Health News; by MK Manoylov; 7/28/26 At-home heart failure care can be a viable alternative for patients getting heart failure care, in terms of safety and quality. Patients with heart failure who received advanced medical care at home had similar post-discharge outcomes to the care found within brick-and-mortar hospitals, according to a new study published in JAMA Network Open. Researchers found that heart failure patients treated at home had no significant differences in hospital readmissions and mortality compared to patients treated in hospitals.

Safeguarding palliative and serious illness care in America The Lancet Regional Health - Americas; by William E. Rosa, Gina Piscitello, Diane E. Meier, Arif H. Kamal, Jean S. Kutner, Abby R. Rosenberg, Allison Silvers, Stacie Sinclair, Robert M. Arnold; August 2026If a society's greatness is measured by how it treats its most vulnerable, we live in discouraging times for the more than 13 million adults and 700,000 children with serious illnesses in the United States of America (U.S.). ... In this personal view, we describe three threats to specialty palliative care in the U.S., namely healthcare financing changes, increased privatization of services, and low prioritization of palliative care research in myriad contexts, including pharmaceutical and clinical trial research and development. We subsequently provide guidance for multi-sector actors to address these threats and mitigate harms while optimizing palliative care for U.S. populations.

Concordia Hospice of Washington Donnell House closes Observer-Reporter, Washington, PA; by Karen Mansfield; 8/3/26 For nearly 25 years, Concordia Hospice of Washington Donnell House has helped patients and their families through life’s hardest moments. Now, the hospice facility in Washington has closed its doors. “Concordia Hospice of Washington can confirm that inpatient hospice services are no longer being provided at the Donnell House,” the company said in a statement. “This change reflects a continuing decline in the need for inpatient hospice care as more patients and families choose to receive hospice services in the comfort of home, supported by advances in community-based care.” The hospice team continues to provide in-home care and support to patients and families throughout the region, according to a spokesman.

The key is not to prioitize what's on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities. ~ Stephen Covey

Beyond the headlines: the hospice story we aren’t telling enough National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI); podcast hosted by Tom Koutsoumpas and Carole Fisher with Karen Rubel, Tim Meadows, Viki Jingle, and Brad Luna; 7/31/26Hospice is making headlines — but there’s a much bigger story to tell. In this episode, hospice leaders Karen Rubel, Tim Meadows and Viki Jingle join Tom and Carole to discuss how organizations can respond to today’s hospice fraud-focused environment by leading with messaging on quality, transparency, and trust. Communications expert Brad Luna then shares practical strategies for developing messages that resonate, engaging local media, and telling the stories that showcase the real impact of hospice care in communities across America.

Mom, 35, spent years helping others as a doula. Then, lupus left her on deathbed worrying about her kids’ futurePeople; by Toria Sheffield and Nicholas Rice; 8/1/26