Literature Review

David Quigg named CEO for Harbors Home Health Hospice The Daily World, Hoquiam, WA, by Jerry Knaak; 9/3/25 Harbors Home Health & Hospice has removed the interim tag and named David Quigg the permanent CEO. Quigg, who has been with the organization for nearly two and a half years and served as interim CEO since May, is a successful real estate broker with Quigg & Co Real Estate in Hoquiam. He also serves as an at-large commissioner for Grays Harbor County Hospital District 2.

Pennant announces home health acquisition in Wyoming Pennant Group, Eagle, ID; Press Release; 9/3/25 The Pennant Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: PNTG), the parent company of the Pennant group of affiliated home health, hospice, home care and senior living companies, announced today that effective September 1, 2025, it has acquired a premier home health agency and outpatient therapy operation in Wyoming. Both businesses, which will continue operating as Healing Hearts Home Health and Healing Hearts Outpatient Therapy, will serve communities in Gillette and Moorcroft, expanding Pennant’s service area in the region.

CMS: Annual Change in Medicaid Hospice Payment Rates—ACTIONCMS, Department of Health and Human Services; email from Rory Howe, director; 9/5/25The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has released the Medicaid hospice rates for FY 2026. They are slightly different than the Medicare rates and should be used when billing for Medicaid hospice patients. This memorandum contains the Medicaid hospice payment rates for federal fiscal year (FY) 2026. The rates reflect changes made under the final Medicare hospice rule published on August 1, 2025 (CMS-1835-F). Please inform your staff and all state agencies in your jurisdiction of these new payment rates, which are effective October 1, 2025. We expect state agencies to share the Medicaid hospice payment rates for FY 2026 with the hospice providers in their state.

Training and practice gaps in nursing home palliative care: A cross-sectional study Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (AGS); by Manali Saraiya, Molly A. Nowels, Rose L. Carlson, Jerad H. Moxley, Catherine A. Riffin, Evan Plys, M. Carrington Reid, Isabella Hastings, Taimur Mirza, Ronald D. Adelman, Daniel Shalev; 9/7/25 We conducted a cross-sectional survey of clinical employees (N = 398) at seven NHs within a single integrated health system in New York State to (1) gauge attitudes toward and knowledge about palliative care, (2) estimate the extent of engagement with advance care planning, and (3) elicit perceptions of the most valuable components of palliative care for NH residents. ... Despite support for palliative care, gaps in knowledge and clinical engagement persist and vary by discipline. Discipline-tailored training and program design may improve palliative care delivery in NHs and help ensure more consistent, value-aligned care for residents with serious illness.

Husband and wife have emotional reunion after a year apart while dealing with dementia People; by Sam Gillette; 9/4/25 "We are humbled to help turn final wishes into treasured memories," a hospice official says of Everett Linton and his wife. ... An 88-year-old former truck driver from Cincinnati was able to hitch a ride to see his wife for the first time in almost a year, leading to an emotional reunion. “I'm ridin', I'm going to see my wife,” Everett Linton told a reporter from ABC affiliate WCPO from the passenger seat of a semi-truck. The nostalgic ride and reunion on Aug. 22 were organized by his care facility, Luminary Hospice Cincinnati, and the facility where his wife, Patricia, is staying, Majestic Care of Fairfield Assisted Living in Fairfield, Ohio.

When I go, I'm going green KFF Health News; by Paula Span; 9/8/25 More Americans are choosing burials in which everything is biodegradable. ... “Do you see a lot of interest in green burials?” I asked the friendly town cemetery commissioner who was showing me around. “I don’t think we’ve had a traditional burial in two years,” he said. “It’s all green.”

Hinds Hospice ‘Beyond the Stars’ Gala celebrates new chapter and community compassion Clovis Roundup; by Steven Sandage; 9/6/25The Clovis Veterans Memorial District was filled with compassion and celebration last night as Hinds Hospice hosted its annual “Beyond the Stars” gala, an event that was both a fundraiser and a pivotal moment for the organization. The gala, held on Friday, September 5th, served as the venue for a significant announcement that will usher in a new era for the well-known Central Valley nonprofit. ... The annual black-tie event drew approximately 350 guests. ... The most significant moment of the evening was the soft launch of the organization’s name change. As part of a rebranding initiative, Hinds Hospice will now be known as Hinds LifeCare. This new name, according to Weakland, is a more accurate reflection of the comprehensive services the nonprofit has always provided.

College of Nursing receives $1.8m gift from Mark Bruce Swillinger Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL; by Kristine Gobbo; 9/2/25 Florida Atlantic University's Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing has received a $1.5 million gift from Mark Bruce Swillinger in memory of his wife, Marilyn Lee Swillinger, to establish an endowed professorship in hospice and palliative care nursing. The Mark Bruce and Marilyn Lee Swillinger Endowed Professor will expose nursing students to specialized studies in hospice and palliative care throughout their nursing education.

What executives can learn from how and why hospitals plan for a crisis Forbes; by Edward Segal; 9/2/25 

VIA Health Partners acquires primary care company Equity Health Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 9/4/25 North Carolina-headquartered VIA Health partners has expanded into the home-based primary care arena with the acquisition of Equity Health. Financial terms were undisclosed. Michelle Schmerge, president and founder of Equity Health, established the company about five years ago. Equity Health’s model involves offering a full spectrum of primary care services in the home, with the goals of reducing burden on caregivers, reducing hospitalizations and improving chronic disease management. ... VIA Health Partners is an independent, community-based not-for-profit provider of hospice and serious illness care, serving more than 5,000 patients and families daily across 38 counties across the Carolinas.

Food drive will aid hospice patients The County, Presque Isle, ME; by Contributed; 9/3/25 Northern Light Home Care and Hospice is holding a patient food drive now through Sept. 22 to support patients experiencing food insecurity. Home Care and Hospice clinicians and home health aides make more than 169,500 in-home visits each year caring for patients across the state. They see first-hand the food insecurity patients are experiencing. “We know that nutrition helps patients have better healing outcomes from a recent surgery or a chronic condition. Worrying about where their next meal is coming from should not be one of their concerns,” said LeighAnn Howard, vice president of clinical operations at Northern Light Home Care and Hospice. Editor's Note: The autumn season is an excellent time to hold your own patient food drive to "support patients experiencing food insecurity." Read this learn from Northern Light Home Care and Hospice innovative outreach and support.

COUNTDOWN: 22 Days Until HOPE Tool Starts, October 1, 2025

Update on malpractice claimsLinkedIn; by Elizabeth Hogue; 9/3/25New analysis by Claggett, Sykes and Garza Trial Lawyers shows that registered nurses (RNs) and physicians continue to top the list of health professions most likely to be sued for malpractice... While the total number of malpractice suits has decreased by almost 20% in ten years, the severity of claims has risen... Home care nurses, including those providing hospice and palliative care, were the most vulnerable to professional liability claims of all nursing specialties... [The article includes factors that may contribute to increases in claims against home health nurses and strategies that nurses can use to protect themselves from malpractice claims.]