Literature Review

Reminder: National Healthcare Decisions Day, April 16, 2026 Compilation by Hospice & Palliative Care Today; 4/10/26 National Healthcare Decisions Day (April 16, 2026) is a nationwide initiative that encourages individuals to reflect on and communicate their healthcare preferences—especially for times when they may not be able to speak for themselves. It promotes meaningful conversations, advance care planning, and the completion of documents like advance directives to ensure care aligns with what matters most. Multiple resources are below:

How a $64 million NIH grant will transform palliative care across lifespan | part one Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN); podcast hosted by Chris Comeaux with Dr. Jean Kutner; 4/8/26 In this episode of TCNtalks / Anatomy of Leadership, host Chris Comeaux sits down with Dr. Jean Kutner—one of the nation’s leading voices in Hospice and Palliative Care research—to unpack a historic moment for the field: a $64 million NIH investment designed to transform care for people with serious illness across the lifespan.  More than just a funding milestone, this initiative represents a long-awaited convergence of advocacy, interdisciplinary collaboration, and national prioritization of Palliative Care research.

* CEO, Hildegard House, nonprofit, Louisville, KY

The human thread: Weaving human-centered leadership in health care into culture transformationNurse Leader; by Stephanie Lonzo, Lindsey Colangelo, Kay Kennedy, Lucy Lecler, Susan Campis; 3/26A large community hospital embraced implementation of Human-Centered Leadership in Health Care by including leaders from every discipline in a hybrid-style leadership development program. After completing the program, the leaders participated in the development of a hospital-wide brand statement which served as a collective WHY for the organization. This statement, which included human-centered principles, provided alignment, connection, and accountability across the organization. Leaders led differently, prioritizing care for self, and leading others in a relational approach. The culture transformation resulted in improved staff engagement, retention, patient experience, and quality outcomes. The senior nurse leaders share their culture transformation experience.

Empath Health completes Trustbridge integration, creating Florida's largest non-profit hospice network and expanding home-based care vision Empath Health, Lakewood Ranch, FL; Press Release; 4/6/26 Empath Health today announced the completion of Trustbridge's integration into its statewide network, finalizing a two-year affiliation that makes Empath Florida's largest non-profit hospice network and positions the organization to serve one in five hospice patients in Florida. ... Both will carry forward under the name Empath Trustbridge Hospice. ... Empath Trustbridge Hospice joins Empath Health's One Hospice Model alongside Empath Suncoast Hospice in the Tampa Bay region, Empath Tidewell Hospice on the Southwest Florida coast, and Empath Hospice of Marion County in Ocala, four legacy non-profit organizations with 40 to 50 years of community roots ...

Hospice where staggering 97% of terminal patients survive is accused of defrauding Medicare for $7.45 million CBS News Bay Area; by Adam Yamaguchi, Laura Geller, Rachel Gold; 4/2/26 The FBI arrested a married couple Thursday accused of fraudulently billing Medicare for $7.45 million while running a hospice with a survival rate reported to be more than 97% after five years. They were the first in a series of arrests planned Thursday, federal officials told CBS News. A high survival rate at a hospice provider is one of a series of red flags identified by state auditors for fraud because most people enter hospice care in the final stages of a terminal illness. In past cases of fraud, operators were found to be using false or stolen identities to collect federal reimbursements for palliative care. The targets of the early-morning operation were Gladwin and Amelou Gill, a doctor and psychologist who co-own 626 Hospice, which does business as St. Francis Palliative Care, according to the FBI. Editor's Note: For more arrests that occurred later on 4/2, read our post "Feds charge 15 in SoCal hospice fraud crackdown."

Hyder Family Hospice House to close. Strafford County leader: 'We're broke' Seacoastonline, Dover, NH; by Karen Dandurant; 4/2/26 Hyder Family Hospice House will close within a few weeks, Strafford County officials announced April 2, stating the decision reflects dire county finances. "We are not happy about it, but we are out of options," said County Commission Chair George Maglaras. "... We will try to find a way, maybe by renovating a wing at Riverside (Rest Home) that was closed during COVID, to find room for the few patients we currently have. This is very personal to me. We fought hard to keep this on county land. Closing this goes against every fiber of my being."

National Healthcare Decisions Day (NHDD) — April 16 The Conversation Project - Institute for Healthcare Improvement; retrieved from the internet 4/3/26National Healthcare Decisions Day (NHDD) exists to inspire, educate and empower the public and providers about the importance of advance care planning.

If you get tired, learn to rest not quit. ~Unknown

Feds charge 15 in SoCal hospice fraud crackdown MyNewsLA.com, Los Angeles, CA; by Contributing Editor; 4/2/26 A Covina married couple — a psychologist and a registered nurse — were among 15 defendants facing federal charges Thursday in Los Angeles as part of a crackdown on health care fraud schemes such as sham hospice facilities that pay people without terminal illnesses to pose as dying Medicare beneficiaries. ... Three nurses, a chiropractor, and the Covina psychologist were among eight defendants recently arrested in the investigation local law enforcement dubbed “Operation Never Say Die.”Editor's Note: For more details about the Covina married couple's case, continue reading for "Hospice where staggering 97% of terminal patients survive is accused of defrauding Medicare for $7.45 million."

I am of certain convinced that the greatest heroes are those who do their duty in the daily grind of domestic affairs whilst the world whirls as a maddening dreidel. ~Florence Nightingale

Racial disparities in non-stigmatized supportive care medication use in pancreatic cancerJournal of Pain & Symptom Management; by Olga Monika Trejos Kweyete, Chardaé Whitner, David L. Deremer, Yi Guo, Jiang Bian, Lisa Scarton, Sherise C. Rogers, Diana J. Wilkie, Xiwei Lou, John M. Allen; 3/26Pancreatic cancer (PC) is associated with a high symptom burden that contributes to reduced health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and adverse clinical outcomes. This study examined racial and ethnic differences in the use of non-stigmatized SCMs [supportive care medications] during end-of-life care among patients with PC. SCM use was defined as at least one outpatient prescription claim for antiemetics, appetite stimulants, cognitive aids, headache aids, or sleep aids. Racial and ethnic disparities persist in the use of non-stigmatized SCMs among patients with PC at the end of life. These findings extend prior evidence on inequities in cancer symptom management and underscore the need for interventions that promote equitable access to supportive care medications across diverse populations.