Literature Review

Executive Personnel Changes - 9/12/25

[Canada] How mobile palliative care unit is making a difference Ontario Hospital Association - New Models of Care, Ontario, Canada; Press Release; 9/9/25 Launched earlier this year, the PEGASUS program, short for palliative expertise group for ambulatory support and unified solutions, is an innovative, mobile model of care that brings palliative medicine directly to patients in outpatient clinics across the hospital. Rather than establishing a traditional clinic space, the PEGASUS team “flies” to where the need is. ... The result: a consultation-based team that integrates seamlessly into existing ambulatory clinics, avoiding duplication of services and focusing on enhancing continuity of care. 

Family says bear attack victim to be transferred to hospice care KNWA/KFTA FOX-24, Little Rock, AR; by Justin Trobaugh; 9/9/25 The family of a Franklin County man says Sept. 8 that his condition has worsened and that he has been moved to hospice care. Vernon Patton, 72, is being held at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences after being attacked by a bear in the Mulberry Mountain area of Franklin County on Sept. 3. Patton was working on a gravel road with his tractor near Mulberry Mountain Lodge Park when the black bear attacked, according to Keith Stephens with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC). His son arrived to check on him and saw the bear actively attacking. Editor's Note: Executive leaders, traumatic events like this that lead to a hospice admission call for extra support for your clinical, direct care professionals and volunteers. They can experience secondary trauma as they tend horrific wounds, both physical (for the patient) and emotional (for family and friends). Also, what policies do you have in place to balance important community news and family privacy (e.g. staff or volunteers posting anything on social media).

Reducing family caregiver burden may prevent 30-day ED readmissions among community-dwelling older adults, study finds McKnights Long-Term Care News; by Foster Stubbs; 9/9/25 Alleviating caregiver burden may reduce returns to the emergency department for older adults up to 30 days after a discharge, according to research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The study examined 1409 dyads or duos of community-dwelling patients 65 years or older and their family caregivers. ... [Questions] included items about strain in the caregiver’s role and personal life associated with caregiving. ... "We interpret these findings as evidence that caregiver burden may contribute to a negative care transition, associated with 30-day ED revisits, ..."

How ‘The Pitt' gets death right Hollywood Reporter; by Ingrid Schmidt; 9/8/25 Boasting 13 Emmy nominations and four recent TV Critics Association Award wins, HBO Max's breakout medical drama The Pitt has been widely lauded for its hyperrealistic portrayal of a chaotic, underfunded hospital emergency department. Among the many things the show has been credited for getting right is its nuanced depiction of death and dying. The Pitt cuts deep into the heart of harrowing end-of-life decisions and conversations faced by patients, family members and physicians, as well as the messy emotional aftermath. Editor's Note: Ira Byock, MD--pioneer palliative physician--significantly contributed to The Pitt's death stories. Explore more in our previous posts: Social Media Watch 6/20/25 and “It’s an homage”: Noah Wyle quietly sneaked in a tribute in one of the best episodes of ‘The Pitt’ . Additionally, we thank Dr. Byock for serving as a guest editor in our newsletter. 

Access to hospice and certain services under the hospice benefit for beneficiaries with end-stage renal disease or cancerMedPAC report; by Kim Neuman, Grace Oh, Nancy Ray; 9/5/25Summary: MedPAC explores policy and payment options for higher cost services that may be covered under the Medicare Hospice Benefit, such as dialysis, radiation, blood transfusions, and chemotherapy. Advantages and disadvantages / complexities of potential policy directions are outlined, including enhanced data reporting, hospice payment policy changes, and a voluntary transitional program.

New van opens doors for Hospice of West Alabama clients Tuscaloosa News, Tuscaloosa, AL; by Gary Cosby, Jr.; 9/8/25 A new Hospice of West Alabama transport van is rolling through the streets, courtesy of the generosity of community donors. Hospice Executive Director Latrelle Hallum said the new vehicle will greatly expand the services they can offer to their clients. Before purchasing the new Toyota Sienna minivan, the organization did not have the ability to take clients places they needed to get to. "It's going to allow us to do a lot of extras. We will do Christmas lights tour for our patients and families in December, take them to graduations, or to see a newborn baby, or a Thanksgiving gathering, or to doctor's appointments. The only requirement is that it is not an ambulance. We can only transport people who are in a wheelchair," Hallum said.

Healthcare Dealmakers—UHG, Amedisys close merger; Walgreens acquired and more Fierce Healthcare; by Dave Muoio; 9/5/25 Healthcare mergers and acquisitions are in no short supply as providers, health tech companies, retailers and other industry players look to expand their businesses and gain a competitive edge. Here’s a roundup of new deals that were revealed, closed, rumored or called off during the month of August.

Home health agency sues HHS over $34m Medicare payment recoupment Home Health Care News; by Morgan Gonzales; 9/8/25 Infinity Home Care of Lakeland, a Florida-based home health provider and affiliate of Amedisys, has sued the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services over Medicare recoupments. The Florida-based home health agency alleged that HHS completed “shoddy expert work” that led the agency to conclude that Medicare overpaid Infinity by $34 million for services from 2014 to 2016. According to the lawsuit, a contractor, Zone Program Integrity Contractors (ZPIC), reviewed 72 of the agency’s claims in 2017 and denied all 72 on the basis of errors with the face-to-face encounter documentation, that home health services were not medically reasonable and necessary or a lack of medical records. 

From panic to purpose: Tulane student’s bell project brings hope to cancer patients nationwide CBS WWL-4, New Orleans, LA; by Meg Farris; 9/8/25 A little girl whose mother was diagnosed with a very serious illness could have never dreamed that several years later, she'd be helping patients across the country and beyond. ... Belle Spar vividly remembers, ... “I had a panic attack, hysterically crying. I thought I was going to lose my mom. I was 12. I was terrified ...” Belle Spar, 21. [The ritual of ringing the bell at the end of cancer treatment became a symbol of hope.] That 12-year-old ... is now a senior at Tulane University. During those nine years as an adolescent, she and her sister, Alexa, accomplished something remarkable. They have raised money to donate 130 bells, so far, to radiation and transplant centers around the U.S., and even in South America.

Agnesian HealthCare Foundation 2025 Charity Open has successful year Envision, Fond du Lac, WI: Press Release; 9/8/25 The Agnesian HealthCare Foundation recently hosted its 37th annual Charity Open, ... raising  more than $525,000 – making this one of the most successful years. Proceeds from this year’s event are supporting SSM Health at Home Hospice and SSM Health Cancer Care services within the greater Fond du Lac area – helping ensure that all patients have access to these vital services regardless of their ability to pay.

20-year-old twins reinvent a high plains farm after loss Successful Farming; by Lisa Foust Prater; 9/6/25 ... Kit Carson is a community of around 250 people in the High Plains of eastern Colorado. “There were nine kids in our graduating class, and we were two of them,” Alex said.  Just after senior year started, in September 2022, the brothers lost their mother, Maria, to cancer. Then, in January, they lost their father, Ervin, to the same disease. Ervin had been in the hospital since summer. When Maria’s cancer progressed, the couple was moved into hospice together, about 20 minutes from home. ... [Through their bereavement,] ... Alex and Paul made a decision: they were going to keep the farm going, and they were going to do it together. And although they learned countless lessons about farming from their father, they agreed they weren’t going to just keep doing things because that’s the way they had always been done. ...

COUNTDOWN: 20 Days Until HOPE Tool Starts, October 1, 2025