Literature Review

The Duke Endowment grant award supports first coordinated palliative care program in Robeson County The Robesonian, Lumberton, NC; by Amanda Crabtree; 7/15/26 UNC Health Southeastern was awarded $575,000 from The Duke Endowment to establish Robeson County’s first coordinated hospital-to-community palliative care program in partnership with Lower Cape Fear LifeCare. The investment represents a significant step forward in expanding access to compassionate, patient-centered care for an estimated 400 patients with serious illness while strengthening the healthcare continuum across Robeson County. By creating a seamless connection between hospital care and community-based services, the initiative will ensure that patients receive the right care, at the right time, in the setting that best meets their needs.

What hospices can learn from Netflix Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 7/15/26 Netflix has infiltrated many of our homes, and hospices can learn a lesson or two from that company’s history of innovation. Many commentators have held up the streaming and entertainment company as a pillar of innovation, repeatedly reinventing itself as market conditions change. The company is adept at riding the “S-curve,” which models growth and progress for a business over a period of time. To form the “S,” a company must pass through three phases: slow initial growth (the base), rapid acceleration (the middle) and eventual leveling off (the maturity phase). Hospice businesses, for profit and nonprofit, must also ride this curve to succeed. This could require stepping outside their comfort zone, according to Agrace President and CEO Lynne Sexten.

Savings in Medicare hospice payments for care provided in nursing homes U.S. HHS-OIG; Project Number OEI-02-26-00180; 7/15/26 The fixed daily rates that Medicare pays hospices for routine home care provided in a nursing home include personal care services.  However, nursing homes are already required to provide personal care services to their residents.  Paying the hospice the full routine home care rate that covers personal care services when these services are already required from the nursing home can undermine the efficiency of Medicare payments and add to the incentives that bad actors have to exploit the program.  This review will determine Medicare payments for routine home care provided to hospice beneficiaries in nursing homes, estimate potential cost savings from reducing the payment to address the inefficiency in the payment structure, and examine practices of hospices with a high percentage of their beneficiaries in nursing homes.

Cardiologists treating increasingly complex patients as America ages Medscape; by Sarah Amandolare; 7/14/26 ... Heart failure (HF) affects 15%-20% of adults over 80, according to the American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology/Heart Failure Society of America Guideline for the Management of Heart Failure. HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), which becomes more likely after age 80, is related to other common conditions of aging, including hypertension, chronic kidney disease, diabetes, and obesity. “Almost by definition, most people that have HFpEF have multiple comorbidities,” Hummel said. “You have to account for a lot of them when you’re thinking about how to help the patient best.” This population also has higher chances of developing dementia and frailty, which affect 35% of adults age 90 and older and 31% of octogenarians, respectively. Older adults hospitalized for HF also have a high likelihood of polypharmacy; 68% take 10 or more medicines.

Calendar Year (CY) 2027 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule CMS Newsroom; Fact Sheet; 7/14/26 paired with U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, CMS CY 2027 Payment Policies under the Physician Fee Schedule, 7/16/26; summary by guest editor Judi Lund Person On July 14, 2026, the Federal Register posted the CY 2027 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule proposed rule – CMS-1848-P. The CMS Fact Sheet on the proposed rule can be found here. While the proposed rule is 1,592 pages, there are two items of note to hospice and palliative care readers: 1) Supporting Beneficiaries Planning for Future Medical Decisions.CMS is proposing to create two new HCPCS codes to describe advance care planning (ACP) services furnished by clinical staff under the direct supervision of the billing physician or other practitioner. These new codes will more accurately distinguish and value the work done by billing practitioners from time spent by their clinical staff providing ACP services. We are further proposing that the existing ACP CPT codes 99497 and 99498 would only be used to report time personally spent by the billing practitioner. 2) RFI on Community-based Palliative Care, asking questions on eligibility for serious illness care and palliative care, the future of care management services and advanced primary care management.   

In World Cup football, the worst blindness is only seeing the ball.  [a beautiful reminder of vision and teamwork] ~ Nelson Falcón, World Cup Legend

Everyday ethics: Leave a legacy beyond material things Daily Times; by John C. Morgan; 7/15/26 Buildings and other structures don't last forever, but there are things we can do that will endure. Everyone wants to leave a legacy, something that outlasts themselves, whether a cause, offspring or project that embodies their future hopes. One of the more famous sentences left behind was graffiti from World War II, a doodle of a bald-headed man peering over a wall accompanied by the phrase “Kilroy Was Here.” It showed that American troops had been there. ... I’ve always found it hopeful, not morbid, to take walks through cemeteries to read the life stories of others. The few words inscribed on headstones represent the essentials, sometimes with an accompanying message the departed wants to leave others to remember. ...

Leveraging technology in hospice sales and marketing Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 7/14/26 Technology is becoming increasingly important in hospice sales and marketing, but it can’t replace the human touch, according to provider leaders. One of the most proliferating sets of technologies sweeping the hospice space and many other industries right now is artificial intelligence (AI). While AI can be a tool to generate referral growth and streamline operations, building person-to-person relationships is more important, Craig Dresang, CEO of the nonprofit hospice provider YoloCares, said during a Hospice News webinar.  “Nothing will replace relationship management person to person. AI is a tool to be used. We use AI here in a number of ways,” Dresang told Hospice News. “There are a number of ways that AI can be used as a tool, but nothing will replace good old-fashioned people skills and relationship management skills.”

Do the one thing you think you cannot do. Fail at it. Try again. Do better the second time. The only people who never tumble are those who never mount the high wire. ~ Oprah Winfrey

Most Americans prefer to die at home, but the US healthcare system often prevents it ArcaMax; by Karen Lutfey Spencer; 7/14/26 Ask people what they want at the end of their lives, and overwhelmingly the answers will revolve around comfort, dignity and time at home with loved ones. Yet the U.S. healthcare system often thwarts these wishes. Most Americans say they want to die at home, but only one-third do. What could be an intentional last chapter may instead become a roller coaster of hospitalizations and decisions made with incomplete information. News headlines reflect the challenges of facing the end of life in crisis mode. ... Unfortunately, these crisis scenarios are happening to millions of families each year.

National Alliance for Care at Home hosts 2026 Finance and Technology Summit National Alliance for Care at Home, Alexandria, VA; Press Release; 7/14/26 On July 12-14, the National Alliance for Care at Home (the Alliance) successfully hosted the 2026 Alliance Finance and Technology Summit in Boston, MA. The Summit brought together leaders from across the care at home continuum, with expert-led sessions, peer collaboration, and insights into digital transformation, data strategy, and tech-enabled care delivery. More than 600 attendees and exhibitors participated in the comprehensive program, which featured keynote presentations, concurrent educational sessions, networking opportunities, award presentations, and a fundraiser at Fenway Park for the Research Institute for Home Care.

Family Hospice expands into Northwest Georgia through aquisition of North Georgia Community Hospice, LLC EIN Presswire, Dalton, GA; by Family Hospice, LLC; 7/14/26 Family Hospice today announced the completion of its acquisition of North Georgia Community Hospice, LLC, expanding access to compassionate hospice and palliative care services throughout Northwest Georgia. The acquisition, which closed on July 14, 2026, marks an important milestone in Family Hospice's continued growth across Georgia and reflects the organization's long-term commitment to serving patients and families with compassionate, community-based care. Current patients will continue receiving uninterrupted hospice services throughout the transition, supported by the same experienced caregivers and staff who have faithfully served the community.

Hospice of Midland expands adult care programs and adds children's grief support Midland Reporter-Telegram; by Kessly Salinas; 7/13/26 Hospice of Midland announced it will expand its services this summer by growing two adult programs and introducing a program for children. “In response to community needs, we are enlarging two adult programs and introducing one for children,” said Deborah Goodman, CEO of Hospice of Midland. “The Pathways Palliative Care program, which supports patients with advanced illnesses, will be expanded,” Goodman said. ... The new program will be the Children’s Grief Center’s Holding Hope program. “Rays of Hope Children’s Grief Center has been here in Midland, serving the Permian Basin for 22 years,” Goodman said. “We’ve noticed, especially since COVID, a pretty substantial increase in deaths by suicide in younger individuals, especially the teen and young adult ages.” The Holding Hope program was designed for children and families affected by death by suicide.