Literature Review

Crossing Rivers Health hospice service closing after 45 yearsWGLR; by Courtney Chaffee; 7/30/25 An area hospital-based hospice service is closing. Crossing Rivers Health announced this week that it will close its hospice program effective Sept. 30. A press release states that the decision followed “a comprehensive evaluation of healthcare trends.” Crossing Rivers Health is based in Prairie du Chien and the hospice program was established in 1980. It serves patients in Crawford County and portions of Grant County in Wisconsin, as well as patients in portions of Clayton County in Iowa. The release states that Crossing Rivers Health is working with Agrace Hospice Care to help ensure continuity of care for Wisconsin hospice patients. 

Aveanna SVP: Hospice providers fed up with fraud Hospice News; by JIm Parker; 7/29/25 Issues surrounding Medicare fraud are “top of mind” for hospice providers, according to Jim Melancon, senior vice president of government affairs at Aveanna Healthcare Holdings (Nasdaq: AVAH). Reports of hospice fraud have proliferated in recent years, particularly in the four hotbed states of California, Arizona, Nevada and Texas. Fraudulent operators have used a slew of illegal or unethical tactics, such as enrolling Medicare beneficiaries in hospice care without their knowledge or without providing services. ... One principal tactic among fraudulent hospices is maintaining multiple provider numbers, hospice leaders told Hospice News on background. This enables perpetrators of fraud to move patients between the various hospices they own. Another common practice is transferring patients who have reached the payment cap to avoid recoupment.

National Alliance for Care at Home hosts inaugural Financial Summit National Alliance for Care at Home, Alexandria, VA and Washington, DC; Press Release; 7/30/25 The National Alliance for Care at Home (the Alliance) successfully hosted its inaugural event, the 2025 Alliance Financial Summit, July 27-29 in Chicago, IL. The Summit brought together financial leaders from across the care at home community, with expert-led sessions, peer collaboration, and insights into market shifts and emerging technologies. More than 700 attendees and exhibitors participated in the comprehensive program, which featured keynote presentations, concurrent educational sessions, networking opportunities, awards, and celebration. ... “This first Alliance event exceeded our expectations, bringing together care at home leaders from across the nation to connect, learn, and recommit to our shared vision of an America where everyone has access to the highest quality, person-centered healthcare wherever they call home,” said Alliance CEO Dr. Steve Landers.

We could never learn to be brave and patient, if there were only joy in the world.  ~ Helen Keller

Palmetto GBA Home Health and Hospice Coalition Meeting Minutes June 16, 2025Palmetto GBA communication; 7/22/25Hosted by Tim Rogers, President and CEO, Shannon Pointer, DNP, RN, CHPN, Senior VP, Hospice and Home Health Services and Professional Development Director, AHHC of NC and SCHCHA, this meeting included questions and answers for several regulatory topics.

Millions of car drivers worldwide will now see a hospice message from Capital Caring Health thanks to the app LeadStory Capital Caring Health, Falls Church, VA; Press Release; 7/28/25 Capital Caring Health, a nonprofit hospice for adults and children, includes a special pediatric team called Capital Caring Kids (CCK). CCK is one of the largest dedicated pediatric hospice programs in the nation and is now the first to be recognized around the world through a new AI APP called LeadStory. LeadStory is an interactive personalized news service for car drivers – while the car is in motion, they can voice command any question for all news categories local, national, and international. When the car is stationary video appears on the touch screen. By the end of 2025, LeadStory will be on approximately ten million car touch screens. ... A 30 second video produced by Capital Caring Kids about its special mission of caring for children and their families regardless of ability to pay will appear a minimum of 6 times a week when vehicle touch screens are in video mode.

Hearing loss, loneliness may contribute to cognitive decline in older adults McKnights Senior Living; by John Roszkowski; 7/28/25 Hearing loss and loneliness can contribute to dementia in older adults, and simple interventions to address hearing loss, such as hearing aids, may reduce cognitive decline in some cases, new research finds. ... Results of the study showed that higher levels and worsening self-reported hearing impairment were associated with steeper decline in episodic memory issues and executive functioning (verbal fluency). Further, the researchers found that individuals who were not socially isolated but still felt lonely saw their cognitive decline accelerate if they were deaf.

National Alliance CEO Dr. Steve Landers: Hospice reform should mean more care, not less Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 7/28/25 Hospice reform efforts should focus on allowing for “more care, not less,” according to National Alliance for Care at Home CEO Dr. Steve Landers. Key elements of this should include home-based respite care and a payment system for high-acuity palliative services that hospice patients often lose out on due to the costs. ... “It means innovation in care, home-based respite services, better payment models for people that need things like dialysis or palliative radiation,” Landers said at the Alliance’s Financial Summit in Chicago. “That is that reform we’re talking about.” ... Landers also said that attempts at hospice reform should not “carve-in” hospice into Medicare Advantage. Bringing hospice under Medicare Advantage would undermine patient choice, adversely impact timely access to care and leave providers with lower reimbursement rates, according to the Alliance, the National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI) and LeadingAge

NCFCU grant helps CVHHH reach more patients seeking end-of-life care Vermont Business Magazine, VB Vermont; by Tim; 7/29/25 Central Vermont Home Health & Hospice (CVHHH) has received a $5,000 grant from NorthCountry Federal Credit Union (NCFCU). The funds will be used to expand hospice and outpatient palliative care services to Central Vermonters who are seeking compassionate end-of-life care and support at home.  ... [CVHHH's] Palliative Care Consultative Service (PCCS) program was launched in 2023 to support Central Vermonters facing serious illness with one-on-one care and emotional support. 

Nidal Rahal, MD: A quiet force in geriatric and hospice care CEOWorld Magazine; by Anna Papdopoulos; 7/27/25 In a time when healthcare is growing more complex, Dr. Nidal Rahal is staying focused on what matters: his patients. From private hospital rooms to long-term care units, he’s been quietly building a career defined by service, leadership, and long hours. Based in Germantown, Tennessee, Dr. Rahal now runs his own practice—Geriatrics and Palliative Care PLLC ... “I’ve always believed in showing up where I’m most needed,” he says. “For me, that’s meant working with the elderly, with families, and with people facing end-of-life decisions.” ... His practice is now a central hub for hospitalized patient follow-up, inpatient rehab, and palliative consults. He remains active at St. Francis Bartlett, where he’s part of the Medical Executive Committee and serves as an admitting rehab physician. Despite the move, Dr. Rahal still works closely with Hope Hospice and Unity Hospice, continuing a leadership role that spans over a decade.

Hospice | CMS.gov/Fraud Fast FactsCMS.gov/Fraud; by CMS; July 2025 ... Medicare hospice utilization has increased in recent years. In Fiscal Year 2024, Medicare payments for hospice reached over $27 billion, with approximately 1.8 million Medicare beneficiaries receiving hospice care. CMS has taken significant action to address likely fraudulent behavior occurring in Medicare-enrolled hospices, including long lengths of stay, co-located hospices, and high rates of beneficiaries discharged alive. [This Fast Facts one-page sheet includes:]