Literature Review

Another strike sends 31,000 Kaiser Permanente health care workers to picket lines AP, U.S. News, Oakland, CA; 1/27/26 An estimated 31,000 registered nurses and other front-line Kaiser Permanente health care workers launched an open-ended strike this week in California and Hawaii to demand better wages and staffing from the health care giant. The picketing that began Monday marked the second major walkout in recent months by employees represented by the United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals. A five-day strike in October ended with negotiations resuming, but talks broke down in December. This week the union accused Kaiser of refusing to return to national bargaining discussions.

January is proof that time can move both ffat aand painfully slow.

[Netherlands] Pediatric advance care planning: a mixed-methods evaluation of documentation and sharing in current practice BMC Palliative Care; by Sophie Tooten, Rosella P.M.G. Hermens, Manel Verhoeven, Ellen M. Vierhoven, Fatima Boulakhrif, Jana M. Reintjes, Michel A.A.P. Willemsen, Judith L. Aris-Meijer, Jurrianne C. Fahner, Marijanne Engel, Marijke C. Kars, Inge M.L. Ahout & Esther Deuning-Smit; 1/29/26 Pediatric advance care planning (pACP) aims to align future care and treatment of children with life-limiting conditions (LLCs) with children’s and their families’ values, goals and preferences. Documenting and sharing pACP elements with healthcare professionals (HCPs) is essential for goal-concordant care. This study evaluates how pACP elements are documented in electronic health records of children with LLCs and shared with other HCPs.

False Claims Act 2025 year-end update Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher; Press Release; 1/27/26 This update covers recent developments in FCA jurisprudence, summarizes significant enforcement activity, and analyzes the most notable legislative, policy, and caselaw developments from the second half of calendar year 2025, picking up where our mid-year 2025 update left off.

Defining palliative care quality in a tight reimbursement environment Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 1/27/26 Palliative care delivery is undergoing an evolutionary period of change. These services are offered in several different ways across the country, which brings both benefits and challenges when it comes to defining quality in the space. Today’s palliative care providers are shaping the outlook of the field, but through diversified approaches, according to Brynn Bowman, CEO of Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC). The field is reaching a pivotal stage when it comes to supply and demand or resources, an issue that greater standardization could help to address, she indicated. 

Sanofi Collective - Foundation S stands behind transformative children's palliative care project in Kenya Global Treehouse Foundation; Press Release; 1/27/26 A significant grant from the Foundation S - the Sanofi Collective will enable a transformative three-year project delivering comprehensive grief and bereavement care to families affected by childhood cancer in Kenya. This is about more than funding: it’s about ensuring families are seen, supported and not left to navigate their most challenging moments alone. Foundation S’s investment is a significant milestone in integrating grief and social-emotional support into healthcare systems - an area too often overlooked, yet essential to the dignity and well-being of children and those who love them.

MedPAC signals need to bolster Medicare physician payments AMA - American Medical Association; by Tanya Albert Henry; 1/27/26 Influential body backs added 0.5% Medicare pay update but backtracks on linking doctor payment to practice-cost inflation. ... The influential Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) voted in January to address inadequate payment for Medicare physician services under current law, once again underscoring a longstanding policy failure that is widely recognized but remains unresolved. MedPAC voted to recommend an additional 0.5% update on top of the updates specified in current law—0.25% and 0.75%—and will forward that recommendation to Congress. 

Lifespark’s COMPLETE Senior Living Model sets new standard for senior living innovation Business Wire, Minneapolis, MN; Press Release; 1/27/26 Lifespark, a complete senior health company managing more than 50 senior living communities in Minnesota and Wisconsin, has unveiled its COMPLETE Senior Living (CSL) model with plans for significant growth in 2026. The CSL model integrates four key components: Lifespark Senior Living Management, SPARK Growth and Wellness led by Dr. Bill Thomas, Lifespark Medical Group, and Lifespark Hospice.

Meant to Be: Denise's journey into hospice nursing The McKenzie, Tennessee Banner; 1/27/26 When Denise lost her husband, Tony, to leukemia at only 39, her world shifted forever. She was 29. ... In her thirties, ... she enrolled in nursing school, determined to rebuild her own story, one chapter at a time. ...Then came a nursing hospice opportunity. ... For Denise, hospice nursing isn't about endings; it's about helping families find peace, honesty, dignity, and hope in the final chapter. She carries the responsibility with deep reverence. "We're the last chapter," she says softly. "And if that chapter ends poorly, a lot of it is on us." ... Denise's journey reminds us that sometimes the hardest heartbreaks lead us to the most meaningful callings. Editor's Note: [Full access to this may require a subscription.] What personal life experiences brought many of your clinicians to end-of-life care? You may be surpised how little you know about them; what brings meaning and purpose for them; how seeing their journeys inspires you in your leadership role.

How do I tell my patient they’re dying? Medscape; by Lisa Mulcahy; 1/27/26 Ruth Parry, PhD, still remembers a conversation she mishandled as a junior National Health Service stroke rehabilitation physiotherapist many years ago. ... Since then, Parry has analyzed nearly 100 video consultations between practitioners and patients with poor prognoses in stroke and head injury and with terminal diagnoses. Her research explores a critical clinical dilemma: How do doctors navigate the delicate balance of providing fair, accurate information about dire prognoses while respecting a patient’s feelings and personal choices?

Family Care Palliative & Hospice expands palliative care access for Maricopa County residents ABNewswire, Tempe, AZ; Press release by Family Care Palliative & Hospice; 1/26/25Family Care Palliative & Hospice has expanded its service offerings to meet better the growing demand for specialized end-of-life and serious illness care throughout Maricopa County and surrounding areas. ... The expansion comes at a time when demand for quality best hospice care continues to rise across Arizona. 

What home-based care consumers really want Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 1/27/26In interviews conducted by Cozy Home Community with patients and family members who received home-based care, six key themes emerged as factors that influence their perceptions of care —  education, navigation, community and fit, families serving as health care “quarterbacks” and the importance of emotional intelligence and empathy.