Literature Review

Scaling home-based care coordination depends on technology, addressing social determinants of health Home Health Care News; by Morgan Gonzales; 12/30/25 The home-based care industry is uniquely equipped to improve care coordination and enhance care for patients. To expand the role that care coordination plays in the U.S., both post-acute providers and the health care system overall must expand their use of technology and address social determinants of health, according to Ruth Raskas, president and chief operating officer at LiveWell Partners.

Reconnecting at the end: The healing power of nature in hospice and palliative care ehospice; by Dr. Owen Wiseman; 1/5/26 ... Humans are wired to feel better in nature. We feel calmer when we see the colour green or hear water flowing from a stream nearby. ... Evidence shows that simply viewing nature can reduce pain, anxiety, and stress. In one of the most-cited studies, patients recovering from surgery who had window views of nature used 21% fewer pain medications and shortened hospital stays. ... I’ve had a front-row seat to the power of nature in palliative care, both professionally and personally. ...Small Ways to Bring Nature In - Not every hospice or palliative care space has access to large gardens or forests. That said, nature can still find a way in:

Dying with dignity - personal perspective: The sacred ending we don’t talk about enough. Psychology Today; by Cynthia Chen-Joea DO, MPH, FAAFP, DABOM; 12/24/25 In the U.S., we spend enormous amounts of energy keeping people alive, curing, fixing, and prolonging life at all costs. What we rarely talk about is how people die. And more importantly, how poorly our system supports them when the end is clearly approaching. ... [Background story about her dad's Parkinson's and eventual death] ... Then came our request for hospice. After an evaluation, we were told he didn’t “qualify” because he had gained some weight and his albumin levels were “too high.” An arbitrary checklist, based on labs values, prevented him from getting into hospice. [Keep reading] So we tried for palliative care instead. I made call after call, only to be bounced between departments, many unclear on the difference between hospice and palliative care, ... Even as a physician, I was stunned by how many barriers we encountered simply trying to do the most humane thing: to advocate for dignity, comfort, and respect at the end of my father’s life.

Healthcare technology: Smart tech, wearable devices, and robotics – 2026 health IT predictions Healthcare IT Today; by Grayson Miller; 1/6/26 As we wrap up another year and get ready for 2026 to begin, it is once again time for everyone’s favorite annual tradition of Health IT Predictions! We reached out to our incredible Healthcare IT Today Community to get their insights on what will happen in the coming year, and boy, did they deliver. We, in fact, got so many responses to our prompt this year that we have had to narrow them down to just the best and most interesting. Check out the community’s predictions down below and be sure to follow along as we share more 2026 Health IT Predictions!

Creating and sustaining a culture of excellence American Nurse; by Aileen Cassada, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, NRP, and Holly Puckett, DNP, RN, CNE, CMSRN; 1/5/26 Takeaways:

Fairhaven, Rainbow partner on hospice suites Daily Jefferson County Union, Whitewater, WI; by Daily Union Staff; 12/11/25 Fairhaven Senior Services in Whitewater and Rainbow Community Care in Jefferson have announced a partnership to serve families whose loved ones are in end of life care. The nonprofit organizations are collaborating to open two dedicated hospice suites on the Fairhaven campus, as a “sacred space” where local residents and their families can find peace and comfort, a release said. The partnership was born not only out of necessity, “but from a long-standing mutual respect and shared belief that compassionate care should be available close to home,” the release continued.

Winter landscapes remind us that beauty is in the details.

How private equity is ruining hospice care in the U.S. Halifax Examiner; by Philip Moscovitch; 12/29/25 ... In a recent study for the Law and Political Economy Project, Elle Rothermich, a senior research fellow at Yale’s Solomon Center for Health Law, looks at how for-profit and private equity firms have come to dominate ... hospice ... in the U.S. Of some 6,000 Medicare-certified hospices in the country, about 4,400 are for-profit affairs. Rothermich writes: 

'It’s comfort, dignity and time': Agrace receives CuddleCot donation from JackPack GazetteXtra, Janesville, WI; by Kylie Balk-Yaatenen; 1/4/26 For nearly a decade, a Janesville family has worked to ensure that parents facing the loss of a baby are given something they themselves never had: Time. Through The Jack Pack, a local nonprofit founded after the stillbirth of their son, Jack, in 2015, Jackie Harwick and her husband, Garrick, have donated 14 CuddleCots to hospitals and hospice providers across southern Wisconsin. Their most recent donation went to ... Agrace’s pediatric hospice program. A CuddleCot is a temperature-controlled bassinet insert that slows natural changes after death, allowing families to spend extended time with their baby; ... That time can allow parents to hold their child, invite loved ones to meet the baby, create memories and begin grieving in a more supported way.

Donna Gregory’s extraordinary people: Gwen Whitley reflects on nearly 18 years of service WWAY News, Leland, NC; by Matt Bennett; 12/29/25 Nearly 18 years ago, Gwen Whitley began working at Lower Cape Fear LifeCare, guided by an experience that had changed her life years earlier. ... Whitley said she never viewed leadership as a title, but as a responsibility to patients, families and staff. During her time as CEO, Whitley oversaw several major developments. She points to two accomplishments she is most proud of: the creation of the LifeCare Memory Partners program ... and the organization earning a Five-Star Rating from Medicare in August. ... As she prepares for retirement, Whitley said she plans to remain involved as a volunteer and through the organization’s foundation.

Hospice: Care, commerce, and the cost of a separate category The Pine Belt News, Hattiesburg, MS; by Cathy Eaker; 1/5/26 Hospice care is often presented as a compassionate alternative to aggressive medicine—a gentler path that prioritizes comfort, dignity, and peace at the end of life. In theory, it is a humane model. In practice, hospice exists at the intersection of care and commerce, and that intersection deserves far more scrutiny than it receives. ... That does not mean hospice nurses, aides, social workers, or chaplains are unethical. Quite the opposite. Most of the people providing hands-on hospice care have good hearts. They care deeply. They show up. They bathe patients gently, sit at bedsides, hold hands, and witness grief with humanity. The problem is not the caregivers—it is the structure they work within. ...

In or out: The hospice, Medicare Advantage conundrum Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 1/2/26 Opposition to a Medicare Advantage hospice “carve-in” remains strong in the field, though some say the lack of one creates a serious gap in the MA program. Medicare Advantage enrollment continues to grow. As of 2025, 54% of Medicare beneficiaries were enrolled in Medicare Advantage, about 31.4 million people, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. However, MA health plans, by design, do not cover hospice care. When an MA beneficiary elects hospice, they transition to the traditional Medicare benefit, though they may keep their Medicare Advantage coverage for care or services deemed unrelated to their terminal condition.

New year, a new chapter, new verse, or just the same old story. Ultimately, we write it. The choice is ours. ~ Alex Morritt