Literature Review

Family Hospice hosts open house and ribbon-cutting for new McDonough Inpatient Unit NEWSnet, McDonough, GA; by EIN Presswire; 7/2/26 Family Hospice welcomed community leaders, healthcare professionals, and community partners on June 25 for an open house and ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating its new McDonough Inpatient Unit. The event marked an important milestone in the organization’s continued commitment to expanding access to compassionate hospice care.  ... “At Family Hospice, our mission is simple: We are a team that cares for people, and we make lives better,” said Charlie Hall, Chief Executive Officer of Family Hospice. “Our new McDonough Inpatient Unit reflects that commitment and will allow us to provide an additional level of compassionate care and support for patients and families.”

CMS mulls tougher Medicare enrollment rules to combat fraud as part of 2027 home health payment rule Fierce Healthcare; by Heather Landi; 7/1/26 The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released on Wednesday afternoon its 2027 proposed payment rule for home health agencies. The rule includes an aggregate payment increase of $420 million, or 2.4%, based on a proposed 2.1% payment update and an estimated 0.3% increase related to the fixed dollar loss ratio. That 2.1% payment update represents $370 million, according to a CMS fact sheet. The proposal also includes updates to payment methodologies, case-mix weights, outlier payments and quality reporting requirements, while seeking feedback on expanding access to home-based palliative care. Beyond payment policy, CMS is proposing a series of anti-fraud measures that would make all Medicare enrollment revocations retroactive and broaden the agency’s authority to deny or revoke enrollment for providers and suppliers linked to compliance violations. 

Where liberty dwells, there is my country. ~ Benjamin Franklin

Mt. Hood Hospice gets $41K after largest-ever fundraising month Sandy Post, Sandy, OR; by Christopher Keizur; 7/1/26 The 2026 Support Mt. Hood Hospice Month is an annual effort that involves businesses, organizations, and community members across the greater Sandy area. It is in support of Mt. Hood Hospice, which provides care to terminally ill patients regardless of their ability to pay. “This year we tried a lot of new things and had better numbers and donations,” said Brian York, marketing specialist for Clackamas County Bank. On Wednesday, July 1, at Mt. Hood Hospice, 39085 Pioneer Boulevard, a check for $41,877.99 was presented (leave it to a bank to be so precise). That is the highest donation yet.

1776-1786: 250 Years - A History of CareHospice & Palliative Care Today; by Joy Berger; for 6/10/26Continental Congress, Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776

Nancy Streber Memorial Golf Classic raises more than $10,000, surpasses $200,000 lifetime milestone Tri-County Times, Davison, MI; Press Release; 7/1/26 Davison The 29th Annual Nancy Streber Memorial Golf Classic, held May 9 at Heather Hills Golf Course in Romeo, Mich., raised more than $10,000 in support of McLaren Hospice's compassionate end-of-life care services. Founded by Dave Streber and his family, the golf outing was established to honor the memory of his mother, Nancy Streber, while also recognizing the compassionate care his grandfather received as a McLaren patient. With this year's contribution, the event has now raised more than $200,000 over its 29-year history in support of McLaren Hospice a remarkable milestone made possible through decades of community support and dedication to hospice care.

AI, hospice fraud crackdown & medicare’s future—the biggest healthcare stories of 2026| part one Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN); podcast hosted by Chris Comeaux with Cordt Kassner; 7/1/26 In this quarterly edition of TCNtalks / Anatomy of Leadership, host Chris Comeaux is joined by healthcare strategist Cordt Kassner to unpack the biggest healthcare stories shaping 2026.  Together, they examine the trends every healthcare executive should be watching—from the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence and workforce transformation to increasing regulatory scrutiny, quality measurement, Medicare reform, and the financial realities facing hospice providers.  Using Dr. Ira Byock’s strategic framework as their guide, they move beyond headlines to explore what these developments mean for the future of care. The conversation also tackles larger questions facing the healthcare system.  

Carolina Caring Community Counseling Program expands services to anyone who has experienced loss Carolina Caring, Newton, NC; Press Release; 7/1/26 For many individuals, addressing the mental health concerns tied to grief and loss can feel overwhelming, complicated, or out of reach. Recognizing the profound impact that loss can have on one’s wellbeing, Carolina Caring has expanded a Community Counseling Program to support individuals who have experienced a major loss of any kind. ... Traditionally, organizations like Carolina Caring provide bereavement services to families of hospice patients for up to 13 months. But the Community Counseling Program is different from this traditional model. Through the expansion, the Community Counseling Program redefines what it means to provide compassionate care to the whole person, both physically and emotionally.

Indiana's Saint Anne eldercare campus opens hospice suites to provide holistic end-of-life care Catholic Health World; by Julie Minda; 6/30/16 Saint Anne Communities, an eldercare campus in northeast Indiana, has opened a five-suite wing that offers people at the end of life holistic care and services. In the Saint Joseph Hospice Suites, staff provide medical, spiritual and emotional care to residents as well as support to their loved ones. Facility leaders said Saint Anne designed the suites to have a homelike feel. They said a key priority is to surround the residents and their loved ones with prayer, comfort and dignity.

Advance Care Planning documentation completeness and end-of-life care: trends and associations using HRS 2010-2022 data American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine; by Zhigang Xie, PhD, MPA, Jiaming Liang, PhD, and Molly Jacobs, PhD, MS; 6/16/26 Objectives: This study examined additive associations between comprehensive advance care planning (ACP) documentation and end-of-life care (EOL) outcomes among older adults in the United States. ...Results: About 42.7% decedents had two documents and 28.9% had none, documentation increased substantially around 2014. ... Associations were stronger among decedents with expected death and attenuated among those with unexpected death.

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How do senior hospital doctors perceive their role in supporting junior colleagues with navigating ethical issues in end-of-life care? BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care; by Sinead Donnelly, Simon Walker, John McMillan and Jean Hay-Smith; 6/29/26 Objectives: ... The aim of this study was to explore senior doctors’ experience of supporting first-year and second-year resident doctors including the strategies used.Results: ... The first theme, Context: ‘the job is brutal’, details the pressure on and vulnerability of both senior and junior doctors. The second theme, Support: ‘it is the human part we want to live, we also have the expertise’, encompasses what senior doctors do and would like to do more of to support junior doctors. Meeting junior doctors on a human level and role modelling self-awareness and reflection are the most effective ways of support. The lack of value placed on these ways of support is a source of frustration.