Literature Review

Evasiveness in everyday hospital palliative care practice: a focused ethnography Journal of Clinical Nursing; by Carolien van Leussen, Evelien Kuip, Renske Kruizinga, Els van Wijngaarden; 9/2/26 Conclusion: This study shows how evasiveness in hospital-based palliative care is produced and sustained through biomedical routines, organizational pressures and professional and personal orientations. These factors make it difficult to realize the holistic ideals of palliative care in everyday practice. As a result, patients' fears, uncertainties and end-of-life wishes often remain insufficiently explored, whereas organizational routines shape what is considered appropriate and possible in clinical interactions.

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. 

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.

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.

Trade your expectation for appreciation and the world changes instantly. ~ Tony Robbins

Bloom Healthcare expands Dallas-Fort Worth presence with acquisition of Christian Care House Calls Bloom Healthcare; Press Release; 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.

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

2027 Final hospice rule could slow M&A Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 8/31/26 Regulatory scrutiny is slowing down hospice M&A deals in 2026, and the recently approved 2027 final rule will be no hope. Interest in hospice acquisitions remains high, particularly among publicly traded companies and private equity firms. However, buyers are painstakingly combing through any potential compliance or billing issues during the diligence process, which is delaying closures, according to Mark Kulik, senior managing director of the M&A advisory firm The Braff Group.

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.”

Longtime hospice volunteer grateful for ability to help patients, families Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, Tupelo, MS; by Leslie Criss; 9/1/26 Back in 2000 when Pat Rutledge was new to Fulton, she realized she needed to find something to do with her time. She went through training to become a volunteer at North Mississippi Health Services Hospice. That was more than 20 years ago. "I'm the only volunteer from back then still here," said the 83-year-old. "I was assigned a patient, went to visit and just fell in love with being a hospice volunteer."Editor's Note: As hospice organizations' names, ownership, and services shift over the years, do your volunteers still feel seen? Pat began in her mid-50s and stayed 25 years — proof that purpose and appreciationcan keep a volunteer for decades. Look at your volunteers: what are you doing--today--to help them stay, through years ahead? What is something new you can do?

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.