Literature Review

Ennoble Care achieves outstanding quality outcomes and lower costs for high-needs Medicare patientsThe Best Times, Arlington, VA; by PR Newswire; 7/30/26Ennoble Care announced the publication of its 2026 Quality and Outcomes Report. The report highlights reductions in hospitalizations, improved quality of life, and lower costs for a population that is twice as medically complex as the national Medicare average.

National Alliance for Care at Home responds to FY 2027 Hospice Final RuleNational Alliance for Care at Home, Alexandria, VA; Press Release; 7/30/26The National Alliance for Care at Home (the Alliance) today responded to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) fiscal year (FY) 2027 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate Update final rule, which finalizes payment and regulatory changes under the Medicare hospice benefit. CMS finalized a 2.3% payment update to the Medicare hospice benefit, which continues to fall short of the rising labor and supply costs required to deliver high-quality hospice care. As demand for hospice services continues to grow, payment updates must more accurately reflect providers’ costs so that access to these essential services does not decline.  “CMS’s 2.3% payment update does not reflect the true cost of delivering hospice care and adds further strain to providers who are already stretched thin,” said Jennifer Sheets, CEO of the Alliance. “Compounding that pressure is a Service and Spending Variation Index built on a fundamentally flawed methodology that penalizes legitimate providers for non-hospice claims they have no visibility into nor control over, with no process to review or correct the data before it is made public. This is not a sound approach to program integrity. An inadequate payment update combined with an unreliable oversight tool creates a serious and growing burden for legitimate providers working to serve their communities.” 

In New York, who will get to take advantage of medical aid in dyingPrism; by Ben Rappaport; 7/30/26For terminally ill patients, the new law [going into effect in New York on Aug. 5] offers the choice to end suffering. But cost, provider shortages, and medical distrust among communities of color could make the option less accessible. When Kiki Jackson first heard the phrase “medical aid in dying,” she scrunched her face in suspicion. Jackson, a 74-year-old lifelong resident of Harlem, was listening to a group discussion at a local senior center about New York’s new Medical Aid in Dying Act. For her and about a dozen other Black community members in attendance, the idea of terminally ill adults having the right to end their lives evoked troubling experiences with the medical system. ... Research aggregating over 20 years of data from 13 states and Washington, D.C., where similar laws are on the books, reveals that the people who’ve utilized medical aid in dying are overwhelmingly white, college-educated, and able to pay out of pocket.

CMS’s decision to end temporary subsidies to Medicare’s stand-alone drug plans could mean larger premium increases for some beneficiaries next yearKFF; by Juliette Cubanski; 7/29/26 The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has just announced plans to end the temporary Part D Premium Stabilization Demonstration after 2026. The goal of the demonstration, which CMS originally stated could last for at least three years when it was established in 2024, was designed to stabilize stand-alone prescription drug plan (PDP) premiums and enrollment amid the rollout of changes to the Part D benefit under the Inflation Reduction Act. The IRA capped out-of-pocket drug spending for Part D enrollees and shifted more costs onto Part D plan sponsors, leading to higher expected costs and premiums, particularly for PDPs. Based on its evaluation of bids for 2027, CMS now states that PDP sponsors have gained “sufficient experience” to support bid development, suggesting that the extra financial support provided to PDP sponsors under the demonstration is no longer needed.

Unity Golf Classic raises more than $80,000 to support compassionate hospice care, palliative care The Chamber Manitowoc County, De Pere, WI; Press Release; 7/28/2026Unity's 10th Annual Golf Classic brought together 124 golfers, 26 sponsors, 28 volunteers, and several community partners on Thursday, July 16, at Thornberry Creek at Oneida, raising nearly $80,000 to support Unity's mission of providing compassionate care and grief support throughout Northeast Wisconsin. Celebrating its tenth year, the Unity Golf Classic has become one of the organization's signature fundraising events, helping ensure patients and families receive expert, dignified care regardless of their ability to pay. "The Unity Golf Classic is about much more than a day on the course," said Alisa Gerke, Executive Director of Unity. "It is an opportunity for our community to come together in support of patients and families facing some of life's most difficult moments. We are incredibly grateful to every golfer, sponsor, volunteer, and donor whose generosity makes this event possible."

VITAS zeroes in on acquisitions amid hospice moratorium Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 7/29/26VITAS Healthcare is shifting more of its attention towards acquisitions during a six-month national moratorium on Medicare hospice enrollment. ... VITAS Healthcare is shifting more of its attention towards acquisitions during a six-month national moratorium on Medicare hospice enrollment. “The moratorium does influence our ability to apply for new CONs,” Wherley said during an earnings call on Wednesday. “The moratorium does not prevent us from moving forward with potential acquisitions, as long as the provider has been in service for three years. We’re actively reviewing any of those opportunities with markets that have a barrier to entry as our first interest. But we’re continuing to look at what other opportunities could potentially exist out there.”

Medicare Program: Fiscal Year 2027 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate Update and Hospice Quality Reporting Program Requirements Federal Register; An unpublished Rule by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on 08/03/2026 This document is unpublished. It is scheduled to be published on 08/03/2026. Once it is published it will be available on this page in an official form. Until then, you can download the unpublished PDF version. ... Comment: Numerous commenters, including national associations, State hospice associations, large health systems, and individual providers, expressed strong concerns that the proposed 2.4 percent FY 2027 hospice payment update is insufficient to keep pace with the actual cost of delivering high-quality hospice care.  [The following tables are from this "unpublished document" from the Federal Register, "scheduled too be published on 08/03/2026.]

Bedford County approves Good Samaritan Hospice acquisition of former Hospice House WDBJ-TV 7, CBS, Roanoke-Lynchburg, VA; by Austin Hicks; 7/28/26 In April, the Hospice House in Bedford County closed its doors, leaving a gap for families who need end-of-life care. Now, there’s new hope those services will return. During Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting, the board approved nonprofit Good Samaritan Hospice’s acquisition of the closed facility. The move is expected to ensure Bedford County families have access to hospice care, palliative care and other support services during one of life’s most challenging moments. If Good Samaritan Hospice were to leave, the new facility it would be given back to the county. At this time there is no timetable for when the facility will open.

Las Vegas Hospice booted from Medicare over ties to sanctioned provider Hoodline; by Christopher Kim; 7/29/26 OneCare Hospice, LLC has been kicked out of Medicare after a federal administrative law judge upheld a government move to cut off the Las Vegas company, not because its own claims were found fraudulent, but because of its legal ties to another Nevada hospice that had already lost its billing privileges. On top of the revocation, OneCare is staring at a 10-year Medicare reenrollment bar and a spot on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Medicare preclusion list. The decision, issued July 9 after OneCare appealed the earlier agency action, found that federal officials were within their rights to pull OneCare’s enrollment.

Hospice launches new website The Martha's Vineyard Time, Martha's Vineyard, MA; Press Release; 7/29/26 Hospice and Palliative Care of Martha’s Vineyard (HPCMV) announces the launch of its newly redesigned website and new educational video. The new website offers visitors a more user-friendly experience, making it easier to find information about hospice, palliative care, grief support services, volunteer opportunities, upcoming events, and ways to support the organization. Designed with patients, caregivers, healthcare professionals, and community members in mind, the site serves as a comprehensive resource for information about HPCMV.

[Scotland] We aim to grant dying wishes with special final ambulance trips BBC News, Northeast Scotland; by Ken Banks; 7/29/26 A group of Aberdeen paramedics have launched a venture aimed at granting terminally ill patients around Scotland a final journey to a place or event that is special to them. Kieran Hutcheon, 30, was inspired to act after his mother was unable to even go out for a coffee with him before she died from cancer. With co-founders Dan Bickmore, 37, and Karen Gill, 46, their Wish Ambulance Scotland charity has been formed. They plan to use a vehicle that is not as clinical as an actual ambulance, but can carry any necessary equipment for patients. Their aim is to offer relatively simple trips such as going to a favorite beach.

Western Mass nursing home operator ordered to pay $2.1M Athol Daily News, Athol, MA; by Domenic Poli; 7/29/26 The co-founder of the limited liability company that owns two western Massachusetts nursing homes will be forced to compensate lenders $2.1 million after being found liable for fraud, breach of contract and violations of consumer protection law. A Middlesex County Superior Court jury determined after an eight-day trial that Joseph Cuzzupoli, who co-founded Blupoint Healthcare, persuaded Bradley Balter and his business, Arrakis Holdings LLC, to extend loans based on numerous fraudulent misrepresentations. ... Balter and Arrakis Holdings LLC sued Cuzzupoli, seeking declaratory relief and damages for breach of contract, unjust enrichment, fraud and consumer protection law violations in connection with unpaid loans extended to certain nursing homes and a hospice business that Cuzzupoli controlled.