Literature Review

Understanding low hospice utilization among ESRD patients0Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 9/21/260Hospice care is underutilized among end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients, often due to systemic factors. More than 831,000 Americans are living with kidney failure, according to the National Institutes of Health. In 2023 alone, new cases totaled 131,564. Yet, end-stage renal disease patients in 2024 represented 1.3% of Medicare decedents who elected the Medicare Hospice Benefit, the National Alliance for Care at Home reported. This was 24,336 patients.0Concerns over access to dialysis is a major contributor to the low utilization, according to Compassus Chief Medical Officer Dr. Kurt Merkelz.03330The prospect of giving up dialysis deters many ESRD patients from entering hospice. Those that do may come to hospice very late because once they stop dialysis the patient will have approximately one week to live, Merkelz said.

Senior health, home health & hospice stocks Q2 teardown: Brookdale (NYSE:BKD) vs the rest Fox 46; Press Release; 9/17/26 Wrapping up Q2 earnings, we look at the numbers and key takeaways for the senior health, home health & hospice stocks, including Brookdale (NYSE:BKD) and its peers. ... The 7 senior health, home health & hospice stocks we track reported a mixed Q2. As a group, revenues missed analysts’ consensus estimates by 0.5%. Amidst this news, share prices of the companies have had a rough stretch. On average, they are down 10.6% since the latest earnings results.

Sen. Baldwin demands investigation into veteran care failures at Tomah VAWXOW-19 ABC, Tomah, WI; by Terry Bell; 9/21/26 U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin is calling for an immediate investigation into serious allegations about the failure to care for veterans and unacceptable conditions at the Tomah VA Medical Center. Baldwin is asking Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins to conduct a full review of staffing levels, provider coverage, medication delays, hospice care and patient safety at the Tomah VA Hospital. She's also requesting the VA Office of the Inspector General conduct an independent investigation. Baldwin's office heard from several Tomah VA employees who outlined severe lapses in patient care at the hospital. The allegations include inadequate staffing contributing to falls, injuries, food choking incidents and other adverse patient outcomes. [View recent incident:  Former VA nurse charged with intentionally abusing hospice patient]

AI can detect cancer years before symptoms appear. Health policy has not caught upHealth Affairs; by Matt Hasan; 9/14/26Unless health policy evolves alongside the science, the gap between what AI can predict and what health care is prepared to do with that knowledge will keep widening. Consider an artificial intelligence (AI) model developed at the Mayo Clinic that analyzes routine abdominal computed tomography (CT) scans for subtle changes associated with pancreatic cancer before a tumor is visible to a radiologist. In retrospective validation, the model identified 73 percent of cancers a median of about 16 months before diagnosis, with detection possible more than two years earlier in some cases. The technology remains investigational, but it makes the emerging clinical dilemma concrete. If an AI system flags a patient as being at substantially elevated risk when conventional imaging shows no visible tumor, what should the physician do?

Chinese woman in her 70s wakes up in coffin before dying for good 2 days laterSouth China Morning Post; by Zoey Zhang; 9/21/26 A woman in her 70s in northern China briefly exhibited signs of life after being placed in a coffin, but ultimately died two days later. The woman, from Hebei province, had been suffering from cerebral thrombosis for decades and was also battling cancer, according to reports from mainland sources. After doctors concluded that her cancer was no longer treatable, her family brought her home for end-of-life care. On September 8, relatives found no apparent signs of life and placed her in a refrigerated coffin to preserve her body while awaiting the return of family members from out of town for a final farewell. However, the following evening, her daughter-in-law heard faint “humming” sounds coming from inside the coffin. ...

HPNF awarded Spanish-language access grant Hospice & Palliative Nurses Foundation; Press Release; 9/18/26 The Hospice and Palliative Nurses Foundation (HPNF) has received a $107,000 grant from Elea Institute for a new project titled the Spanish-Language Access to Hospice and Palliative Nursing Certification Initiative. Elea Institute is committed to ensuring all persons have access to high-quality hospice and palliative care and has awarded numerous grants supporting enhanced community access and educational resources. This grant project will address a critical barrier to equitable hospice and palliative care training: language access. Spanish-speaking nursing assistants are an essential part of the healthcare workforce, yet limited access to Spanish-language certification and educational resources creates barriers to professional advancement and equitable care delivery.

Capstone University offering Clinical Pastoral Education for hospice and palliative care chaplaincy NEWSnet; Press Release; 9/18/26 Capstone University [in University Place, WA] now offers clinical pastoral education (CPE) with a specific focus on hospice and palliative care chaplaincy. This transformative program centers on spiritual caregiving in response to aging, serious illness, dying, and bereavement. It enables chaplains to deepen their ability to provide culturally responsive, patient-led spiritual care to individuals and families throughout the end-of-life experience. 

Granddad, 82, to take on 10k as part of family team  BC News, West of England; by Dawn Limbu; 9/19/26 An 82-year-old grandfather is set to be the oldest charity runner at this year's annual Run Cheltenham 10k race. Dave Cant, from Cheltenham, will run alongside his two daughters, son-in-law and grandchildren to raise money for Sue Ryder, the palliative care and bereavement charity he has volunteered with for 17 years.

Nearly 700 turn out for St. Charles Running Festival and raises nearly $30K for Hospice of the Chesapeake Southern Maryland News Net; by Elizabeth Marcussen; 9/18/26 Hospice of the Chesapeake was honored to once again to be included as the official charity partner for the St. Charles Running Festival, presented by Lennar. Hundreds of runners, walkers and neighbors gathered on Sept. 12 at the Regency Furniture Stadium in Waldorf, Maryland, for a morning of competition, camaraderie and community giving. ... Once again, the festival rallied to raise tens of thousands of dollars for its official charity partner. With nearly 700 participants and many generous sponsors, the event delivered nearly $30,000 to support patients and families facing serious illness and grief in Charles County. 

Fionnuala Crowley on the palliative care gap in oncology: with specialists in short supply, oncology nurses can play a larger role Medpage Today; by Jeff Minerd; 9/18/26 Because many patients with cancer are not receiving adequate palliative care from specialists, primary oncology care teams may need to step up to fill the gap, said authors of a "Comments and Controversies" article in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. "Even if cancer centers have palliative care services, the capacity of these services is often insufficient," Fionnuala Crowley, MD, of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, and colleagues wrote. Furthermore, research suggests that the need for palliative care specialists is outpacing supply and there will be serious shortages by 2040, the team added. 

Hospices’ top legislative priorities Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 9/18/26As the midterm elections approach, hospices have unfinished business in the halls of Congress. Providers have identified several high priority pieces of legislation they would like to see passed before this Congress ends in December, according to healthcare leaders attending the National Alliance for Care at Home’s Advocacy Week on Capitol Hill. Most of these are oriented around the common theme of preserving access to home-based care. “Care at home already has bipartisan support and recognition as a cost-effective, patient-preferred solution,” said Jennifer Sheets, CEO of the Alliance, in a statement. “As demand continues to grow, we are committed to being a strong partner with Congress to help federal policy grow with it.”

Over 150 advocates convene on Capitol Hill to champion care at home National Alliance for Care at Home, Alexandria, VA and Washington, DC; Press Release; 9/16/26 This week, more than 150 care at home advocates from across the country met with 285 congressional offices to discuss key legislative and regulatory priorities for expanding and protecting access to care at home. The meetings were part of the 2026 National Alliance for Care at Home Advocacy Week, an important opportunity to unite the entire care at home continuum under one voice.