Literature Review

St. Croix Hospice expands care across five new locations Investors Hangout; by Addison Perry; updated 1/6/26 St. Croix Hospice has taken a significant step forward in enhancing their hospice care services by opening five new branches. These locations are vital in expanding patient access to high-quality end-of-life care in different regions. ... The newly opened locations are:

More services at Central Missouri hospital fall victim to economic pressures News Tribune, Kansas City, MO; by Meg Cunningham; 1/4/26 Fitzgibbon Hospital, a Central Missouri health care system, announced recently that it would shutter some services effective Dec. 31, citing mounting financial pressures. The nonprofit hospital said the closures will affect about 30 employees and hundreds of patients. Fitzgibbon, located in Marshall, operates several primary and specialty care clinics in Central Missouri. Services that are closing include the Grand River Medical Clinic in Brunswick, Fitzgibbon Family Health in Fayette, the hospital's inpatient behavioral health unit, a home health and hospice agency and a pain management clinic.  

Kobacker program moves to Ohio’s Hospice in landmark partnership preserving future of quality nonprofit end-of-life care US National Times, Columbus, OH; Press Release; 1/7/26 The Kobacker family today announced that Kobacker House, central Ohio’s pioneering inpatient hospice facility founded in 1989, will move and continue its mission under Ohio’s Hospice, the state’s largest nonprofit hospice provider. As part of the announcement, the family published a guiding charter, The Kobacker Way, which details fundamental principles for quality nonprofit hospice care. The full document is available at www.TheKobackerWay.org. 

Fairhaven, Rainbow partner on hospice suites Daily Jefferson County Union, Whitewater, WI; by Daily Union Staff; 12/11/25 Fairhaven Senior Services in Whitewater and Rainbow Community Care in Jefferson have announced a partnership to serve families whose loved ones are in end of life care. The nonprofit organizations are collaborating to open two dedicated hospice suites on the Fairhaven campus, as a “sacred space” where local residents and their families can find peace and comfort, a release said. The partnership was born not only out of necessity, “but from a long-standing mutual respect and shared belief that compassionate care should be available close to home,” the release continued.

Hospice: Care, commerce, and the cost of a separate category The Pine Belt News, Hattiesburg, MS; by Cathy Eaker; 1/5/26 Hospice care is often presented as a compassionate alternative to aggressive medicine—a gentler path that prioritizes comfort, dignity, and peace at the end of life. In theory, it is a humane model. In practice, hospice exists at the intersection of care and commerce, and that intersection deserves far more scrutiny than it receives. ... That does not mean hospice nurses, aides, social workers, or chaplains are unethical. Quite the opposite. Most of the people providing hands-on hospice care have good hearts. They care deeply. They show up. They bathe patients gently, sit at bedsides, hold hands, and witness grief with humanity. The problem is not the caregivers—it is the structure they work within. ...

'It’s comfort, dignity and time': Agrace receives CuddleCot donation from JackPack GazetteXtra, Janesville, WI; by Kylie Balk-Yaatenen; 1/4/26 For nearly a decade, a Janesville family has worked to ensure that parents facing the loss of a baby are given something they themselves never had: Time. Through The Jack Pack, a local nonprofit founded after the stillbirth of their son, Jack, in 2015, Jackie Harwick and her husband, Garrick, have donated 14 CuddleCots to hospitals and hospice providers across southern Wisconsin. Their most recent donation went to ... Agrace’s pediatric hospice program. A CuddleCot is a temperature-controlled bassinet insert that slows natural changes after death, allowing families to spend extended time with their baby; ... That time can allow parents to hold their child, invite loved ones to meet the baby, create memories and begin grieving in a more supported way.

Fourth temporary extension of COVID-19 telemedicine flexibilities for prescription of controlled medications Federal Register - The Daily Journal of the United States Government; A Rule by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Health and Human Services Department on 12/31/2025 AGENCY: Drug Enforcement Administration, Department of Justice; Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Department of Health and Human Services. ACTION: Temporary rule. SUMMARY: The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) jointly with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is issuing a fourth extension of telemedicine flexibilities for the prescribing of controlled medications through December 31, 2026. DATES: This rule is effective January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2026.

Translating the value of palliative transfusions for patients with blood cancers into high-quality end-of-life careJAMA Network Open; by Pamela Egan, Dana Guyer; 11/25Studies have described how patients with blood cancers enroll in hospice care at lower rates than patients with solid tumor cancers, receive more futile chemotherapy, are more likely to seek emergency care at the EOL [end of life] , are more likely to be treated in intensive care units, and are more likely to die in hospital settings than their counterparts with solid tumors. The Medicare hospice benefit is structured in such a way that providing transfusions is cost prohibitive for hospice agencies. It is time to heed the call from the American Society of Hematology and palliative care and hospice agencies nationwide to revise the Medicare hospice benefit such that patients with blood cancers can receive hospice care as soon as their cancer-directed treatments are no longer valuable without sacrificing the quality-of-life–sustaining transfusions. This will be an important step toward ensuring high-quality EOL care for patients with hematologic malignant neoplasms.

Precision Radiation Oncology Rhode Island and HopeHealth Hospice & Palliative Care announce Collaborative partnership Today in Business, Providence, RI; Press Release; 12/30/25 Precision Radiation Oncology Rhode Island (PRORI) ... along with HopeHealth, provider of palliative care and hospice services, are proud to announce a new collaborative partnership, aimed at improving quality of life and Precision outcomes for patients undergoing cancer care, beginning January 2026. This collaboration brings together two organizations with complementary missions: delivering state-of-the-art cancer treatment while ensuring compassionate, patient-centered support throughout every stage of the patient’s cancer journey. By working closely together, in a synergistic manner, PRORI and HopeHealth will provide a seamless continuum of cancer care that addresses not only the clinical aspects of cancer treatment, but also the physical, emotional, and psychosocial needs of patients, their families and caregivers.

Patients with hematologic cancers value blood transfusions most in hospice services Healio; by Josh Friedman; 12/29/25 Key takeaways:

Alzheimer's: When is it time to consider hospice care? The Advocate, Baton Rouge, LA; by Dana Territo; 12/29/25 ... Since the span of Alzheimer's disease can run from seven to 20 years, it is often difficult to know when the person warrants hospice care. Generally, an individual with Alzheimer's is ready for a hospice referral when they become severely impaired in function, (no longer can walk or feed themselves); when the person has become incontinent; when they experience frequent choking episodes or have difficulty in breathing, are unable to speak or communicate meaningfully (limited to about a half dozen or fewer intelligible words), or have significant weight loss. ...Editor's Note: This local advocacy article provides important information for all hospices, with references to their state organization--Louisiana-Missisippi Hospice & Palliative Care Organization--for ongoing resources. 

Holistic hospice provider expands to Pinellas County Catalyst; by Mark Parker; 12/24/25 A national end-of-life care company with unique offerings, including pet visits, personal pampering and Memory Bears made from a patient’s clothing, has expanded to Pinellas County. VITAS Healthcare is a nearly 50-year-old mobile hospice provider that takes a holistic approach to providing support during a sensitive time in someone’s life. A new administrative office at 12425 28th St. N. in St. Petersburg serves as a home base for interdisciplinary care teams. Kathleen Coronado, vice president of operations, said VITAS plans to eventually open a local inpatient center “for patients who need a higher level of care.” However, the company’s primary goal is to provide comfort wherever patients call home.