Literature Review

High schooler shares final milestone with Dad after hospice nurses help him organize bedside graduation ceremony People; by Abigail Adams; 6/12/26 A dad got to watch his son graduate from high school just days before he died in hospice care. Brad Case was put into hospice care after being diagnosed with esophageal cancer, according to WPTA. So, his son Braden Case, a senior at Hamilton Junior Senior High School in Hamilton, Ind., did what he could to make sure his dad could see him graduate. Braden worked with nurses to put together the improvised graduation ceremony at Brad's bedside. A photo taken from the special moment, shared by WPTA, showed Braden in his blue cap and gown while standing by his father's side. Braden told WPTA that Brad had always been there for his big moments in life, and he wanted to ensure his dad witnessed this one.

How Mayo Clinic adopted an innovative AI tool for palliative care utilization HealthLeaders; by Christopher Cheney; 6/10/26 The AI tool not only identifies hospitalized patients with serious illnesses who could benefit from palliative care services but also targets these patients faster than the health system could in the past. ... To address underutilization of palliative care services, Mayo Clinic and Bayesian Health developed an AI tool to boost palliative care in the hospital setting.

MedPAC Executive Summary - June 2026 report MedPAC; 6/15/26As part of its mandate from the Congress, each June the Commission reports on potential improvements to Medicare payment systems and issues that affect the Medicare program, including changes to health care delivery and the market for health care services. The six chapters of our June 2026 report cover the following topics:

NPHI calls for thoughtful hospice payment reform that rewards high-quality care National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI), Washington, DC; Press Release; 6/16/26The National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI)is calling for thoughtful modernization of the Medicare Hospice Benefit while raising concerns about recommendations contained in a recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report that could fundamentally alter the hospice benefit and potentially lead to substantial changes in provider reimbursement. NPHI is exploring potential reforms to the current hospice payment structure, including steps to reduce incentives for bad actors and poor-quality care by lowering the hospice aggregate cap, and reallocating dollars within the existing payment methodology to better compensate high-quality, mission-driven providers caring for the sickest patients. NPHI believes these types of reforms would better align reimbursement with patient needs, preserve the core principles of hospice care, and encourage providers to deliver care based on patient need rather than financial incentives. ...

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

Caregiving stressors and sleep outcomes: Examining group differences among caregivers of persons living with dementia The Journals of Gerontology; by Fei Wang, Seungjong Cho, Anne Conway, Yejin Heo, Christine Lau, Karyne Machry; 5/26Caring for persons living with dementia often involves high levels of physical demands and emotional burden, which may undermine caregivers’ sleep quality. Few studies have examined sleep health among Black caregivers of persons living with dementia, despite the fact that they are underrepresented in dementia research and experience poorer sleep outcomes compared to non-Hispanic White caregivers. Subjective caregiving stressor (i.e., role overload) was positively associated with sleep disturbance. A significant interaction showed that the association between role overload and sleep disturbance was stronger among Black caregivers than in non-Hispanic White caregivers. Findings also suggest that Black caregivers of persons living with dementia may experience greater vulnerability to the adverse role of role overload in relation to sleep.

Knowledge of advance care planning and advance directives among US adults: Implications for health policy and practicePalliative Care & Social Practice; by Anisah Bagasra, Gretchen Agans; 5/26Advance care planning (ACP) is the process of identifying and communicating values and goals in preparation for future shared decision-making in medical settings. Decisions are legally supported by an advance directive (AD) document designating healthcare agent(s) and future medical treatment preferences. Although important, ACP engagement in the United States remains low. Findings indicate persistent gaps in ACP and AD literacy among US adults, along with misconceptions about access, time, and costs that may be contributing to low engagement. Increasing public education and expanding access to knowledgeable professionals may help reduce barriers and promote more equitable engagement in ACP.

Serious illness care exclusion, disclosure, & trust for older gay men & caregivers in the Deep SouthJournal of Pain & Symptom Management; by Korijna Valenti, Margaret Armstrong, Michael Barnett, Stacy Smallwood, Ronit Elk; 5/26Older gay men in the Deep South experience serious illness within healthcare systems shaped by heteronormativity and structural racism. Although disparities in access and disclosure are documented, less is known about how negative or ambiguous healthcare encounters are interpreted in serious illness settings. Using a community-based participatory research approach, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 16 participants (11 patients aged 50 years or older living with serious illness and 5 caregivers) residing in the Deep South. Five themes emerged: discriminatory experiences and bias, clinician communication gaps, exclusion from decision-making, system-level gaps in care quality, and disclosure, trust, and safety. Participants described overt and subtle forms of bias, dismissal of partners in clinical encounters, rushed or unclear communication, and institutional barriers that intensified vulnerability during serious illness. Black participants more frequently identified racialized experiences and contextualized mistrust within histories of systemic racism.

Hold on to what is good. Even if it’s a handful of earth. Hold on to what you must do. Even if it’s a long way from here. Hold on to your life. Even if it’s easier to let go. Hold on to my hand. Even if someday I’ll be gone away from you. ~ Chief Crowfoot, Siksika/Blackfeet, 1830-1890

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When the right end-of-life care is hardest to access MedPageToday's KevinMD.com; by Denise Mohess, MD; 6/17/26 The cost of health care in America is extraordinarily high, too often funding the wrong type of care. As a geriatric medicine and palliative care physician, I sit with patients and families making end-of-life decisions, weighing life-prolonging measures, optimizing quality of life, defining what matters most to them. Recently, a 100-year-old man with severe dementia, limited mobility, hearing impairment, requiring assistance for his daily needs, was admitted to the hospital with worsening weakness. ... At a time when care should have eased suffering, the system instead added to it, as the care that best honored his wishes was the hardest to access.

CMS proposed rule locks in lower prices and fosters innovation for the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program CMS.gov; Press Release; 6/12/26 A new proposal from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) would establish a permanent framework for the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program (“Negotiation Program”), creating a more transparent and sustainable process for lowering drug costs for millions of Medicare beneficiaries. The proposed rule would also create greater long-term certainty for drug manufacturers that participate in negotiations. It includes policies for negotiating and renegotiating high-cost, single-source drugs beginning with initial price applicability year 2029, while continuing to support innovation and strengthen the program.