Literature Review

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S.2287 - Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act Congress.gov, 199th Congress (2025-2026); bill sponsored by Sen. Tammy Baldwin; introduced 7/15/25 Introduction: To amend the Public Health Service Act to increase the number of permanent faculty in palliative care at accredited allopathic and osteopathic medical schools, nursing schools and other programs, including social work, physician assistant, and chaplaincy education programs, to promote education and research in palliative care and hospice, and to support the development of faculty careers in academic palliative and hospice care. [Click on the title's link the full document.]

51 health systems with strong finances Becker's Hospital Review; by Andrew Cass; 7/21/25 Here are 51 health systems with strong operational metrics and solid financial positions, according to reports from credit rating agencies Fitch Ratings and Moody’s Investors Service released in 2025. This is not an exhaustive list. Health systems were compiled from credit rating reports [and are listed alphabetically.]

He prayed - it wasn't my religion; She ate - it wasn't what I ate; He spoke - it wasn't my language; She dressed - it wasn't what I wore; He took my hand - it wasn't the colour of mine. But when she laughed - it was how I laughed, and when he cried - it was how I cried. Amy Maddox, 16 years old, “Underneath We’re All the Same”

Dignity at risk: hospice care faces critical worker shortage amidst policy challenges ABC WCIV-4 News, Charleston, SC; by Webb Wright; 7/23/25 Officials are giving dire predictions for the future of palliative care and hospice care. There's a rapidly growing need for nurses and healthcare workers in those areas, including home healthcare and nursing home workers. Educators and facilitators in those areas of care are working to prevent a crisis that's expected to peak in less than a decade. By 2033, the number of new projected jobs in this area of healthcare is expected to be more than 820,000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. With a median starting salary of under $35,000, recruiters and workers are scrambling to fill the void sooner rather than later.

Be on the lookout for this new Medicare scam Las Vegas Review-Journal; by Toni King; 7/24/25 Dear Toni: A hospice agent recently came knocking on the doors in my neighborhood saying he represented Medicare. He was giving away hospice gifts and told me that I could receive these Medicare services at no charge for me and my husband. I told him that I did not give out personal information to anyone that I do not know. Now, I’m concerned that I could have made a mistake. Should I call and ask if this Medicare service is still available? —Deidre, Katy, Texas Dear Deidre: Medicare is not giving away anything free! This is a new scam that is targeting America’s Medicare population.  ...Editor's Note: Though we’ve addressed this topic repeatedly in recent months, ongoing awareness and community education remain essential. Please continue seeking opportunities to collaborate with media outlets in your service areas to help inform and protect vulnerable populations. Use the following articles—previously featured in our newsletter—as reference points:

Negotiations move forward as Essentia delays return of striking workers Minnesota Nurses Association, Duluth, MN; Press Release; 7/25/25 On Tuesday [7/22], clinic nurses, surgery center nurses, healthcare workers at Solvay Hospice House, and Advanced Practice Providers (APPs) with the Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA) concluded a powerful strike across Essentia Health facilities that involved nearly 700 frontline workers. The two-week strike by nurses and healthcare workers and 13-day strike by APPs brought statewide attention to Essentia’s unfair labor practices, including unlawful intimidation, surveillance, and clear attempts to bust the union. Yet, even after the strike’s end, Essentia is continuing to keep on travel nurses, when former striking healthcare workers are available and want to return to work. 

Willey Family Foundation dedicates patient suite and garden at Aroostook House of Comfort The County, Presque Isle, ME; Press Release; 7/24/25 The Aroostook Hospice Foundation is honored to announce the dedication of its first named patient suite at the Aroostook House of Comfort, made possible through a generous commitment from the Willey Family Foundation. This marks a major  milestone in the Foundation’s recently revitalized Naming Opportunities Campaign, launched to sustain and strengthen its mission while offering a meaningful way for donors to create lasting legacies. With a pledge of $15,000 annually, the Willey Family Foundation will fulfill and exceed the $50,000 naming level for a patient suite. This dedication is in loving memory of Philip and Vivian Willey. In addition to the suite, the family is also naming a garden area outside the suite  window, providing a serene space for reflection and comfort. Through donor-advised funding managed by the Maine Community Foundation, the Willey Family Foundation has contributed more than $47,000 to the Aroostook Hospice Foundation to date.

Hospices navigating ethically complex end-of-life situations Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 7/25/25 The final stages of life can be filled with challenging, nuanced situations for some patients and their families. Ensuring goal-concordant care and autonomous end-of-life decision-making requires careful ethical, legal and operational considerations. Staff education and proactive policy development are important for hospices to harness in complex situations, according to Jeanne Chirico, president and CEO of the Hospice & Palliative Care Association of New York State (HPCANYS). A number of difficult life circumstances can limit hospices’ ability to provide patients with care that is in line with their wishes, Chirico indicated. Hospices need to have a firm understanding of the possible ethical and legal limitations that staff may encounter, as well as establish procedures that help address them. 

Understanding the influence of culture on end-of-life, palliative, and hospice care: A narrative review Cureus; by Veena Hira, Sainamitha R. Palnati, and Saajan Bhakta; 7/15/25 ... This narrative review included 25 relevant publications related to influence of culture and patient demographics on end-of-life care, hospice, and palliative care. As each culture has its own unique views on death and dying, it is crucial to note these cultural differences when assisting with end-of-life care to best align with patients’ beliefs and values. Themes such as cultural barriers, communication preferences and family roles emerged from the publications. ... This narrative review offered a snapshot of how culture influences end-of-life decisions worldwide, specifically in East Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and North America, while highlighting themes of 1) truth disclosure and communication preferences, 2) patient autonomy and family involvement, and 3) perception of illness and death. ... Central to providing effective end-of-life care is open, culturally tailored communication that respects patients’ and families’ values, facilitated through shared decision-making discussions. ... Ultimately, integrating cultural understandings of death and dying into end-of-life care planning is not simply a matter of sensitivity, but it is a matter of quality and equity. Health systems must not only provide choices but ensure those choices are intelligible, meaningful, and respectful within the patient’s worldview.Editor's Note: Pair this today's post, My health and my politics walk into a doctor’s office …

Medicare telehealth trends: Information on telehealth use by Medicare Fee-for-Service beneficiaries Data.CMS.gov; Centers for Medicaree & Medicaid Services; 7/16/25 Data update frequency: QuarterlyLatest data available: Q4 2025The Medicare Telehealth Trends dataset provides information about people with Medicare who used telehealth services between January 1, 2020 and December 31, 2024. The data were used to generate the Medicare Telehealth Trends Report.

[Canada] Electronic decision support for deprescribing in older adults living in long-term care-A stepped-wedge cluster randomized trialJAMA Network Open; by Emily G. McDonald, Justine L. Estey, Cody Davenport, Émilie Bortolussi-Courval, Jeffrey Gaudet, Pierre Philippe Wilson Registe, Todd C. Lee, Carole Goodine; 5/25Potentially inappropriate prescribing (PIP) occurs when medications that carry a higher risk of harm than benefit are prescribed. It occurs more often among older adults in the setting of polypharmacy (taking multiple medications) and is costly and harmful. PIP and potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) contribute to excess adverse drug events, such as falls, fractures, cognitive decline, hospitalization, and death [and] the problem is more pronounced for older adults living in nursing homes (long-term care [LTC] homes). Depending on the screening criteria used, in some studies, the prevalence ranges from 67.8% to 87.7% of nursing home residents. Electronically generated, individualized reports that contained prioritized opportunities for deprescribing in older adults were paired with preexisting quarterly medication reviews [and] this study found that electronic decision support paired with the usual workflow could render the deprescribing process scalable and effective.

Death anxiety: Dani Chammas & Keri BrennerGeriPal podcast; by Eric Widera, Alex Smith, Dani Chammas, Keri Brenner; 7/17/25What is death anxiety? We spend the first 15 minutes of the podcast addressing this question. And maybe this was unfair to our guests, the fabulous dynamic duo of palliative psychiatrists Dani Chammas and Keri Brenner (listen to their prior podcasts on therapeutic presence and the angry patient). After all, we invited them on to our podcast to discuss death anxiety, then Eric and I immediately questioned if death anxiety was the best term for what we want to discuss!