Literature Review

Illinois plan calls for annual report on hospice, palliative care for prisoners WAND TV News, Springfield, IL; by Mike Miletich; 5/8/25 The Illinois House Restorative Justice & Public Safety Committee passed a bill Thursday [5/8] to require the Illinois Department of Corrections report data on hospice care available for prisoners. Over 1,000 Illinois prisoners are 65 or older, and a growing number of those people are in need of end-of-life care and support services. The Department of Corrections does not have a formal hospice program, as end-of-life care is provided on a prison-by-prison basis. Although, sponsors and advocates said this has led to inconsistent care for prisoners diagnosed with terminal illnesses or who are expected to reach the end of their life.

New study uncovers significant variations in life expectancy across U.S. states Bioengineer.org - Health; by Bioengineer; 5/7/25 "A Century of Unequal Longevity: How Geography and Policy Sculpt Life Expectancy in the United States"In an extensive new investigation led by the Yale School of Public Health (YSPH), researchers have unveiled profound disparities in life expectancy trends throughout the United States over the last hundred years. This groundbreaking study reveals how the interplay between public health policies, social environments, and regional factors critically shapes the longevity of populations across states and the nation’s capital, Washington, D.C. ... The findings are striking: while states in the Northeast and West Coast, alongside the District of Columbia, achieved remarkable gains in life expectancy over the twentieth century, several Southern states remained largely stagnant. Specifically, females born in some parts of the South experienced life expectancy increases of less than three years between 1900 and 2000.

Group estimates 7.2M US residents have Alzheimer's disease: Cases rise as Alzheimer's research funds are halted  MedPageToday; by Judy George; 4/29/25 The number of people with Alzheimer's dementia in the U.S. exceeded 7 million for the first time, new data from the Alzheimer's Association showed.An estimated 7.2 million Americans ages 65 and older now have Alzheimer's dementia, up from 6.9 million last year, according to the 2025 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures. Nearly three-fourths (74%) of that group are 75 and older. While prevalence studies of dementia in young people are limited, researchers estimated that approximately 110 of every 100,000 people ages 30 to 64 -- or about 200,000 Americans in total -- have young-onset dementia, the Alzheimer's Association said.

Breaking with the status quo in end-of-life care through de-implementation Journal of Internal Medicine; by Chetna Malhotra and Ellie Bostwick Andres; 4/17/25... In the realm of serious illness, many patients undergo interventions that may marginally prolong life but often sacrifice quality of life and entail significant costs. These interventions, categorized as ‘low-value care’, often involve complex procedures, frequent hospitalizations and intense medical management, leading to considerable discomfort, reduced functional ability and overall decreased well-being and calling into question the efficiency and effectiveness of current end-of-life (EOL) care practices. ... How to conduct de-implementation in EOL contexts:

Identifying palliative care needs in heart failure patients with nurse-led screening Journal of Hospice & Palliative Nursing; by Cantey, Christina DNP, FNP-C, AACC, CCK; Douglas-Mattis, Yhaneek DNP, AGACNP-BC; Lisiakowski, Jillian DNP, FNP-C; Fowler, Caley MSN, RN; Ejem, Deborah PhD, MA; 4/18/25 ... This quality improvement project aimed to improve the identification of unmet palliative care needs in patients with heart failure admitted to a progressive care unit by implementing a standardized nurse-administered palliative care screening tool. ... Implementing a nurse-administered screening tool effectively identified unmet palliative care needs among patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction and NYHA III. Despite low rates of palliative consults, standardization using IPOS could increase screening, contribute to institutional triggering palliative consultations, and improve awareness of unmet needs.

Think you know what nursing research looks like? Think again Boise State News, Boise, ID; 4/30/25 “Research” doesn’t just mean generating new discoveries through experimentation. Boise State supports Boyer’s model of scholarship, which expands the definition of research and creative activity to include applying and integrating knowledge into other settings, as well as teaching it. ... [An] interdisciplinary team is working to improve hospice and palliative care for refugees. ... Clinicians and refugees often do not share common cultures, languages or communication norms, so [Kate] Doyon has been building a community advisory board to create a communication guide. They’re working with stakeholders–including refugees and providers–to develop prompts that will enhance the care refugees receive, starting on the level of communication. Ornelas said the refugees they interviewed “gave us a lot of insight on different cultures and how we can go about and make prompts.” The prompts are short phrases to remind the healthcare team of best ways to interact with refugees and productively approach conversations.

Administration to close HHS Civil Rights office Newsmax; by Brian Freeman; 4/28/25 As part of massive cutbacks at the Department of Health and Human Services, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will shut down their civil rights office in June, according to an email sent to staff on Monday and viewed by Politico. HHS has already been reduced by some 20% as part of overall downsizing, with Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and President Donald Trump focusing on eliminating those programs and agencies they say promote diversity, equity, and inclusion. ... Complaints that are nearing completion connected to workplace harassment and discrimination will be closed out in the coming weeks, and remaining complaints will be "transferred to an appropriate entity," the email stated.Editor's note: Data from the 2024 NHPCO Facts and Figures Report states: "In CY 2022, 51.6% of White Medicare decedents used the Medicare Hospice Benefit. 38.1% of Asian American Medicare decedents and 37.4% of Black Medicare decedents enrolled in hospice. 38.3% of Hispanic and 37.1% of North American Native Medicare decedents used hospice in 2022." The discrepancies between white and non-white decedents demonstrate double-digit differences. Extensive evidence-based research validates wide gaps in hospice/healthcare for persons whom the HHS Civil Rights office is charged with protecting. For more, visit Office of Civi Rights Home | HHS.gov and Office of Civil Rights About Us. 

Top 50 Hospice Providers report now availableHospice News - Flagship Report; 4/30/25The hospice sector has undergone dramatic changes in recent years. Once a nonprofit, volunteer-driven movement, the industry is now a landscape dominated by for-profit entities, private equity, and publicly traded companies. This shift is reshaping care delivery, reimbursement models, and the competition that exists in end-of-life care. Hospice News partnered with Hospice Analytics to rank the largest hospice chains by 2023 Medicare claims. Using proprietary data, including Medicare payments and SEC filings, the report tracks changes in ownership and acquisitions, offering a comprehensive view of the industry landscape. Dive into the data and insights to better understand the evolving dynamics of the hospice industry.Editor's note: The "top" hospice providers is based on the size of chains, not on quality scores. Hospice Analytics--partner for this project--provides quality scores for these through its National Hospice Locator. (Hospice Analytics is a sponsor for this newsletter.)

Longmont women celebrate milestone 100th birthdays with community and caregivers Longmont Leader, Longmont, CO; by Tricia Stortz; 4/28/25 Two Longmont women are marking a rare milestone this week as they each celebrate their 100th birthdays surrounded by caregivers, family, and friends who have helped shape their life journeys.Virginia, a palliative care patient at The Peaks Care Center, turned 100 on April 25. Dorothea VanLoo, a hospice patient at McIntosh Skilled Nursing Facility, celebrates her centennial today on April 28. Both women are under the care of TRU Community Care, Colorado’s first hospice organization, which today serves more than 1,300 patients and participants across a range of programs. Their milestone birthdays have inspired a community effort to honor lives richly lived.

CMS releases HOPE Guidance Manual (V. 1.01) and TablesCenters for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS); by CMS; 4/22/25On April 22, 2025, CMS released the HOPE Guidance Manual (V. 1.01) and connected tables. Providers can use v1.01 for HOPE planning, as this is considered final before HOPE implementation. Also note that earlier this month, the final HOPE data specs have also been released, helping software developers to finalize their HOPE software for testing in the coming months.

I’m a hospice physician. There’s one thing I dread telling my patients. Slate; by Charlotte Grinberg; 4/22/25 Tom was dying, and managing his condition at home was increasingly difficult. ... His wife Sue was in survival mode. A few sleepless nights turned into weeks without rest, during which she was constantly trying to manage Tom’s symptoms and take care of his basic needs. I’m a hospice physician, and it’s at junctures like this that I can offer a life vest that completely changes the end-of-life experience. ... I told Sue that I thought Tom should transfer to our inpatient hospice facility. “You have done everything possible for Tom at home, it’s too much to ask of you or anybody,” I said. “He needs a higher level of care.” ... Getting a devoted spouse to agree to move their dying partner out of the home isn’t always easy. But a few days after Tom arrived at the inpatient hospice facility, Sue cried tears of appreciation describing the daily baths the caretakers there gave him. 

7-year-old Clayton girl battling stage 4 cancer enters hospice care at her home CBS-17 News, Raleigh/Clayton, NC; by Matthew Sockol, Maggie Newland, Greg Funderburg; 4/18/25 A seven-year-old girl battling an aggressive cancer has returned to her home in Clayton, her family said Friday. Noelle Franklin was diagnosed with stage four osteosarcoma less than a year ago and received treatment at UNC Children’s Hospital. In a video post on the Noelle Strong Facebook page, her mother Toni said Noelle is entering hospice care at their home. “The staff of UNC went above and beyond,” Toni Franklin said in a statement. “The care Noelle had was more than we could ask for. “Noelle has touched so many people, not just in our community, but in the hospital too,” she continued in her statement. “Seeing how many people came to celebrate Noelle breaking out overwhelmed me with joy. We paraded three different floors, wouldn’t expect anything less for Noelle. “We are home. We are at peace.”