Literature Review

BULLETIN: HHS repeals nursing home staffing rule provisions McKNights Long-Term Care News; by Kimberly Marselas; 12/2/25 The Department of Health and Human Services today repealed key provisions of the minimum staffing standards for long-term care facilities finalized in 2024. The move follows months of legal and legislative challenges, which had already rendered hourly staffing and registered nurse requirements moot. HHS said it was repealing provisions in alignment with the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which imposed a nine-year moratorium on the rule’s staffing measures. ... Notice of the appeal was posted in the Federal Register Tuesday morning. Editor's Note: Click here for the official publication of this repeal, scheduled to be published on 12/3/25.

WVU Health to acquire Independence, invest $800M in upgrades Modern Healthcare; by Hayley DeSilva; 11/19/25 Key Takeaways

$600K distributed to support UP seniors facing care difficulties, increasing isolation MyUpNow.com, Marquette, MI; by Alexandria Bournonville; 12/2/25 The Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation (BCBSM Foundation) awarded $632,590 in grants to 14 Upper Peninsula with the goal of supporting the health and well-being of older adults. These grants were made possible in partnership with the Michigan Health Endowment Fund and Superior Health Foundation. The funds will go to caregiving initiatives, care coordination, chronic disease prevention, workforce development and programs to reduce isolation and loneliness. 

Rainbow dedicates tree and memorial bench in honor of beloved nurse practitioner Kristina Heimsch Rainbow Community Care; Jefferson, Wisconsin; by Rainbow Community Care Team; 10/13/25Rainbow Community Care hosted a touching dedication ceremony on Monday, October 6, to honor the life and contributions of Kristina Heimsch, a cherished nurse practitioner who passed away in April 2025 at the age of 37. Held in collaboration with Kristina’s family, the event established a peaceful and lasting tribute to her presence within the Rainbow family. A Fire Maple tree, which was generously gifted by McKay Nursery of Waterloo, now stands on the front lawn of the Rainbow Hospice Care Inpatient Center. Kristina’s family also donated a memorial bench in her memory.

New tool predicts dementia years before onset Medscape; by Megan Brooks; 11/14/25 A new predictive tool combining amyloid PET data with key clinical factors estimates an individual’s lifetime risk for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia years before symptoms, potentially transforming the way risk is assessed. The model combines age, sex, APOE-ε4 status and findings on amyloid PET scans, with amyloid PET results having the largest effect on risk. The lifetime and 10-year absolute risk for MCI and dementia in older adults with normal cognition increased continuously with increasing centiloid value for all combinations of sex and APOE-ε4 status.

What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make. ~ Jane Goodall

A geriatrician explains: Supporting loved ones through end-of-life care BlackDoctor; by Jasmine Smith with video by Dr. Cheryl E. Woodson; 11/30/25 In this video, Dr. Cheryl E. Woodson shares why clear, thoughtful planning is not about how someone wants to die—it’s about understanding the conditions under which living is still meaningful to them. End-of-life decisions should not fall on distraught family members in crisis; they should be guided by the person’s own values, documented long before these decisions ever need to be made.

Bipartisan senators: Keep hospice out of Medicare Advantage Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 11/21/25 Two U.S. Senators have penned a letter to congressional leadership urging them to oppose any measures to bring hospice reimbursement into Medicare Advantage. Sens. Dr. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) circulated the letter on Thursday, addressed to Senate leaders from both major political parties, as well as the chair and ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee. 

UConn Health’s palliative care growth continues: Expanding staff and services in both hospital and outpatient settings UConn; by Chris DeFrancesco; 12/1/25 Health’s expanded palliative care services continue to grow, spanning hospital patients to ambulatory patients, with or without cancer. Palliative care referrals in the Carole and Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center are up 31% from last year, and 600% since inception in 2017. Referrals for inpatient palliative care consultations, which started two years ago, are up 35% from last year. A year ago, Dr. Mary Buss and Dr. Germaine Soliman established an outpatient palliative care clinic for patients dealing with conditions other than cancer. Since opening, it has seen more than 130 patients over nearly 450 visits.

I have always wanted to be me, without making it be difficult for you to be you. ~ Howard Thurman

How clinicians prenatally discuss management options and outcomes for congenital heart disease Journal of Pain and Symptom Management; by Samantha Syme, Kelsey Schweiberger, Judy C Chang, Ann Kavanaugh-McHugh, Nadine A Kasparian, Robert M Arnold, Kelly W Harris; 11/27/25 Online ahead of printA prenatal diagnosis of complex congenital heart disease (cCHD) introduces significant emotional, social, and financial stress for families. ... Fetal cardiology consultations offer an important opportunity to support families navigating uncertainty following a prenatal diagnosis of CHD. Clinicians approached these conversations with empathy and a focus on long-term outcomes, though discussions about management options varied. There is an opportunity for increased presentation and integration of palliative care consultants as a longitudinal, family-centered resource, regardless of mortality risk, which may enhance supports available to families during this highly emotional period.

New Jersey organ procurement organization under congressional investigation after ‘alarming’ whistleblower claimsCNN; by Jen Christensen; Story by Jen Christensen, 11/24/25 The US House Ways and Means Committee said Wednesday that it is investigating the organ procurement organization for the New Jersey region for what it called “extreme abuse of public trust” and possible illegal activity, including trying to procure organs from people who didn’t volunteer to be donors and, in at least one case, trying to continue with the organ recovery process in a patient who had “reanimated.”

'It has made my life a lot easier': New Ohio program pays people to care for their loved ones at homeWTOL-11, Columbus, OH; by Kevin Landers; 11/24/25 Mark Straub, of Delaware County, started caring for his 93-year-old mother about two years ago. As much as he loves to have his mother at home instead of a nursing home, caring for a loved one 24/7 brings with it stress, both emotional and financial. ... The average cost of in-home care in Ohio is $60,238, according to CareScout. The average cost of nursing home care is $108,500 a year, or about $9,000 per month. Thanks to a new program in Ohio, those who care for a loved one at home are about to get financially easier. It’s called Structured Family Caregiving, or SFC. Currently, at least 11 states have formal Medicaid SFC programs that pay family members. “I didn’t believe it at first, until I got that first paycheck and I really wanted to cry, “ said Tsavaris.