Literature Review

The Duke Endowment grant award supports first coordinated palliative care program in Robeson County The Robesonian, Lumberton, NC; by Amanda Crabtree; 7/15/26 UNC Health Southeastern was awarded $575,000 from The Duke Endowment to establish Robeson County’s first coordinated hospital-to-community palliative care program in partnership with Lower Cape Fear LifeCare. The investment represents a significant step forward in expanding access to compassionate, patient-centered care for an estimated 400 patients with serious illness while strengthening the healthcare continuum across Robeson County. By creating a seamless connection between hospital care and community-based services, the initiative will ensure that patients receive the right care, at the right time, in the setting that best meets their needs.

Reporting Face-to-Face encounter conducted by a hospice physician or hospice nurse  practitioner for recertification via telecommunications technology on hospice claims, effective January 1, 2027 U.S. Department of Health & Human Services |CMS; CMS Manual System, Change Request 14495; 7/10/26 Effective January 1,2027, face-to-face encounters using telecommunications must be reported using a modifier or G code on the hospice claim. Guidance was released on July 10, 2026 and can be found in CR 14495 and MM14495. 

Leadership starts with presence — the art of showing up with David Sachsenmaier | part one Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN); podcast hosted by Chris Comeaux with David Sachsenmaier; 7/15/26 What separates truly exceptional leaders from those who simply manage?  In Part One of this thought-provoking conversation, Chris Comeaux sits down with executive coach David Sachsenmaier, whose 30 years of leadership experience and more than 4,000 hours of executive coaching have helped leaders uncover one of leadership's most overlooked truths: the quality of your leadership is shaped by the quality of your inner life.  Together, they explore why presence, self-awareness, and emotional grounding are essential to building healthy teams, resilient organizations, and cultures where people thrive.

Center for Hospice Care and VNA Hospice NWI announce strategic affiliation to strengthen hospice care in Northwest Indiana GreatNews.Life; by VNA Hospice NWI & Center for Hospice Care; 7/14/26 Center for Hospice Care (CHC) and Visiting Nurse Association Hospice of Northwest Indiana (VNA Hospice NWI) today announced a legally binding strategic affiliation that will strengthen access to high-quality, compassionate hospice care across much of northern Indiana. This affiliation reflects a shared mission between CHC and VNA Hospice NWI to provide compassionate, skilled care focused on comfort and quality of living for those facing a serious, advanced illness. The integration process will allow patients to transition seamlessly within a unified nonprofit care network, ensuring continuity of care without disruption.

Cardiologists treating increasingly complex patients as America ages Medscape; by Sarah Amandolare; 7/14/26 ... Heart failure (HF) affects 15%-20% of adults over 80, according to the American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology/Heart Failure Society of America Guideline for the Management of Heart Failure. HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), which becomes more likely after age 80, is related to other common conditions of aging, including hypertension, chronic kidney disease, diabetes, and obesity. “Almost by definition, most people that have HFpEF have multiple comorbidities,” Hummel said. “You have to account for a lot of them when you’re thinking about how to help the patient best.” This population also has higher chances of developing dementia and frailty, which affect 35% of adults age 90 and older and 31% of octogenarians, respectively. Older adults hospitalized for HF also have a high likelihood of polypharmacy; 68% take 10 or more medicines.

Hospice compliance in the data driven era | a leadership advisory on enforcement risk and governance readiness JD Supra; by Ankura; 7/9/26 Hospice enforcement has entered a structurally different phase. Oversight is no longer episodic or complaint‑driven; it is continuous, data‑driven, and predictive. Federal agencies increasingly identify risk through utilization analytics — length of stay, live discharges, diagnosis mix, and level‑of‑care patterns — before auditors ever review records. By the time a hospice receives an audit or payment action, the organization has often already been characterized as an outlier. ... From a leadership perspective, the most consequential insight is how eligibility is evaluated. Regulators assess hospice eligibility longitudinally, across the entire patient stay — not at isolated certification points. ...

Everyday ethics: Leave a legacy beyond material things Daily Times; by John C. Morgan; 7/15/26 Buildings and other structures don't last forever, but there are things we can do that will endure. Everyone wants to leave a legacy, something that outlasts themselves, whether a cause, offspring or project that embodies their future hopes. One of the more famous sentences left behind was graffiti from World War II, a doodle of a bald-headed man peering over a wall accompanied by the phrase “Kilroy Was Here.” It showed that American troops had been there. ... I’ve always found it hopeful, not morbid, to take walks through cemeteries to read the life stories of others. The few words inscribed on headstones represent the essentials, sometimes with an accompanying message the departed wants to leave others to remember. ...

Calendar Year (CY) 2027 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule CMS Newsroom; Fact Sheet; 7/14/26 paired with U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, CMS CY 2027 Payment Policies under the Physician Fee Schedule, 7/16/26; summary by guest editor Judi Lund Person On July 14, 2026, the Federal Register posted the CY 2027 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule proposed rule – CMS-1848-P. The CMS Fact Sheet on the proposed rule can be found here. While the proposed rule is 1,592 pages, there are two items of note to hospice and palliative care readers: 1) Supporting Beneficiaries Planning for Future Medical Decisions.CMS is proposing to create two new HCPCS codes to describe advance care planning (ACP) services furnished by clinical staff under the direct supervision of the billing physician or other practitioner. These new codes will more accurately distinguish and value the work done by billing practitioners from time spent by their clinical staff providing ACP services. We are further proposing that the existing ACP CPT codes 99497 and 99498 would only be used to report time personally spent by the billing practitioner. 2) RFI on Community-based Palliative Care, asking questions on eligibility for serious illness care and palliative care, the future of care management services and advanced primary care management.   

Empath Health expands hospice support for Jewish communities Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 7/13/26 Empath Trustbridge Hospice has established a formal partnership with Ruth & Norman Rales Jewish Family Services (JFS) to expand access to end-of-life support. The partnership with JFS is aimed at improving access to culturally responsive care provided by Empath Trustbridge Hospice’s Tikvah Jewish Care & Support Program. The program provides faith-based support, honors Jewish traditions and holiday observances, as well as kosher dietary coordination. The two organizations launched the partnership after years of relationship-building and a mutual commitment to honoring the Jewish community through every stage of life. 

Dublin business accuses fired CEO, CFO of embezzlement Columbus Business First, Columbus, OH; by Carrie Ghose; 7/13/26 Dublin-based ViaQuest fired founder Rich Johnson and CFO Michael Bell, and in a lawsuit accuses them of diverting more than $15 million.  ... In January 2025, Johnson purchased ViaQuest Hospice LLC, through a $10 million promissory note that is still owing, according to the complaint. As sole owner and CEO of Hospice, Johnson was required to separate its finances when the deal closed, but ViaQuest kept paying Hospice expenses for a total of $12.9 million at Johnson and Bell's direction, the complaint said. ViaQuest employees including Bell also spent substantial time doing duties for Hospice, it said, an expense not yet calculated. [Access to the full article may be limited.]

When the expert becomes the daughter: lessons from my father's hospice journey Provider Insights; by Annette Lee; 7/10/26 Part 4: Leadership Lessons are often Learned at the Bedside The most meaningful leadership lessons are often learned at the bedside. During my father's sixteen-day hospice journey, I experienced hospice not as a consultant, but as a daughter. These takeaways highlight the leadership decisions, clinical practices, and compassionate moments that transformed exceptional hospice care into an unforgettable experience for our entire family. My hope is that they inspire hospice leaders to continually ask not only, "Are we providing excellent care?" but also, "How will this family remember us?"Editor's Note: Click here for an excellent table, "Hospice Leadership Lessons Learned on the Other Side," with columns for "What Our Family Experienced," "Leadership Lesson," "Action for Your Hospice." It fleshes out 16 concise, practical first-hand lessons, such as "A trusted first conversation"; "Compassion over pressure"; "Information given in manageable pieces" and more.

Family Hospice expands into Northwest Georgia through aquisition of North Georgia Community Hospice, LLC EIN Presswire, Dalton, GA; by Family Hospice, LLC; 7/14/26 Family Hospice today announced the completion of its acquisition of North Georgia Community Hospice, LLC, expanding access to compassionate hospice and palliative care services throughout Northwest Georgia. The acquisition, which closed on July 14, 2026, marks an important milestone in Family Hospice's continued growth across Georgia and reflects the organization's long-term commitment to serving patients and families with compassionate, community-based care. Current patients will continue receiving uninterrupted hospice services throughout the transition, supported by the same experienced caregivers and staff who have faithfully served the community.