Literature Review

My patient was gone. I had to help his family see it: The art of medicine means sitting with families’ grief and hope Stat10 - First Opinion; by Raya Elfadel Kheirbek; 12/15/25 Bullets tore through Michael Thompson’s car at a stop sign, ending the life of a 35-year-old father in an instant. Just minutes earlier, he had dropped his 8-year-old daughter, Emma, at dance class, her pink tutu bouncing as she waved goodbye. Now, in the ICU, his young body lay tethered to machines — ... a ventilator’s hiss forcing his chest to rise. ... His family’s grief filled the room, raw and heavy, as I prepared to document our meeting. On the screen, a pop-up appeared: “Patient is deceased; do you want to continue?” Its cold bluntness paled against their pain. Michael looked alive. His chest rose and fell with the ventilator. ... Medicine isn’t just tests or machines. It is presence — sitting with families in their grief, faith, and love. Our tools should support that presence, not interrupt it with cold prompts. ... Most U.S. hospitals lack clear guidelines for these situations, leaving families and clinicians alike in limbo. They also worried about organ donation — a decision fewer than 1% of families consent to after brain death, often because the body still looks alive.Editor's Note: We thank the palliative care physicians, nurses, social workers, and chaplains who provide sensitive presence with families in the unbearable spaces between hope and loss, especially when life support decisions arise. In this season, may we pause to honor those who carry this sacred work—and remember the families who have had to accept harsh truths while machines still “breathe.”

'Get out of my house': 84-year-old man shoots son in the face for not visiting mother in hospice care, police say Law & Crime, Palm Bay, FL; by Conrad Hoyt; 12/12/25 An elderly man is accused of shooting his son in the face because he and his spouse did not visit the older man's wife over the weekend while she was in at-home hospice care. William Nowak, 84, has been charged with attempted murder, according to an arrest affidavit reviewed by Law&Crime. Nowak was at his home ... in Palm Bay, Florida, where he lived with his wife and their disabled daughter. His wife had recently been put on in-home hospice care, "and William has been taking care of both of them," ... The defendant's son and his wife came over to the house to visit, something she said they did "on a weekly basis." After they arrived around 6 p.m., "William began to express how he was upset they did not visit over the weekend." According to authorities, an argument between the father and son ensued.

The balancing act: How caregivers navigate the stress of work, family, and caring for a loved one Delaware LIVE; by Staff Writer; 12/12/25With two-thirds of U.S. caregivers struggling to manage both employment and home duties, experts say planning, boundaries, and support can prevent burnout. ... Insights from national research and guidance from Delaware Hospice, Oasis Senior Care (a leading consultant for families), and Easterseals Delaware & Maryland’s Eastern Shore underscore a central message: you don’t have to do this alone, and thriving — not just surviving — is possible. ...

Long-term hospice stay: New edit to prevent overpayment CMS - MLN Matters - Medicare Learning Network; by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services; 12/5/25Related CR Release Date: December 5, 2025Effective Date: April 1, 2026Implementation Date: April 6, 2026Action Needed: Make sure your billing staff knows about a new edit that will help identify and prevent overpayments of long-term hospice care for claims submitted with matching “admission” and “from” dates.Key Updates: This new edit in the CWF will close the gap in the system that allows claims to pay at a higher rate when the “admission” and “from” dates match. MACs will reject hospice claims when the “admission” date doesn’t match the election period start date on the corresponding election period. ...

[United Kingdom] Children's hospice to shut days before Christmas BBC News, London, England; by Amy Clarke; 12/12/25 A children's hospice that has supported children living with complex life-limiting conditions for 25 years is due to close just days before Christmas. Richard House in Newham, east London, provides specialist care to more than 300 families - offering services such as residential care, transition from hospital to home, bereavement support and end-of-life care. 

Navigating the AI frontier: Legal guardrails for home health and hospice providers in 2025 and beyond JD Supra; by Jason Bring, Bill Dombi, Arnall Golden Gregory LLP; 12/12/25 Key Takeaways

FMOL Health doctor is spreading palliative care programming across system Catholic Health Association of the United States (CHA); by Julie Minda; 12/9/25 Dr. Mark Kantrow still remembers when it clicked for him exactly how important palliative care is in medicine.It was around 2006, and he had just attended his first conference on palliative care, at a time when the concept was new to him and to many other clinicians. ... As system medical director for palliative care, he has been integrating palliative care programming into all nine of the health system's hospitals. This work has included educating staff and patients about the approach, assembling multidisciplinary teams to deliver this type of care and building patient and family awareness of what FMOLH Health hospitals offer.

Oregon state legislators weigh hospice CON reformHospice News; by Holly Vossel; 12/1/25Oregon state lawmakers are considering tightening regulatory oversight of hospice expansion with revisions to its certificate of need (CON) policies. Legislators are currently mulling potential changes to the state’s existing CON laws for 2026. This process pertains to part of a hospice licensure and oversight bill introduced in 2025. A focus group has been established to address some of the lingering questions related to the bill. Among the concerns are the increased volume of for-profit hospice providers entering the state in recent years and how this trend relates to availability of high quality services, Sen. Deb Patterson (D-District 10) indicated in a recent state Senate committee meeting recording shared with Hospice News... “Oregon needs to do something,” Oregon Hospice & Palliative Care Association CEO Barb Hansen said. “We can’t be passive. We have nothing in our rules that prevents someone from starting a hospice where it’s not needed. Patients, regardless of where they live in Oregon, should have access to high quality care, and the state of Oregon can do something to help enhance that. Where we need the growth is in rural areas.”

Ask Sheri: Overcoming fear and expressing thanks Lovin' Life; by Sheri Simpson; 12/7/25Dear Sheri,When my mother’s health began to decline, our family found ourselves standing at the edge of something we couldn’t quite prepare for. ... From the very first visit, the hospice team wrapped my mother — and our entire family — in comfort, dignity and compassion. They didn’t just care for her; they cared about her. They learned her favorite songs, listened to her stories, and treated her as the vibrant, funny, loving woman she’d always been. The nurses would hum along when she sang softly, and one even brought her a small, crocheted blanket because she noticed how much mom loved the color lavender. Hospice is not about giving up, it’s about giving more: more peace, more presence, more love. Azorna Hospice helped us see that. ...

Social Media Watch 12/5/25

Prison hospice: From the inmate hospice volunteers’ perspective – a “snapshot” by Barry R. Ashpole ehospice; by Barry R. Ashpole; 12/6/25 ... [In the words of a prison inmate]: "... When they brought in a hospice, it gave us an avenue to take care of each other. In order to get in here, they’re pretty sick. They’re dyin’. ... All you’re doin’ is makin’ their passing easier. We hold their hands. We pray. And we bathe ‘em. We feed ‘em, ... We take care of all the things that they need. And when that patient has a family, his family is allowed to come back in here to the hospice. When I started hospice, I thought it would be about what I can give to the patient, what I could do for that patient to make ‘em feel better. But when you do what you do, the feeling that you get back from them, you can’t even describe it."

Hospice of South Texas announces full funding for new support services building PROLG Press Release Distribution, Victoria, TX; by Hospice of South Texas; 12/8/25 Hospice of South Texas (HOST) is grateful to announce that the Support Services Building is now fully funded. This milestone was reached through a remarkable $700,000 gift from the M. G. and Lillie A. Johnson Foundation and the generous support of many additional donors. Their partnership ensures continued access to nonprofit, compassionate hospice care for families across twelve South Texas counties. 

Sunday newsletters focus on headlines and top read stories of the last week (in order) - enjoy!   Also, remember our Job Board to find staff for the new year!