Literature Review

Understanding the hospice journey: care, comfort, and connection in assisted living WriteUpCafe; Oakdale Heights Assisted Living; 8/25/26 Hospice care can feel like unfamiliar territory for families, especially when a loved one is already receiving support in assisted living. It is natural to have questions about what happens next, who provides care, and how everyday needs will be handled. ...

Frailty predicts more than age: strategies for hospitalists Medscape; by Julie Peck; 8/25/26 An 85-year-old who remains active and independent may recover from pneumonia more quickly than someone 20 years younger with multiple chronic illnesses, poor nutrition, and declining mobility. Growing evidence suggests that frailty — a state of diminished physiologic reserve and increased vulnerability to stressors — is one of the strongest predictors of prolonged hospitalization, complications, functional decline, discharge to post-acute care, readmissions, and mortality, often outperforming chronological age alone.

The Department of Justice's National Fraud Enforcement Division: a new era of coordinated fraud prosecution and what it means for corporate America Epstein Becker Green | Health Law Advisor; by Leah Brownlee Taylor, Erica Sibley Bahnsen, Sarah M. Hall, Andrew Beshai, Alkida Kacani, Gianna Costello; 8/21/26 On August 13, 2026, the Assistant Attorney General for the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) National Fraud Enforcement Division (the “NFED”), Colin M. McDonald, released a memorandum outlining NFED’s enforcement priorities. The memorandum is the first memo of this kind from NFED. The establishment of NFED earlier this year represented a watershed moment for federal fraud prosecution, as it established DOJ’s first-ever division dedicated exclusively to combating fraud against taxpayer dollars and taxpayer-funded programs. With a stated goal of having 500 prosecutors and staff by August 24, NFED seeks to deploy “cutting-edge data analysis” across a “whole-of-government” effort. The establishment of NFED signals a fundamental shift in federal fraud enforcement, ... The NFED memo identifies five priority areas for federal fraud prosecution:

‘Pitt’ Crew: all 13 Emmy-nominated actors on bedside manners, blow-ups and fan theoriesTheWrap; by Steve Pond and TheWrap Staff; 8/21/26 TheWrap magazine: “It’s such a collective effort,” Noah Wyle says of making the hit HBO Max hospital drama. ... The 13 acting nominees, one shy of the record set by “Succession,” spoke to TheWrap about life in the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center. Noah Wyle, Dr. Michael “Robby” Rabinovitch, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series: If Wyle’s Dr. Robby is a broken hero in the first season, he’s shattered in the second, mistreating his staff and acting so self-destructively that he seems borderline suicidal. His perpetually dark mood did not go unnoticed among “Pitt” fans. ... [Continue reading for descriptions by the actors about The Pitt's characters they portray: Dr. Frank Langdon, Dr. Jack Abbot, Dr. Dennis Whitaker, Dr. Melissa King, Dr. Cassie McKay, Charge Nurse Dana Evans, Dr. Baran Al-Hashimi, Louie Cloverfield, Duke Ekins, Roxie Hamler, Becca King, Ilana Miller.]Editor's Note: Use small excerpts in your staff meetings and clinical education to explore specific topics with engaging, memorable examples. Invite insights from attendees.

Wound care fraud: key insights for healthcare providers in 2026 JD Supra; by Lynette Byrd; 8/21/26 The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS OIG) are prioritizing wound care fraud enforcement in 2026. Healthcare providers are facing scrutiny under the False Claims Act and Anti-Kickback Statute, with audits and investigations leading to substantial liability (among other consequences) in many cases. ... Allegations of wound care-related health care fraud can take many different forms. ... While it is critical that elderly patients (including hospice patients and other terminally ill patients) receive appropriate care, there are limits to what is considered appropriate when billing Medicare or Medicaid for wound care. ...

People who have had little self-reflection live life in a huge reality blind spot. ~ Bryant McGill

Finding Medicare Fee-for-Service (FFS) Payment System Rules: schedules and resources Congressional Research Service - Informing the legislative debate since 1914; by Congressional Research Service, summary by Michele L. Malloy; updated 8/14/26 The Medicare Fee-for-Service (FFS) program pays physicians, hospitals, and other health care facilities based on statutorily established payment systems, most of which are updated annually through regulations. The publication of Medicare FFS proposed and final rules follow schedules based on requirements found in statute, regulation, or both. ... This report contains information on these payment system rules in a quick reference table. Specifically, the table compiles the payment systems; their main portals on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) website; the typical rulemaking schedule; statutory and regulatory requirements; and the most recently issued proposed rules, public comments, final rules, and subsequent corrections.

CMS hospice payment suspensions slamming vendors Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 8/21/26 ... CMS earlier this year began suspending Medicare payments to hundreds of hospices allegedly due to suspected fraud. ... Evidence indicates that some legitimate hospices were caught up in the dragnet due to patients being discharged for valid reasons, such as a revocation of the benefit, moving out of a provider’s service area or transfer to another hospice. ... These regulatory actions have had a ripple effect on vendors, according to a DME company CEO that spoke to Hospice News on background. “These hospice agencies are being suspended. They’re not getting paid,” the DME CEO told Hospice News. “If they’re not getting paid, their employees are not getting paid. DME providers like us are not getting paid. Pharmacies are not getting paid. Any other contractor they have is not getting paid.” This has placed some vendor businesses in peril, and some of them have been considering layoffs of their own, another DME provider ... told Hospice News, “We’ve been trying to keep everybody on board, keep them employed, keep them paid for as long as we possibly can.”

Hospice of Wichita Falls hosts first Growing Through Grief Symposium KFDX Wichita Falls, TX; by Ashley Waters; 8/22/26 Hospice of Wichita Falls brought licensed professional counselors together for its first Growing Through Grief Symposium. ... "Grief as a child can really significantly impact their development growing up. So we want to try and mitigate that as much as possible and start working with them now," said Hospice of Wichita Falls Children's Program Specialist Sydney Reese. According to the National Alliance for Children's Grief, about 6 million children across the nation experience the death of a parent or sibling by the age of 18. Hospice of Wichita Falls was awarded the 2026 Grief Reach Grant to support childhood grief awareness efforts throughout Texoma [for helping professionals]. 

Pittsburgh Caregivers get federal lifeline as dementia cases swell across Allegheny County hoodline; by Ryan Miller; 8/21/26 Caregivers looking after loved ones with dementia in Pittsburgh now have a new federal tool to lean on, and it is already showing up at a day center in Squirrel Hill. The Anathan Club, run by the Jewish Association on Aging, has begun connecting families to the Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience Model, a Medicare program that can cover up to $2,500 a year in respite care for qualifying beneficiaries. The Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience Model, known as GUIDE, was developed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and launched nationwide on July 1, 2024, as an eight-year voluntary pilot running through June 30, 2032, according to CMS. Nearly 390 provider organizations across the country are participating. 

NY Medicaid Revalidation and Enrollment Moratorium: immediate planning considerations for providers JDSupra; by Marc A. Antonucci; 8/20/26 New York Medicaid providers should prepare now for significant changes in provider enrollment oversight. The New York State Department of Health (DOH), following direction from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), will require every Medicaid-enrolled provider in New York to complete revalidation over the next 24 months. The process will require coordination among compliance, operations, billing, finance, governance, and transaction teams. DOH will implement the State’s CMS-approved revalidation strategy through a phased schedule and the Provider Services Portal (PSP). Providers should expect electronic submission requirements, phased notices, detailed ownership and affiliation disclosures, and screening requirements. 

The phone call that taught me how to grieveMedscape; by Bishal Gyawali, MD, PhD; 8/3/26 Mike (name changed) was one of my favorite patients. We aren’t supposed to have favorites, but we are human. And sometimes you just have that unexplainable bond with someone. ... When I returned from my travels, I learned that Mike had passed away. It was heartbreaking for me. ... When I picked up the phone to call his wife, I had butterflies in my stomach. These calls never get easier. I asked: “Hello, is this Jess? I am Dr. Gyawali from the cancer center.” “Thank you for calling,” she responded, her voice cracking a little. I told her that I knew Mike had passed away. She recounted that day with me. ... She said, “You know, Mike could easily pay to get treated at one of the top cancer centers in the world. But he chose to get treated in Kingston because he liked you and your team here.” As I was getting ready to put the phone down, Jess said, “I’m sorry for your loss, too, Doctor. I know how much he meant to you. I’m happy you were his oncologist. Please take care of yourself, too.” I hung up the phone and cried. ... Immediately after that phone call, I sent a text to some of my trainees: “If your patient dies, always call their family. Always. No exception.”  Then I sat down to write this blog.