Literature Review

Butterfly Garden of Remembrance 2026 YubaNet.com, Nevada County, CA; by Foothills Compassionate Care; 5/15/26 Driving along the freeway between Grass Valley and Nevada City, passengers might notice three large butterfly statues in the nearby distance. The statues mark the annual Butterfly Garden of Remembrance, hosted by Foothills Compassionate Care [formerly known as Hospice of the Foothills]. ... In a community where neighbors care deeply for one another, few traditions capture that spirit more beautifully.  For more than 25 years, the Butterfly Garden has offered a sacred space for grief, healing and remembrance.

 Wisconsin-made film "Winter Hymns" gets more showings on the silver screen WKWO-27 ABC, Madison, WI; by Lucas Kihmm; 5/17/26 A movie that's produced and filmed right here in Wisconsin, Winter Hymns tells the story of a palliative care doctor meeting with a series of dying patients over a one day span. Writer and Director of the film Nathan Deming sat down with 27 News anchor Lucas Kihmm to talk about the movie and says he was inspired by his father, who was a palliative care physician, to make the film. ... It's now getting more exposure to audiences across the state and country after Flix Brewhouse gave Deming the opportunity to show his film in theaters. 

Compassus-Providence JV to move forward in Oregon Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 5/18/26 The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) has cleared the way for a Compassus-Providence Health System joint venture to operate in the state. The home-based care provider Compassus has established a joint venture with the health system Providence in 2024 and expanded it last year. However, in Oregon the state agency must review all such transactions. ... The conditions are intended to ensure the proposed transaction serves the public interest by expanding access to home health and hospice services in medically underserved communities, according to OHA.

Moratorium a ‘sledgehammer’ approach in hospice fraud forcefield Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 5/14/26 A temporary national moratorium has halted new hospice and home health enrollment in an effort to curb fraudulent activity in these industries. The hospice community has come forward in droves to examine the scope of potential benefits, and risks, to future access and quality. ... Applying a broad brush of regulatory enforcement could come with unintended challenges for legitimate providers, which represent the vast majority of hospices.

Hospitality exec brings hotel playbook to senior living, hits 97% occupancy Pacific Business News, Hawaii; by Cathy Cruz-George; 5/14/26 Mark Tsuda had three decades of hospitality experience when he joined the opening team of Ilima at Leihano, a luxury senior living community in Kapolei, in 2016. He previously was a regional executive for Aston Hotels & Resorts, ... Ilima at Leihano - which provides independent living, assisted living and memory care - has held an occupancy rate of between 95% and 97% over the past six years, supported by 92 employees who balance hotel-style services with healthcare needs and recreation. ... If a resident is in hospice, they can stay with us. Hospice is outsourced to local providers like Malama Ola and Island Hospice, ...

I don't think education is so much about making a living, it's about making a person. ~ Tara Westover

Week of Kindness: Beautifying Hospice of Lansing's courtyard Fox 47 News, Lansing, MI; by Larry Wallace; 5/15/26 ... Hospice of Lansing is one of the organizations taking part in this year's week of kindness. ... To celebrate, Hospice of Lansing volunteers beautified the facility's courtyard, planting flowers and cleaning windows. [From the reporter,] I got to take part in the effort, filling up bird feeders alongside volunteers — including Chad Beckett, who came out to give back to the facility that supported him and his mother. 

Enhabit completes previously announced acquisition by Kinderhook Industries to become a private company BusinessWire, Dallas and New York; Press Release; 5/15/26 Enhabit, Inc. (“Enhabit” or the “Company”), a leading home health and hospice care provider, and Kinderhook Industries, LLC (“Kinderhook”), a middle market private equity firm, today announced the successful completion of the previously announced transaction in which Enhabit was acquired by Kinderhook for $13.80 per share in cash. As a result of the transaction, Enhabit has become a private company. Its common stock will no longer be listed for trading on the New York Stock Exchange, effective immediately.

The National Law Review: CMS imposes nationwide enrollment moratoria on hospices and home health agencies - what buyers sellers and operators need to know The National Law Review; by Margia Corner, Ashley Wheelock, Tammy Ward Woffenden, Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP; 5/14/26 ... [Assuming readers have background information] ... Critically for some pending or proposed transactions, both moratoria block re-enrollment of hospices or HHAs undergoing a non-exempt change in majority ownership (CIMO) within 36 months of initial enrollment or the most recent CIMO. Such transactions require the entity to enroll as a brand-new provider.... Both moratoria apply only to Medicare. However, CMS is encouraging states to consider parallel moratoria for Medicaid and CHIP, tailored to their beneficiary population and geographic considerations. CMS also noted that while some states previously enacted laws placing a moratorium on issuing new licenses in their state, those efforts cannot prevent new agencies or enrollments in other states and thus its nationwide moratoria are warranted.

Key impacts of the 2026 National AI Legislative Framework on HealthcareArnall Golden Gregory blog; by Charmaine Mech Aguirre; 4/22/26On March 20, 2026, the White House published the national AI legislative framework, outlining the administration’s preferred blueprint for federal AI legislation. One of the framework’s most consequential themes is its explicit rejection of the current and rapidly expanding “patchwork of conflicting state laws” governing AI as contrary to innovation. Instead, the framework calls for a consistent national policy. The framework adopts an innovation‑forward posture, though it contemplates baseline guardrails for certain higher‑risk AI endeavors. The framework focuses on seven core pillars... [click here for more] Key Takeaways:

Nursing home ratings and characteristics predict hospice use among decedents with serious illnessesJournal of the American Medical Directors Association; by Ellis C Dillon, Chae Man Lee, Wenqi Gan, Doreek Charles, Germine Soliman, Julie Robison; 4/26Approximately one-third of older Americans experience a nursing home (NH) stay within 3 months of death, but it is unclear how NH characteristics influence end-of-life care.  Short-term (vs long-term) NH stays were associated with increased odds of hospice use and short hospice use. Individuals with long-term stays had lower odds of hospice use with stays at NHs with the highest (vs lowest) CMS ratings for quality measures and staffing ... Those with short-term stays had lower odds of hospice use with stays at NHs with the highest CMS Health Inspection ratings. People with long-term stays at NHs that were part of a chain, had Alzheimer's care units, or had more beds had increased odds of hospice care. Conclusions and implications: Among Connecticut Medicaid-insured decedents with NH stays, people with long-term stays and stays in NHs with better CMS ratings had lower odds of hospice use. Assistant Editor's note: It is difficult to obtain national data for Medicaid hospice days. But according to Medicare claims data obtained from Hospice Analytics, 19% of hospice days in 2024 occurred in a nursing home setting. This summary article highlights an important issue and an excellent opportunity for future analysis with a broader study population. Intuitively, we'd like to see highly rated NHs have higher hospice utilization. 

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