Literature Review

Alliance responds to MedPAC vote on home health and hospice payment recommendations National Alliance for Care at Home, Alexandria, VA and Washington, DC; Press Release; 1/15/26 The National Alliance for Care at Home (the Alliance) is alarmed by the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission’s (MedPAC) vote today to approve draft recommendations that would significantly reduce home health payment rates by 7% for calendar year 2027 and eliminate payment updates for hospice care in fiscal year 2027.  ... For hospice, the elimination of payment updates would reduce spending by $250 million to $750 million over one year and between $1 billion and $5 billion over five years. Editor's Note: Pair this with another post in our newsletter today, "AMA ‘disappointed’ in MedPAC for backing off deeper Medicare pay reform."

All hands on deck: A case report of an interdisciplinary team preventing elder financial abuse at a skilled nursing facilityCureus; by Grace Yi, Nicholas S. Cho, Karen Galvez-Maquindang, Christine Sun, Navid Darouian; 12/25Elder financial abuse (EFA) is a common but under-reported form of maltreatment among elderly individuals. This case describes an 84-year-old woman with cognitive deficits residing in a skilled nursing facility (SNF), who was exploited by a purported friend who took funds, important documents, and attempted to designate herself as the patient’s power of attorney. The situation was quickly identified by the multidisciplinary care team at the SNF and mitigated through early action and collaboration. The case emphasizes the importance of multidisciplinary efforts to identify at-risk patients and the establishment of protocols surrounding abuse identification and reporting to protect elderly patients from financial exploitation and preserve their autonomy, dignity, and quality of life.

Sunday newsletters focus on headlines and top read stories of the last week (in order) - enjoy!

AMA ‘disappointed’ in MedPAC for backing off deeper Medicare pay reform Becker's Hospital Review; by Alan Condon; 1/15/26 The American Medical Association expressed disappointment after the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission voted Jan. 15 to recommend only a modest update to Medicare physician payments for 2027, backing away from more robust reforms it had previously supported. ... “The AMA appreciates that last year’s reconciliation bill provided a temporary 2.5 percent update for 2026; however, that increase expires in 2027,” David Aizuss, MD, chair of the AMA Board of Trustees,” said in a news release shared with Becker’s. Editor's Note: Pair this with another post in today's newsletter, Alliance responds to MedPAC vote on home health and hospice payment recommendations.

Palliative care in pediatric phase I oncology trials: A scoping reviewPediatric Blood & Cancer; by Andrea Cuviello, Harisankeerth Mummareddy, Alanis N. Gomez Martinez, Holly Spraker-Perlman, Allison Uber, Jordan Wrigley, Erica C. Kaye; 12/25Clinical trials, particularly Phase I trials that test drug safety and feasibility, are imperative to advance outcomes for children with cancer. These trials, however, pose risks for increased symptom burden and suffering. Early integration of palliative care (PC) during Phase I trial enrollment offers a potential reduction in suffering and improvement in quality of life.  PC integration was associated with earlier hospice enrollment, increased home and hospice deaths, decreased hospitalizations and intensive care unit utilization, improved care coordination, and better symptom management. 

Palliative care staff attitudes toward music therapy for hospitalized adult patientsAmerican Journal of Hospice & Palliative Medicine; by Katherine A. Carney, Rachel M. Wiste, Susanne M. Cutshall, Christina Wood, Rachel C. Gentes, Brianna E. Larsen, Nana A. Tiwaa, Amelia E. Tetlie, Regina M. Mackey; 12/25There is emerging evidence that music therapy (MT) is an effective tool within palliative care to manage patients’ complex needs. This performance improvement project aimed to assess palliative care staff members’ attitudes toward the current utilization of MT within the institution’s hospital-based interdisciplinary practices. Top reasons for MT referral were psychosocial support, pain and symptom management, and coping. The most common symptom-focused indications were anxiety, mood, and existential distress. In this single-institution performance improvement project, staff attitudes were highly favorable toward MT for palliative care patients. MT is utilized for a variety of reasons, can be highly effective for improving patients’ quality of life, and may also be of direct benefit to staff.

Integrating compassion and policy: Highlights from IAHPC Advocacy, 2025Palliative Medicine in Practice: by Katherine Irene PettusIn 2025, the International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care (IAHPC) advanced advocacy for palliative care as an ethical, clinical, and human rights imperative. As a non-state actor in official relations with the World Health Organization (WHO), the association worked across policy, faith, and professional domains to integrate palliative care into universal health coverage frameworks. This report summarizes IAHPC’s global activities from February to November 2025, including engagement at the 78th World Health Assembly (WHA), collaboration with WHO and the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), the launch of the Leadership and Advocacy Development (LEAD2) program, and new interfaith and educational initiatives.Assistant Editor's note: As I peruse peer reviewed journals to bring you relevant and current summaries of research, I am amazed at the large number of articles published now about palliative care. It wasn't this way just a few years ago. As a long-time hospice and palliative care nurse, I am delighted to see the ground swell of interest in the principles, the need, the value, and the effectiveness of palliative care. I feel like 'We Have Arrived' (finally!). Kudos to all of you who have worked tirelessly over many years to educate professionals and the public at large, about palliative care and its virtues. I know we are not done; there is more to do. But we've come a long way baby!

Video conversation aids to assist in goals-of-care discussions with older adults in a medical setting: A systematic reviewAmerican Journal of Hospice & Palliative Care; Ashna S Karpe, Mokunfayo O Fajemisin, Stephanie Martinez Ugarte, Lara Ouellette, Martin L Blakely, Gina H Khraish, Shreyans V Sanghvi, Min J Kwak, Jessica L Lee, Lillian S Kao, Thaddeus J Puzio; 12/25Goals-of-care (GOC) discussions align medical treatment with older adults' preferences, yet are hindered by communication barriers, provider discomfort, and misinformation. Video-based decision aids improve understanding and reduce decision conflict, though data on their use in older populations remain limited. Video variability and differences in measured outcomes limited comparisons and generalizability. Video-based decision aids show promise for improving knowledge and aligning treatment preferences. Further studies are needed to investigate the impact of video-based decision aids on GOC conversations in older adults in acute care settings.

Dear Colleagues,

Dear Colleagues,

Not all AI is created equal Access Newswire, Hamden, CT: Press Release; 1/22/26 Not all AI in home health and hospice is created equal. Many AI solutions appear similar at first glance. They promise efficiency and reduced administrative burden. What separates them is the depth of industry knowledge behind the technology. That distinction matters. In other words, there is a big difference between a healthcare company creating technology and a tech company breaking into the healthcare industry. People matter in home health and hospice. That includes the people who make the tools you use.