Literature Review

CHS boosts performance-based exec pay Becker's Hospital Review; by Alan Condon; 4/6/26 Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems is doubling down on performance-based compensation for its top executives, tying the majority of pay to financial and operational results, according to a proxy report filed April 2 with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Croí Health raises $17.5M for patient care access, including through major philanthropic gifts MassNonprofit News; Press Release; 4/7/26 At the start of year three of their $20 million Voices Campaign, the Croí Health Charitable Fund has secured $17.5 million for patient care access.  Of this, they raised more than $11 million from an established donor base and more than 3,200 new, first-time donors. For the remaining amount, the Charitable Fund secured $6.5 million from leading philanthropists. About: Croí Health, formerly NVNA and Hospice, serves 27 communities, with a daily census of 1,200 and more than 200,000 patients annually. 

When shared decision-making becomes medical paternalism: Conversations about end-of-life care can turn into conflicts over authority MedPage Today; by DeAnna M. Pollock, MD; 4/1/26 "Why haven't they scheduled your dad for his feeding tube placement? They just want another family conference." I sighed and told my mother we may have to fight. The physicians caring for my father seemed ready to overrule her decision, even though she held his medical power of attorney. When I spoke with an intern, I explained that our family had not changed its mind about the course of treatment. We simply wanted to know when the feeding tube would be placed. Her response stunned me. "We refuse to place it," she said. "And we have the right to refuse anything." Calmly, I explained that, as a physician myself, ...

CMS ups hospice oversight: 5 things to know Becker's Hospital Review; by Mariah Taylor; 4/3/26 CMS is implementing new oversight measures for hospice programs, which include an updated scoring system, state-specific oversight and changes to election statement addenda. The new scoring system is part of an effort to “strengthen oversight, improve transparency for patient families and ensure Medicare hospice benefits are not abused,” according to an April 2 agency news release. Here’s what to know:

Healthcare across borders: How the U.S. health system compares to others around the world Chicago Health; by Kathleen Aharoni; 4/3/26 More than half of the world’s countries guarantee a right to healthcare in their constitutions. The United States does not. No federal or state law explicitly safeguards citizens’ health or well-being as a guaranteed right. Countries worldwide take varying approaches. ... In a ranking of 10 health systems worldwide, the U.S. ranked last — and has ranked last in each of the Commonwealth Fund’s “Mirror, Mirror” reports since 2014. The nonprofit foundation has supported independent research on healthcare policy since 1918. 

Development and psychometric properties of PEACE-Q: A questionnaire on attitudes towards physician-assisted dying, euthanasia, advance directives and care at the end-of-life

More people are choosing the option to die under Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act The Oregonian/OregonLive; by Kristine de Leon; 4/3/26 More people are turning to Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act – and more than ever are getting prescriptions for life-ending drugs, according to a new state data released Thursday [4/2]. For nearly three decades, the law has allowed Oregonians who meet certain conditions to receive prescription medications to help them end their lives, rather than waiting for a disease to run its course. ... An annual report compiled by the Oregon Health Authority shows more patients are seeking the option. Last year, doctors wrote 637 prescriptions under the Death with Dignity Act -- the highest number on record, according to state data. That’s a modest 5% increase from 2024, but part of a longer trend that has pushed participation steadily upward.

Proposed Rule: FY 2027 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate Update and Hospice Quality Reporting Program Requirements. CMS-1851-P DisplayRegulations.gov -  An official website of the United States Government | CMS; 4/6/26 This proposed rule would update the hospice wage index, payment rates, and aggregate cap for Fiscal Year 2027; include an analysis of Medicare non-hospice spending, and proposes requirements that hospices provide the hospice election statement addendum to all Medicare beneficiaries. Additionally, this rule proposes conforming regulation text changes to discharge from hospice care regulations; regulation text changes to the face-to-face encounter regulations; and includes RFI on community palliative care services; hospice specific wage index construction; and the overlap between hospice and medical aid in dying. Finally, this rule proposes changes to the Hospice Quality Reporting Program. In commenting, please refer to file code. CMS-1851-P.

* CEO, Hildegard House, nonprofit, Louisville, KY

Rediscovering joy: Why creativity matters in grief support Hospice of the Chesapeake, Pasadena, MD; by Elyzabeth Marcussen; 4/1/26 Imagine meeting up with like-minded people for an afternoon of mocktails, cocktails and snacks. That would be considered a happy hour, right? Then imagine that the common thread for this group is that they are all people who are grieving the loss of a loved one. Would you still call that a happy hour? Chesapeake Life Center Manager Alena Dailey said yes. Well, sort of. “We’re calling it ‘Hope After Hours.’” A large part of healing after loss is learning how to fit into your community again. You’re not the same person you were when your loved one was in your life. Sometimes, people feel guilty about having fun again or unsure how to reconnect. At Chesapeake Life Center, that understanding is shaping creative grief support programs designed to give people a judgment-free space to let loose and have fun. The hope is that they can begin to rediscover joy and carry it into everyday life.

‘Startling’: Palliative care services often not provided for severe brain metastases Healio; by Josh Friedman; 3/3/26 Half of patients with the most severe brain metastases may not be receiving palliative care consultations. Those who do have a significantly higher likelihood of filling out advance directive documentation and getting hospice care, and they have similar OS as those who did not receive consultations. ... “We have to rephrase the word fighting,” [Rohit Singh, MD, medical oncologist and assistant profess at University of Vermont] said. “I tell my patients, you’re not giving up fighting [getting palliative care]. You’re fighting for what’s better for you. You’re fighting for your quality of life. That’s you making it better. You’re not giving up anything. You are making sure whatever time we have aligns with your goals.”Editor's Note: Powerful communication from Dr. Singh. Reframing “fighting” can serve as a catalyst for alignment—across patients, families, and care teams. Palliative care isn’t surrender; it’s a deliberate choice to prioritize what matters most.

8 arrested in health care fraud takedown, including owners of hospices that billed taxpayers millions of dollars to serve the ‘dying’United States Attorney's Office - Central District of California, Los Angeles, CA; Press Release; 4/2/26More Than $50 Million in Intended Health Care Fraud Losses Charged In coordination with the Vice President’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, eight defendants, including three nurses, a chiropractor, and a purported psychologist, have been arrested on federal charges that they schemed to defraud the nation’s health care system out of more than $50 million – including by running sham hospice care facilities that bilked Medicare by using people without terminal illnesses as beneficiaries, the Justice Department announced today.Editor's Note: As coverage escalates—often with sensational framing—we are anchoring in the official U.S. Attorney’s press release. The allegations are serious and demand accountability, but do not reflect the broader hospice field. This is a moment for leaders to reinforce clear, disciplined narratives that distinguish fraud from the mission-driven care centered on dignity and what matters most.