Literature Review

Trellis Supportive Care names new CEO[NC] The Mt. Airy News; 6/22/25Winston-Salem Trellis Supportive Care has tapped a new president and CEO. Dr. Michael Lalor, formerly the organization's chief medical officer, was recently appointed to the post, filling a post created by the retirement of Linda Darden who. who held the posts of president and CEO since 2014. Dr. Lalor joined Trellis Supportive Care in 2014 as the chief medical officer.

Elara Caring names new CEOMcKnight's Home Care; by Adam Healy; 6/25/25Elara Caring, a home health, home care and hospice provider serving 18 states, disclosed Wednesday that it has appointed Ananth Mohan as its new chief executive officer, effective immediately. He succeeds Scott Powers.

California man pleads guilty in connection with laundering proceeds of $16M hospice fraud schemeUS Department of Justice press release; 6/23/25A California man pleaded guilty today to laundering more than $4.6 million in connection with a years-long scheme to defraud Medicare of nearly $16 million through sham hospice companies. According to court documents, Mihran Panosyan, ...worked with others to launder the proceeds of a massive Medicare fraud scheme, transferring the fraudulently obtained funds between multiple accounts before spending them. The scheme comprised three parts. First, three of Panosyan’s co-defendants used the identities of foreign nationals no longer in the United States to operate several sham hospice companies... Second, the co-defendants caused the submission of false and fraudulent claims to Medicare for hospice services for patients who were not terminally ill and who never requested nor received hospice services... Third, Panosyan and his co-defendants laundered the proceeds of the scheme to conceal the source of the funds and their control over them... He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

[New Brunswick, Canada] Brothers who gave $50K for palliative care room at nursing home learn tough lessonCBC News; by Hannah Rudderham; 6/20/25Von Weiler family's gift in dad's memory taken apart and moved without notice... Brothers Alan and Glenn von Weiler of Saint John say they'll be more careful about future donations and ask more questions. The moment brothers Alan and Glenn von Weiler saw the palliative care room at their father's former nursing home — created in his memory — was one for the books, they say. "I think my dad would have been so happy," Glenn said. "My dad believed in giving back to the community. He did that all his life, and now he was able to do it posthumously." But just over a year after they saw the new palliative care room at the Fundy Nursing Home in Blacks Harbour, the brothers have a sour taste in their mouths. They learned from staff at the home that the room has been taken apart.Publisher's note: While this story occurred in Canada, it's an important reminder to honor donor wishes.

Post-acute clinicians to CMS: Providers need better tech infrastructure for value-based careHome Health Care News; by Joyce Famakinwa; 6/20/25The Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medical Association (PALTmed) recently penned a letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) advocating for the advancement and adoption of interoperable health information technology (health IT). PALTmed explained that the health care providers — especially post-acute and long-term care settings — are dealing with a worsening clinician shortage. It’s a pain point that greater access to health IT could help solve, according to the organization.

Death equals oneJAMA Network - Poetry and Medicine; by Fanny Rancière; 6/25...The epidemiologist’s fingers dance across the keyboard, her eyes fixed on you. “No one has ever been so fascinated by my life,” you might have thought...

How palliative care can differentiate hospices in the marketplaceHospice News; by Jim Parker; 6/18/25Potential referral partners and investors often see palliative care as a value-add for a hospice, home health agency or other provider. Palliative programs are difficult to manage as a standalone business due to the lack of a robust reimbursement model. Most palliative care programs are reimbursed through fee-for-service Medicare, which only covers physician or nurse practitioner services and does not include the full range of interdisciplinary care. Some palliative care is also paid for through Medicare Advantage plans and Accountable Care Organizations (ACO), where care and payment models often vary. But in many cases, providers see those services as a loss leader or as a “feeder” for their hospice programs, Eugene Goldenberg, managing partner from the investment bank Edgemont Partners, said at the Hospice News Elevate conference in Orlando, Florida.

My one wild and precious life—The purpose of medical careJournal of Pain and Symptom Management; by Abinav K. Jyotis; 7/25“My One Wild and Precious Life - The Purpose of Medical Care”, contains reflections of a medical student as a naive little boy, inspired by his late grandfather, pinning to becoming a physician, who later struggles to find purpose in the unidealistic world of the current healthcare system. But, through his exposure to “Pallium India”, a non-profit palliative care organization in Kerala, India, healthcare once more gains meaning and signifies the importance of love and care amidst a patient's journey through pain and suffering.

A pregnant brain-dead woman in Georgia was kept on life support. Experts say it raises ethical, legal questionsABC News; by Mary Kekatos; 6/19/25Adriana Smith, a brain-dead woman in Georgia, was kept on life support until her fetus was viable. Experts say it raises ethical and legal questions. Adriana Smith, a 31-year-old Georgia nurse and mother, was just eight weeks pregnant when she was declared brain dead in February after suffering a medical condition. However, the family claims the hospital told them legally she had to be kept on life support to allow the fetus to grow. The family claims doctors told them they were not legally allowed to consider other options, according to local Atlanta station 11Alive. Last week, Smith's baby was born by emergency Caesarean section, weighing under 2 pounds and needing care in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), reported 11Alive.Publisher's note: This situation raises numerous ethical end-of-life questions - highlighting the importance of hospices having or connecting with local ethics experts.

There’s a workplace leadership crisis. Here’s how to solve itForbes; by William Arruda; 6/22/25We’re living in a very different world. Just since Covid, many of the norms of business have evolved, making the workplace almost unrecognizable. AI is taking over (or at least it feels that way). There are more different generations working side-by-side, each with their own needs, expectations, and styles. Hybrid and remote work are making life more manageable for some, while at the same time reducing the sense of connection and belonging that many of us get from work. And we haven’t even touched on the geopolitical events that are impacting virtually every industry and role. All of these changes are having a major impact on leadership. [Key points include:]

How do I adapt my leadership as my company grows?Harvard Business Review podcast; by Muriel Wilkins; 6/16/25She’s an entrepreneur who has led her company to a fair amount of success. After recently hitting a roadblock, she’s hired new talent and is looking to position her company for continued growth. Host Muriel Wilkins coaches her through how to adjust her leadership to keep pace with her growing business.

Night staff hailed for quick action when bear breaks into nursing homeMcKnight's Long-Term Care News; by James M. Berklan; 6/9/25While caregivers at St. Andrew’s Village are well-versed in typical protocols for tending to seniors, it’s their quick-thinking response to some alarming adolescent behavior that has earned them the admiration of peers and the outside world. Nurse aides and other staff on the overnight shift deftly blocked access to most patient rooms and helped steer a 118-pound black bear out of their unit late Tuesday night at their life plan community 50 miles east of Pittsburgh.

New data and insights from the National Alliance for Care at Home: Alarming delays and declining access to Medicare home health contribute to worse outcomesNational Alliance for Care at Home press release; 6/23/25Medicare beneficiaries are waiting longer — and too often going without — the home health care they were referred after a hospital stay. This growing gap in access harms vulnerable seniors, is associated with highermortality, leads to more preventable ER visits and hospital readmissions, and increases Medicare costs.Publisher's note: Access may require membership login.