Literature Review

Why is community-based palliative care so hard to get?KevinMD.com | Physician Voices; by Jill Schwartz-Chevlin, MD, MBA; 10/30/26 After my grandmother fell and fractured her cervical spine, she lived another four years thanks to incredible caregivers, family members, and my own home-based primary care practice, which I started because of her. Twelve million patients in the U.S. living with serious illness need, but cannot access, the palliative care that saved, extended, and improved my grandmother’s life. The U.S. health care system is not set up to support patients with serious illnesses and their families and caregivers who are trying to navigate chronic care at home. It is optimized for episodes of care. ...

BrightSpring leverages hospice in PACE, home care expansion Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 10/30/26 BrightSpring Health Services (Nasdaq: BTSG) has focused on expanding its presence in home-based care. The company’s investments in hospice and home health are fueling opportunities on the horizon. Having diversified services has uniquely-positioned the company for sustainable growth, according to Jon Rousseau, chairman, president and CEO of BrightSpring. The company is leveraging its hospice and pharmacy services as the company expands its reach into Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), Rousseau indicated in the earnings call.

Lake County Hospice grant pulled after renamed nonprofit missed promised camps  hoodline, North SF Bay area; by Emily Johnson; 10/31/26 The board of Lake County's Redbud Health Care District voted to revoke its annual grant award for Hospice Services of Lake County, now operating under the new name Lake Circle of Care, after the nonprofit failed to carry out programs it promised when it sought the money earlier this year. The decision came at the district's monthly board meeting on Oct. 27, revoking the organization's annual district grant and leaving it facing a demand to return money from a prior grant cycle. 

How the government is thinking about hospice payment reform Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 10/30/26 Congress and federal agencies have been examining the prospect of adjusting – or overhauling – hospice reimbursement systems. This is based on introduced pieces of legislation and a series of government reports from agencies like the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General (OIG). The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) has also chimed in. This represents a larger trend in the federal government, Katie Wehri, vice president of policy, quality and compliance for the National Alliance for Care at Home said. Wehri made these remarks during a session at the Alliance’s Annual Conference.

Montclair's Clairidge to screen three Indie films, one a Philly hospice drama hoodline, Montclair, NJ; by Tariq Hassan; 10/29/26 ... A Philadelphia Story About Hospice Care and Addiction: The showcase's centerpiece is End of the Line: Brotherhood, a one-hour drama set inside an underfunded inner-city hospice clinic. TAPinto Montclair reports the film explores end-of-life dignity, caregiver burnout, addiction, and family relationships, while also addressing distrust of the health care system within the Black community. At the center of the story is LeRoy “Roy” Downs, described by TAPinto Montclair as a recovering addict and single father struggling to keep the hospice facility running. 

As Compassus marks two decades, the organization continues expanding access to home-based care American Healthcare Leader; by Stella Nolan; 10/27/26 Reaching a 20-year milestone is significant for any healthcare organization. Doing so while reshaping a business model, expanding across 33 states, and caring for more than 180,000 patients each year is something else entirely. Few leaders have witnessed that transformation as closely as Laura Templeton, Chief Operating Officer. [Read Laura's reflections on two decades of changes.] ... Looking ahead, Compassus focuses on expanding access to home-based care, strengthening coordination across the healthcare continuum, and finding new ways to improve the patient and family experience.

ArcHouse CEO: ensuring safe, speedy hospice admissions Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 10/26/26 Effective and speedy admissions processes can have a significant influence on the quality of hospice care. This October, the Hospice News Elevate podcast explores the value of effective and efficient admissions, as well as the role of technology in that activity. Hospice News spoke with Paul Mocur, Jr., co-founder and CEO of ArcHouse, a pre-admission platform for care-at-home serving hospice, palliative, and home health providers.

Luke’s Wings Hospice Foundation of America; 10/28/26 Luke’s Wings’ Veterans in Hospice Transportation Assistance Program (H.T.A.P.) provides free flights for the loved ones of Veterans in hospice care. Through H.T.A.P., Luke’s Wings is honored to provide a final salute to these extraordinary men and women and ensure their loved ones have the opportunity to be physically present when it matters most. Join Ms. Yaede who will discuss this impactful program as well as their No Service Member Spends The Holidays Alone campaign, which helps ensure service members, Veterans, and their families can be together during the holiday season. This is a free 30-minute informational session. Continuing education not available.

CMS eyes reducing UPI contractors' role in bid to directly target Medicare fraud inside health policy InsideHealthPolicy; by Dorothy Mills-Gregg; 10/21/26 CMS is considering reducing the traditional role of Unified Program Integrity Contractors so it can take direct control over which providers and suppliers become targets of Medicare fraud investigations -- a move that McDermott Will & Schulte is flagging to providers and investors as potentially “one of the most significant changes to Medicare fraud enforcement in years.” The possible shift, laid out in an Oct. 5 CMS request for information on fraud defense, would reduce the traditional role of UPICs and instead have them primarily conduct CMS-directed investigations and help build administrative and enforcement cases. [Full access may be limited to a subscription]

Surrogate decision-making for older adults with and without dementiaJAMA Network Open; by Lauren Hersch Nicholas, Scott D. Halpern, Kenneth M. Langa, Mario Macis; 10/7/26In this survey study of 5965 adults, fewer respondents endorsed life-sustaining treatments (LSTs) when a hypothetical patient had dementia (22% vs 40%). LSTs were more likely to be recommended when the respondent preferred them for their own care, when patient advance directives requested them, and when physicians recommended them. The findings suggest that surrogates’ own values and assumptions about quality of life with dementia, along with documented patient wishes and clinical guidance, may contribute to their recommendations. These findings highlight the importance of preparing patients and surrogates for care decisions through explicit discussions of goals of care and decision-making roles.

Self-disclosure pilot offers home-based care providers more clarity, but risks remain Home Health Care News; by MK Manoylov; 10/23/26 A new federal pilot program will allow healthcare companies, including home-based care providers, to self-report and rectify conduct, such as compliance issues. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) Civil Division announced the six-month self-disclosure pilot program on Thursday. The pilot provides more clarity on resolving certain civil billing violations, though concerns about repayment costs and risk exposure for small providers remain, home-based care industry experts told Home Health Care News.

Making Halloween S.A.F.E.R. for individuals with dementia Alzheimer's Foundation of America; press release; 10/26/26 Frightful sights, scary sounds, and costumed strangers might be Halloween traditions, but they can be unsettling for individuals living with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia-related illnesses. With October 31 approaching, the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America (AFA) is offering tips to make Halloween S.A.F.E.R. for loved ones living with dementia. ...