Literature Review

When words fail, so does care: Why healthcare translation services matter Leesville Leaders; by JR Language; 3/19/26 ... Language services in health care mean more than having an interpreter in the room. When we talk about language access in healthcare, we’re referring to two distinct yet equally essential services: medical interpretation and healthcare document translation. Both matter. Neither is optional.

Lanterns shine light on spiritual, financial help Fort Worth nonprofit gives to terminally ill FWR - Fort Worth Report, Fort Worth, TX; by Marissa Greene; 2/16/26 Nestled within a grove of trees, more than 300 lanterns twinkled around the perimeter of the Keith House on a recent evening in the Clearfork neighborhood. The pulsing glow of the tealight candle inside each white paper bag illuminated a first name and last initial inscribed into the front of the lantern. Each name represented a patient served by Project 4031, a faith-based nonprofit aiming to provide peace and comfort to terminally ill children, adults and families facing end-of-life challenges by easing financial burdens and fulfilling last wishes. 

Hearing on “Improving kidney health through better prevention and innovative treatment” U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health; written testimony fo Dr. Robert Taylor; 3/18/26

Social Media Watch 3/20/26

MedPAC: March 2026 Report to CongressMedPAC Reports; 3/12/26Medicare Benefit: National health care spending grew rapidly in 2023 and 2024, by 7 percent in each of these years. By 2024, national health care spending totaled $5.3 trillion. Health care spending has made up an increasing share of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) over time, rising from about 13 percent of GDP in 2000 to 18 percent in 2024. Medicare spending grew more rapidly than national health care spending in 2023 and 2024 (by 9 percent and 8 percent, respectively), in part due to changes in Part D financing that shifted more of the cost of prescription drug coverage from beneficiaries to the federal government. By 2024, Medicare spending totaled $1.1 trillion—equivalent to 21 percent of national health care spending and 3.8 percent of GDP. (Please see the full report here for additional detail.)

* CEO, Hildegard House, nonprofit, Louisville, KY

Characteristics of United States Food and Drug Administration drug recalls involving opioid medications, 2002-2025Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety; by Julio C Nunes, Gabriel P A Costa, Joao P De Aquino; 3/26We reviewed more than 20 years of recall data from the United States Food and Drug Administration and found 286 recalls involving seven commonly used opioids, affecting over 350 million tablets, capsules, patches, and injectable products. Nearly half of these recalls occurred because products failed basic quality checks, while others involved incorrect doses, contamination, mislabeling, or defective delivery systems. The most serious recalls, those carrying risk of serious injury or death, were concentrated among fentanyl, morphine, and hydromorphone. Many recall notices lacked important details, including the number of units affected, making it difficult to understand how these issues may impact patients. Our findings show that opioid recalls happen regularly and often reflect manufacturing problems that could influence treatment safety or effectiveness.

Nursing home profit status and pain among residents living with dementiaPain Management Nursing; by Sorah Levy, Barbara Resnick, Elizabeth Galik, Kelly Doran, Tara McMullen, Sarah Holmes; 2/26Nursing home (NH) residents living with dementia experience pain that is often sub-optimally managed. Nearly one in five nursing home residents with dementia experience pain symptoms.There is a known relationship between NH organizational factors, such as profit status, and quality of care. However, little attention has been paid to understanding the relationship between NH ownership profit status and pain among residents living with dementia. NH ownership profit status was not significantly associated with pain ... 

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Changes in RI hospice utilization and quality of care with increase in number of hospice programsJournal of Pain and Symptom Management; by Joan Teno; 3/26The number of licensed hospice programs in Rhode Island increased from four prior to 2017 to eleven by 2025, with many new providers being for-profit entities, some backed by private equity. Using public data, I analyzed trends in hospice use and quality, hypothesizing that the growth in providers may increase health care costs and raise concerns about the quality of care. Using public data, I analyzed trends in hospice use and quality, hypothesizing that the growth in providers may increase health care costs and raise concerns about the quality of care... Compared to not-for-profit hospices, for-profit providers showed significant differences in several measures, including a higher focus on enrolling patients with dementia—a population that may be more profitable because of their long length of stay and higher live discharge rates. A four-point difference in bereaved caregiver willingness to recommend for profit hospices indicates a moderate effect size5 and raises concerns about quality.