Literature Review

Can tech restore the human side of care? Becker's Health IT; by Ella Jeffries; 11/14/25 Technology has been both a promise and a problem in healthcare. When EHRs arrived in hospitals, they were heralded as a revolution — bringing order to messy paper charts and standardizing how care was documented. But soon after, clinicians found themselves staring more at screens than at the patients sitting in front of them. Now, nurse leaders say the very systems that once distanced them from patients could hold the key to rebuilding that connection.

More people are caring for dying loved ones at home. A New Orleans nonprofit is showing them how. KFF Health News; by Halle Parker; 11/25/25 Liz Dunnebacke isn’t dying, but for a recent end-of-life care workshop in New Orleans, she pretended to be. Dunnebacke lay still atop a folding table that was dressed as a bed, complaining that her legs hurt. Registered nurse Ana Kanellos, rolling up two small white towels, demonstrated how to elevate her ankles to ease the pain. ... About 20 New Orleans residents listened intently, eager to learn more about how to care for loved ones at home when they’re nearing the end of their lives. 

Optum Health names CEO Becker's Payer Issues; by Jakob Emerson; 11/14/25 Optum Health, the care delivery arm of UnitedHealth Group, has named Krista Nelson as its new CEO. ...  She was previously named COO at Optum Health earlier this year after serving as CEO of UnitedHealthcare’s Medicaid business since 2024 . She has been with the company since 2009. Patrick Conway, MD, CEO of Optum, had been serving as CEO of Optum Health since June, when then-CEO Amar Desai, MD, was named president of Optum integrated care. ... For 2026, Optum said it will work with fewer providers and plans to switch to a direct physician employment model.Editor's Note: See "UnitedHealth Group names Patrick Conway CEO of Optum Health," posted 6/27/25

Rediscovering purpose in the hardest moments of cancer care Medscape; by Mark A. Lewis, MD; 11/7/25 ... I'm a GI oncologist, and about a quarter of my patients have metastatic pancreatic cancer. Treat that awful disease often enough and, believe me, you start to doubt your own abilities as a supposed healer. I mean, talk about overpromising and underdelivering. ... When you judge your worth by your outcomes, especially longevity, imposter syndrome sets in like dry rot, and feelings of ineffectiveness lead to therapeutic nihilism in the very caregiver that patients look to for hope. It turns out, though, the best antidote to self-pity is right in front of me every day: my patients. ...

Vohra Wound Physicians and its owner agree to pay $45M to settle fraud allegations of overbilling for wound care servicesDepartment of Justice press release; 11/21/25Dr. Ameet Vohra and his companies, including Vohra Wound Physicians Management LLC (Vohra), have agreed to pay $45 million to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by knowingly causing the submission of claims to Medicare for medically unnecessary surgical procedures, for more lucrative surgical procedures when only routine non-surgical wound management had been done, and for evaluation and management services that were not billable under Medicare coverage and coding rules... “Billing Medicare for medically unnecessary procedures and manipulating documentation to maximize profits not only defrauds taxpayers — it puts vulnerable patients at risk,” said Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Christian J. Schrank at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG).Publisher's note: While these allegations specifically occurred in nursing homes and skilled nursing facilities, similar practices have occurred in hospice.

Thanksgiving revisited: 2024 and 2025 I-70 West and Beyond - Travels Through Life; blog by Laurie Sunderland; Thanksgiving 2024 and 2025

Give thanks and pass the stuffing: Maryland is grateful for much this year The Baltimore Sun; by Jean Marbella; 11/25/25 In a turmoil-filled world, gratitude might seem elusive. But then, there’s that newborn infant or a son in med school, the simple gift of the snooze button and the big thrill of a walk-off homer, a homicide rate going down and a school redistricting plan finally ending. ... We could go on, and Maryland’s elected officials, athletes, artists, personalities and at least one rascal did, telling The Baltimore Sun what makes their Thanksgiving tick this year. ... Political scientist Mileah Kromer, director of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County Institute of Politics: “I’m thankful for the nurses, doctors, and clergy who work in hospice care. I lost my mom to ALS this past April, and her end-of-life experience left me with a deep sense of gratitude for the people who care for patients and their families during one of the most profoundly difficult times in their lives. 

Everheart Hospice CEO shares how care, compassion and community support patients and families WCSM Radio; by Kristi Strawser; 11/25/25 Everheart Hospice CEO Kristi Strawser recently joined Spectrum, WCSM’s daily public affairs program, to talk about how hospice and palliative care have changed, what families can expect, and why local support is so important to their mission. Strawser has spent her entire career in hospice and palliative care. ... As the holidays approach, Strawser says her work is a daily reminder not to take time for granted. Watching many individuals reach the final stages of life, especially this time of year, reinforces the importance of appreciating each day. She hopes that message reaches listeners as they gather with their own families: every birthday matters, every holiday matters, and every extra day is a gift.

Shifting to online and telephone bereavement support provision during the COVID-19 pandemic: A mixed methods study of bereavement service provider perspectives and lessons learnt for current practice Palliative Medicine; by Lucy E Selman, Jenny Birchall, Eileen J Sutton, Tracey Stone, Renata Medeiros Mirra, Emma Gilbert, Mirella Longo, Kathy Seddon, Anne M Finucane, Alison Penny, Anthony Byrne, Emily Harrop; 11/24/25, online ahead of print Background: Provision of remote (online/telephone) bereavement support accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the extent and impact of this change and lessons learnt are unknown. ...Conclusions: Remote delivery of bereavement support increased support capacity and can potentially reduce inequities in access. However, it needs to be carefully tailored, and is not appropriate for everyone. Staff and volunteers providing remote services require training and support.

Major hospice company that operates in 15 states says patient data stolen by hackers NJ.com; by Jackie Roman; 11/24/25 The personal information of current and former hospice patients may have been exposed in a cyberattack targeting VITAS Healthcare, one of the largest hospice companies in the United States. VITAS discovered on Oct. 24 that an unauthorized party had gained access to certain network systems through a compromised vendor account, according to a company statement about the data breach. ... Patrick Hale, executive vice president and chief information officer, in a statement sent to NJ Advance Media ... [said, "We] are acting swiftly to ensure transparency, accountability, and enhanced security moving forward. Our top priority remains the patients and families we are privileged to serve."

Calendar Year (CY) 2026 End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Prospective Payment System Final Rule CMS Newsroom - Fact Sheets; by CMS; 11/20/25 Key points: