Literature Review

The role of specialty palliative care in cancer surgery: Rebecca Aslakson & Myrick ShinallGeriPal podcast; by Eric Widera, Alex Smith, Rebecca Aslakson, Myrick Shinall; 1/29/26Recent randomized controlled trials have shown that routine perioperative palliative care does not improve outcomes for patients undergoing curative-intent cancer surgery. No, that wasn’t a typo. Regardless of how the data were analyzed, the findings remained consistent: perioperative palliative care DID NOT improve outcomes in the only two randomized controlled trials conducted in this area—the SCOPE and PERIOP-PC trials... One key takeaway for me from this discussion was the idea that patients undergoing curative-intent surgery might simply be too early in their cancer trajectory to derive meaningful benefits from palliative care, and maybe the focus should be more on geriatrics. I especially appreciated the closing discussion about the future of research in this area: if routine perioperative palliative care doesn’t improve outcomes, what should the next generation of studies focus on?

Fighting hospice fraud an OIG priority Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 1/26/26 The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) has identified hospice fraud among top management and performance challenges. This is according to an annual document that OIG prepares, a statutory requirement that is designed to help HHS improve the effectiveness and efficiency of its operations. A major challenge for HHS is the “sizable” reduction in workforce and a slew of program changes instituted by the Trump Administration, the report indicated. “Effectively managing a changing organizational and workforce environment is itself a significant management challenge,” OIG said in the report. 

[United Kingdom] Hospice to support additional 1,000 patients BBC News; by Greig Watson; 1/25/26 A service to look after terminally ill people is to be expanded across much of Nottinghamshire after a new contract was awarded. Newark-based Beaumond House Hospice Care will lead on the creation of a new End of Life Referral Hub and make its Hospice at Home service available across Newark, Sherwood, Mansfield, Ashfield and Bassetlaw. The service is currently provided to about 200 patients across Newark and Sherwood but from April 2026 it will care for an additional 1,000 patients a year in their place of choice. ... Macmillan Cancer Support's End-of-Life Care Fund is providing the £1.8m of funding to support the expansion.Editor's Note: Recent hospice coverage from the United Kingdom has largely focused on service reductions. This announcement offers welcome news, signaling expanded access to end-of-life care for more patients. We hope this growth is accompanied by continued commitment to high-quality, person-centered care for patients and families.

Participants praise palliative care program for the homeless Medscape; by Kate Johnson; 1/26/26 Patient perspectives about a palliative care outreach intervention for adults experiencing homelessness are overwhelmingly positive, according to a qualitative, descriptive study of the Palliative Education and Care for the Homeless (PEACH) program in Toronto. “While previous research suggests persons experiencing homelessness emphasize symptom management needs at the end of life, our findings also underscored unmet primary care, medical supply, and psychiatric needs,” wrote lead author Alexander R. Levesque, MD, of the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto, and coauthors. 

Gerald’s Law reintroduced in Congress to permanently protect veterans’ burial benefits National Alliance for Care at Home, Alexandria, VA and Washington, DC; Press Release; 1/22/26 Representatives Bergman (R-MI) and Budzinski (D-IL) formally reintroduced Gerald’s Law as a standalone bill to permanently protect burial benefits for veterans who receive Veterans Affairs (VA) furnished hospice care outside of a VA facility. The National Alliance for Care at Home (the Alliance) applauds this bi-partisan effort to close a critical gap in benefits impacting seriously-ill veterans and their families. 

Washington House Committee advances bill allowing medical marijuana use for terminal patients in care facilities The Marijuana Herald; by Anthony Martinelli; 1/21/26 Legislation to require certain health care facilities in Washington to allow terminally ill patients to use medical marijuana was just given approval by the House Health Care and Wellness Committee. The bipartisan measure, House Bill 2152, is sponsored by State Representatives Shelley Kloba (D) and Skyler Rude (R). Committee approval moves the proposal closer to consideration by the full House during the 2026 legislative session, which begins in January. As written, the bill would require licensed hospitals, nursing homes and hospice care centers to adopt policies allowing the medical use of marijuana by qualifying patients with terminal conditions beginning January 1, 2027. 

Bristol Hospice’s sees ‘guiding light’ in 4-state expansion Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 1/23/26 Bristol Hospice has expanded with de novos across four states, with plans to soon grow its geographic presence in five more markets. Through its de novos, Salt Lake City, Utah-headquartered Bristol Hospice now provides services in Southaven, Mississippi; Pittsburgh; Tulsa, Oklahoma; and McAllen, Texas. The hospice announced that it would soon unveil new locations in Cincinnati, Minneapolis, Detroit, Cleveland and New Albany, Indiana. 

Board finalizes acquisition of Hugh Chatham's share of Mountain Valley MtAiryNews.com, Mt. Airy, NC; by Ryan Kelly; 1/23/26 The Surry County Board of Commissioners approved Tuesday the final agreements needed for Northern Hospital District to acquire Hugh Chatham Health’s 50% ownership stake in Hospice of Surry County, which operates as Mountain Valley, completing a transaction announced six months ago. The board, sitting as the governing body of Northern Hospital District, unanimously approved a member interest purchase agreement that makes the hospital district sole owner of the hospice organization. 

Nonprofit donates $100,000 to UVA Health to establish endowment for pediatric palliative care WVIR 29 News, Charlottesville, VA; by Kate Neuchterlein; 1/23/26 The University of Virginia’s Children’s Hospital has received a $100,000 donation from Olivia’s Light, a nonprofit that supports children living with rare diseases and their families. Co-founders Jenna and Ben King named the nonprofit after their daughter, Olivia, who was hospitalized at UVA soon after her birth and diagnosed with a rare and fatal neurodevelopmental disorder. Olivia was sent home at two-and-a-half months old, where she passed away just seven weeks later. 

Grant will support memory care training North Central News; by Staff; 1/22/26 In late 2025, Molina Healthcare of Arizona granted $10,000 to Hospice of the Valley to support its Memory Care Training program. The grant will help Hospice of the Valley continue its program to train more than 4,000 memory care staff throughout the state – teaching effective communication techniques and strategies for managing challenging behaviors in people living with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. The Memory Care Training program is offered at no charge to the community and shares best practices in dementia care through engaging role-playing videos that depict real-life challenges.

Healthcare trends & transactions: Year in review - January 2026 JD Supra; by Meredith Edwards Collins, David Cox, Katie D. Asquith, Lara Flatau, Ali Gallagher, Angela Humphreys, Zoebedeh Malakpa, Tatjana Paterno, Cynthia Reisz, Mariah R. Rhodes, Marc Rigsby, Morgan Tandy, David Wilson; 1/22/26 At the end of 2024, we predicted that the healthcare mergers and acquisitions (M&A) market would pick up steam in 2025, given the combination of decreasing interest rates, a potential shift in the regulatory landscape with the new presidential administration and growing comfort and familiarity with new state reporting requirements related to physician practice management (PPM) and other healthcare transactions.

A legacy of compassion: Sargent family dedicates the Aroostook House of Comfort dining room The County, Presque Isle, ME; 1/15/26 The Aroostook Hospice Foundation is honored to announce a $25,000 gift from the Sargent family, made in loving memory of Iffy Sargent, who passed away on Jan. 14, 2025. This generous gift dedicates the Family Dining Room at the Aroostook House of Comfort, a central gathering space within the home. The Family Dining Room offers patients, families, and staff a place to gather, share meals and experience comfort and connection during life’s most tender moments. Designed to feel like a real home rather than a medical facility, the space supports essential, everyday moments of normalcy — conversation, shared meals and quiet time together.