Literature Review

NEW! Job Board for Hospice & Palliative Care ReadersHospice & Palliative Care Today; 7/24/25 Welcome to our new Job Board with postings by you for hospice and palliative care roles!For you--and anyone--to explore Job Postings:

Make sure your worst enemy doesn't live between your two ears. ~ Laird Hamilton

Where UnitedHealthcare, Humana rule the Medicare Advantage market Modern Healthcare; by Tim Broderick; 7/22/25 Medicare Advantage competition was meager in 97% of counties last year, where beneficiaries could choose among just a handful of dominant insurers. The health policy research institution KFF analyzed Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services data on the plans available across the U.S. and Puerto Rico in 2024. The findings indicate that Medicare enrollees have few options in most areas. Market share was “highly concentrated” in 79% of counties and “very highly concentrated” in another 18%, KFF found, using metrics similar to those the Federal Trade Commission and the Justice Department employ to measure competitiveness. ... Ninety-three percent of Medicare-eligible people lived in “highly concentrated” or “very highly concentrated” counties. ... [Click here and scroll down for the national map with] the level of Medicare Advantage market concentration for each county and the market share for each county's top insurer.

Following Hugh Chatham deal, county takes control of hospice The Daily Reflector, Greenville, NC; by Ryan Kelly; 7/23/25 A special meeting of the Northern Hospital District was called as part of Monday night's regular meeting of the Surry County Board of Commissioners. As there has been ongoing effort to find a suitable partner, investor, or buyer of the hospital, some hoped the special meeting may address the matter; that was not the case. The board did, however, unanimously approve a resolution allowing the Northern Hospital District, which is comprised of the Surry County Board of Commissioners, to exercise its contractual right to become the sole owner of Hospice of Surry County, Inc., which operates as Mountain Valley Hospice. This action ended a 20-year partnership with Hugh Chatham Health and was triggered by a change in control at the Elkin-based hospital. ... "Northern wishes to timely exercise its contractual right to become the sole member of Hospice due to the change of control of Hugh Chatham," the resolution states.

Prairie Doc Perspective: Navigating spiritual pain and grief Rawlins Times - Prairie Doc Perspective, Rawlins, WY; by Rev. Kari Sansgaard, Avera Hospice; 7/23/25 After nearly 20 years of parish ministry, I entered the world of health care, which, I learned, abounds in acronyms. My first clue was in chaplaincy training, known as CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education), the required education for most hospital and hospice chaplains. CNA, SoB (Shortness of Breath), PRN, HoH (Hard of Hearing), and a myriad of other acronyms are now part of my own vernacular. QoL (Quality of Life) is the big one in hospice, sometimes called “comfort care.” When quantity of life becomes diminished, it’s all about quality. ... In hospice, when death is impending, spiritual pain can lead us to ponder existential questions, such as the following:

VNA Golf-A-Thon fundraising drivers give it their best shots Vero News, Vero Beach, FL; by Stephanie LaBaff; 7/24/25 Generosity was in full swing during the 35th annual VNA & Hospice Foundation Golf-A-Thon, held this year at the Vero Beach Country Club, where pros representing 13 local clubs spent a full day on the course playing more than 100 holes of golf. “It’s a beautiful day here at the Vero Beach Country Club, and I really want to thank everybody who participated today,” said Carol Kanarek, VNA & Hospice Foundation board chair, thanking the professional golfers, volunteers and staff of the VNA and the VBCC. “This has been a year of events for the VNA,” said Kanarek, referencing the VNA’s 50th anniversary, the 35th anniversary of the Golf-A-Thon and the 25th anniversary of the Hospice House. ... Co-chairs Nancy Edmiston and Karen Formont scored a perfect game with the assistance of their team, raising more than $484,000 in critical funding for VNA & Hospice Foundation programs and services. Editor's Note: Congratulations VNA & Hospice Foundation on this "more than $484,000" raised, and your 50th, 35th, and 25th anniversaries!

Trump administration hands over Medicaid recipients’ personal data, including addresses, to ICE Associated Press (AP), Washington, DC; by Kimberly Kindy and Amanda Seitz; updated 7/17/25 Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials will be given access to the personal data of the nation’s 79 million Medicaid enrollees, including home addresses and ethnicities, to track down immigrants who may not be living legally in the United States, according to an agreement obtained by The Associated Press. The information will give ICE officials the ability to find “the location of aliens” across the country, says the agreement signed Monday [7/14] between the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Department of Homeland Security. ... Such disclosures, even if not acted upon, could cause widespread alarm among people seeking emergency medical help for themselves or their children. ... The database will reveal to ICE officials the names, addresses, birth dates, ethnic and racial information, as well as Social Security numbers for all people enrolled in Medicaid. The state and federally funded program provides health care coverage program for the poorest of people, including millions of children. ... [Federal] law requires all states to offer emergency Medicaid, a temporary coverage that pays only for lifesaving services in emergency rooms to anyone, including non-U.S. citizens. Emergency Medicaid is often used by immigrants, including those who are lawfully present and those who are not.

Facing new CMS pressure, providers should audit mental health diagnoses, prescriptions: expert McKnights Long-Term Care News; by Kimberly Marselas; 7/22/25 As reported in McKnight’s Long-Term Care News on July 23, “Nursing homes should be auditing documentation for all residents with mental health disorders to ensure their diagnoses are compliant with new federal guidance, a well-known clinical reimbursement recommended Tuesday. Leigh Ann Frick, president of Care Navigation Consulting, made that suggestion while reviewing updated Long-Term Care Surveyor Guidance that went into effect in late April. At over 900 pages, the new manual and appendixes have left many providers still navigating the changes and how best to respond to them. When it comes to giving antipsychotic medications, diagnosing patients with disorders that require them, or identifying and responding to any other patient needs, the guidance puts new emphasis on the use of professional standards, Frisk explained. Guest Editor’s Note, Judi Lund Person:  For nursing home residents who have elected the Medicare hospice benefit, this information may apply. Diagnosing mental health issues, prescribing, and documenting based on professional standards is an important component in the updated Long-Term Care Surveyor guidance issued in April.

Post-acute care faces labor shortage amid immigration scrutiny Modern Healthcare, Post-Acute Care; by Diane Eastabrook; 7/23/25 Nursing homes and home care operators are scrambling to find replacements for foreign-born workers no longer eligible to work in the U.S. due to changes in immigration policy. Providers in Boston, Atlanta and other cities with large populations of immigrants, and Haitians in particular, say the loss of foreign-born workers in an already tight job market is making it increasingly difficult to meet the growing demand for care — and will likely drive up care costs. Last month the Homeland Security Department began notifying more than 500,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans that it terminated a Biden-era program that allowed them to live and work in the U.S. It said those who have not attained legal status to remain in the U.S. outside of the program must leave immediately. Despite court challenges, the federal government also aims to end another program in early September that grants temporary protected status to Haitians and Venezuelans who have lived in the U.S. for more than a decade. [Full access might require subscription.]

A woman in hospice granted a wish of one last swim WEAU-13 News, Bloomer, WI; by Danile Gomez; 7/16/25 Often times the small things are taken for granted. Like a dip in the pool. For Barbara Melby, it was on the final list of things to do as she lives out her time in hospice care. “Barbara has been doing pretty well. She has had some fatigue and some tiredness,” said Leah Grace, the registered nurse with St. Croix Hospice assigned to Melby’s case. ... Grace worked hard to make sure Melby’s last dip in the pool would come to fruition. She cleared it with Melby, her family and the managers at the hospice center. The aquatic center helped in granting the wish too. ... “The way the chair put me in down the water was very nice,” said Melby. Of those in Melby’s family that jumped in the pool with her included Stoll and her kids Colby, Sydney and Brody. “I grew up swimming in my grandmother’s pool. ...” said Stoll. She is happy to be there for her grandmother’s last swim. “Just a pretty special memory we will all hold on to for a pretty long time.” Melby was a swim instructor, ... It was something she always loved and it made her happy to have had her wish granted.

Filling the gaps with the loss of Wilshire Health and Community Services NBC KSBY-6, California's Central Coast; by Dylan Foreman; 7/22/25 At the end of June, the longtime medical service provider Wilshire Health and Community Services, which offered everything from hospice and home health care to community services like counseling and transportation, closed its doors, leaving clients looking for help elsewhere. ... [Services] like home health and hospice care are being transferred over to organizations like Dignity Health Home Health and Hospice Care, getting 50% of the patients from Wilshire and sending offers out to 30% of their staff. According to Wilshire, on any given day, they could have at least 250 clients.

Great minds have purposes; others have wishes. ~ Washington Irving