Literature Review

The trends—and traps—shaping 2026 JD Supra; by Morgan Lewis; 2/24/26 The global business landscape in 2026 is marked by accelerating political realignments, intensifying regulatory oversight, rapid technological maturation, and shifting market expectations. In this year’s report, our lawyers assess the trends and emerging risk areas that organizations across industries and regions are likely to encounter in 2026 and beyond. Drawing on insights from a dynamic array of developments—from the business repercussions of geopolitical recalibration to the continued expansion of transformative technologies—this compilation delivers a forward-looking perspective designed to support informed strategy and purposeful decision-making for businesses worldwide.

Chapters Health System announces agreement with Housecall Providers Chapters Health System, Temple Terrace, FL; Press Release; 2/24/26 Chapters Health System ... announced today that the Board of Directors of Housecall Providers and its parent company, CareOregon, has submitted a definitive agreement for Housecall Providers to become part of Chapters Health. Pending approval of the Oregon Health Authority's Health Care Market Oversight program, this agreement will further expand the Chapters Health System's presence in the Pacific Northwest and align two nonprofit organizations committed to providing high-quality, community-based chronic illness care.

Canisius shapes future physicians through compassionate care Canisius University, Buffalo, NY; Press Release; 2/23/26 At the bedside of someone’s final moments, silence often speaks louder than words.  For students from Canisius University, that quiet became a teacher of one of the most powerful lessons of their education — one that cannot be learned from textbooks alone. Through specialized training, a group of undergraduate students discovered that medicine is not only about treating illness but about presence, dignity and care as they served as mercy doulas at Sloan Comfort Care Home, where they learned to provide companionship and steady support to those nearing the end of life.

[Finland] A value chain analysis of digitalizing hospital-at-home services in Finland Health Care Management Review; by Fan Wang, Henna Härkönen, Gillian Vesty, Terhi-Maija Isakov, Petri Ahokangas, Irina Atkova, Miia Jansson, April-June 2026, online ahead of print Purposes: The aim of this study is to explore the value of digitalization in the hospital-at-home (HaH) value chain in Finland. This qualitative study used both deductive and inductive methods to map the HaH value chain and find out how digitalization can help improve value-added activities.Findings: This study highlights the value of data interoperability, remote and real-time digital solutions, data analytics in enhancing coordination and efficiency, optimizing service delivery, improving patient experience, and supporting cost-effectiveness across the HaH value chain.

Almost always, the creative dedicated minority has made the world better. ~ Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Hospital chaplain shares what end-of-life patients regret most Religion Unplugged; by Elizabeth Eisenstadt Evans; 2/24/26 ... In her research focused on the greater Boston area, Brandeis University professor (now President of Bryn Mawr College) Wendy Cadge found that many chaplains — whether they serve in hospitals, prisons or the military — often focus on end-of-life care and “big questions,” ones that might arise more forcefully in a time of crisis. ... When I’m with people near the end of their lives, what I most often witness is not fear of death itself, but grief over unfinished relationships and or unexpressed parts of the self. Many people grieve time they now see as wasted on what felt urgent in the moment but unimportant in hindsight — work that eclipsed connection, worry that crowded out presence, obligations that pulled them away from what actually nourished them. Alongside this is grief for words left unsaid, tenderness withheld, and versions of themselves they didn’t feel permitted to become.

Building momentum: How new national Alliance CEO Jennifer Sheets will propel hospice forward Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 2/24/26 The most important lessons in health care leadership are learned at the bedside, according to Jennifer Sheets, the newly appointed CEO of the National Alliance for Care at Home. ... In her first media interview since taking the helm at the Alliance, Sheets spoke with Hospice News about the organization’s priorities for 2026 and beyond, the goals and needs of hospice providers and the lessons she’s learned as a home-based care leader.

Doing everything FOR the patient, not TO the patient HIStalk - Healthcare IT News & Opinion; by Nassib Charmoun; 2/23/26 “Do as much as possible for the patient and as little as possible to the patient.” That single sentence, written by Bernard Lown, MD in “The Lost Art of Healing,” should serve as a universal guide to thinking about medicine, caregiving, and what it truly means to heal. Dr. Lown was my mentor beginning in my early 20s and remained a close friend until his death in 2021 at age 99, He was decades ahead of his time. He believed that medicine should integrate scientific rigor with moral imagination, and that clinical excellence without compassion is incomplete care. ... Increasingly, the evidence suggests that quality of life, not simply quantity of life, must be the defining outcome.

Apex Hospice, ex-director settle False Claims retaliation suit Bloomberg Law; by Daniel Seiden; 2/20/26 Illinois-based Apex Hospice & Palliative Care Inc. and its former medical director reached a confidential settlement of a False Claims Act suit alleging the company fired her in retaliation for calling attention to Medicare fraud, a federal district court said Friday. Janice Makela’s suit is dismissed without prejudice, Chief Judge Virginia M. Kendall of the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois said in an order.

Lawyer explains why everyone should do 'mandatory hospice volunteering' when they turn 18 Upworthy; by Heather Wake; 2/20/26 In a recent, thought-provoking episode of the Impact Theory podcast with Tom Bilyeu, renowned divorce attorney and author James Sexton shared how being a hospice volunteer drastically changed his perspective on life. "I think when you turn 18, you should have to do a year or two of mandatory hospice volunteering," Sexton said. "It changed my entire way of viewing the world."

Vinyl therapy brings comfort to Dell Seton patients through music and memories ABC KVUE, Austin, TX; by Michael Courier; 2/23/26 At Dell Seton Medical Center at The University of Texas, palliative care physician Dr. Tyler Jorgensen rolls a record player on a cart into patients’ rooms, along with an ever‑growing library of vinyl records. The bedside music program, called ATX‑VINyL, is designed for patients facing serious or terminal diagnoses, from metastatic cancer to advancing dementia and Parkinson’s disease. In palliative medicine, Jorgensen describes his team as an “extra layer of support” that focuses on a patient’s values, stories and goals while managing symptoms and navigating difficult treatment decisions.

‘I just wanted them not to suffer’: Should terminally ill Ohioans be able to decide when it’s time to die? The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, OH; by Mary Frances McGowna; 2/22/26 In a growing number of states, terminally ill patients now have a legal option that would have been unthinkable to many Americans a generation ago: a doctor’s prescription that allows them to end their own life. The question is one of the most personal in modern health policy: Should a mentally competent, terminally ill person be allowed — with state approval and medical oversight — to choose the timing of their death? ... The debate is accelerating — and it’s reaching closer to Ohio. cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer will publish a continuing series involving the multitude of issues involving end-of-life decisions, including hospice care, the costs of care for the terminally ill, ethics, legal issues and more. If you’ve experienced these issues in your family and are willing to discuss your experiences and thoughts, please email Mary Frances McGowan at mmcgowan@cleveland.com.

A nationwide retrospective analysis of trends in palliative care consultation and do-not-resuscitate status in heart failure hospitalizations Palliative Medicine; by Nikitha Murthy, Ramy Sedhom, Purvi Parwani, Megan Pelter, Liset Stoletniy, Tanya Doctorian, Diane Tran, Antoine Sakr, Dmitry Abramov; 2/21/26 Conclusions: While palliative care and do-not-resuscitate use among heart failure hospitalizations have increased, they remain low. Over half of those who die during a heart failure admission do not receive palliative care consultation, underscoring missed opportunities to optimize end-of-life care.