Literature Review

State associations urge CMS to forgo potential national hospice enrollment moratorium Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 4/10/26 A group of state hospice associations have expressed mounting concerns that a rumored national moratorium prohibiting new provider enrollments could adversely affect access. A letter to the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) was recently penned by the Florida Hospice & Palliative Care Association (FHPCA), the Association for Home & Hospice Care of North Carolina (AHHC of NC) and the South Carolina Home Care & Hospice Association (SCHCHA). A national moratorium, if enacted, would impact the ability for legitimate hospices to provide quality care during a time of rising demand, said FHPCA President and CEO Paul Ledford and Tim Rogers, president and CEO of SCHCHA and AHHC of NC. 

CMS issues guidance to implement new limits on federal Medicaid and CHIP funding for certain noncitizens CMS Newsroom; Press Release; 4/8/26 CMS is preparing states for an upcoming change that will limit the ability to claim federal matching funds for Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for individuals who are not U.S. citizens or U.S. nationals, or who fall into specific noncitizen categories identified in statute. New guidance issued today will ensure states understand their responsibility in implementing this statutory change beginning October 1, 2026. ... To view the State Health Official (SHO) letter, visit: https://www.medicaid.gov/federal-policy-guidance/downloads/sho26001.pdf.

Regional Home Health and Hospice facility to lay off 161 employees at Greenville site WhatNow; by Deepali Singla; 4/9/26 ECU Health Home Health and Hospice will lay off 161 employees at its facility in Greenville. The company filed a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) notice with the state. The layoffs follow the shutdown of the Greenville facility. ECU Health Home Health and Hospice filed a WARN notice indicating the closure of its facility at 1005 WH Smith Blvd, Greenville, NC 27834. As a result of the closure, the layoffs are scheduled to take effect on May 1, 2026.

LACo Board presses for stepped-up enforcement of hospice, home care fraud MyNewsLA.com; by Contributing Editor; 4/7/26 The county Board of Supervisors directed its staff Tuesday to develop recommendations aimed at improving coordination with other agencies to crack down on home health and hospice fraud. “Fraud in home health and hospice care is not just a financial crime — it is a direct threat to the health and safety of some of our most vulnerable residents,” Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath said in a statement after the board’s unanimous vote. 

Asbury Hospice House breaks ground on expansion in Hattiesburg WDAM-TV 7, Hattiesburg, MS; by Delaney Dukes; 4/1/26 The Forrest Health Foundation broke ground Wednesday afternoon on an expansion at the Asbury Hospice House that will add new spaces designed for comfort and connection. ... The expansion includes larger family areas, a children’s activity space, a larger on-site pharmacy and an outdoor pavilion. ... The Forrest Health Foundation raised more than $3 million to support the expansion.

Saad Healthcare’s ‘The Retreat’ offers comfort for hospice patients and families Fox10 News - WALA, Mobile, AL; by Lee Peck; 4/3/26 Behind Saad Healthcare sits a place for families seeking comfort and support during end-of-life care. They call it “The Retreat” — Saad’s inpatient hospice center. Gloria Massingill recalls her first visit three years ago, when her husband Kenny was looking for hospice care for his 93-year-old father. ... Saad’s The Retreat has 24 hospice beds on site and an additional 15 at their Providence location.

Quality improvement project: Implementing a mortality screening tool post hospital discharge to guide goals of care conversations and improve hospice admissions Geriatric Nursing; by Chelsea Goston, TeriAnn Benson, Heather Coats; 4/2/26 online ahead of print Problem: Bloom Healthcare has insufficient identification and under use of hospice services for eligible patients with chronic conditions. This gap leads to unnecessary hospitalizations, high costs, and suboptimal end-of-life experiences. ...Conclusions: The prognosis screening tool effectively facilitates timely hospice admissions and goals of care conversations in home-based care settings, enhancing end-of-life care and patient centered outcomes.

Croí Health raises $17.5M for patient care access, including through major philanthropic gifts MassNonprofit News; Press Release; 4/7/26 At the start of year three of their $20 million Voices Campaign, the Croí Health Charitable Fund has secured $17.5 million for patient care access.  Of this, they raised more than $11 million from an established donor base and more than 3,200 new, first-time donors. For the remaining amount, the Charitable Fund secured $6.5 million from leading philanthropists. About: Croí Health, formerly NVNA and Hospice, serves 27 communities, with a daily census of 1,200 and more than 200,000 patients annually. 

Empath Health completes Trustbridge integration, creating Florida's largest non-profit hospice network and expanding home-based care vision Empath Health, Lakewood Ranch, FL; Press Release; 4/6/26 Empath Health today announced the completion of Trustbridge's integration into its statewide network, finalizing a two-year affiliation that makes Empath Florida's largest non-profit hospice network and positions the organization to serve one in five hospice patients in Florida. ... Both will carry forward under the name Empath Trustbridge Hospice. ... Empath Trustbridge Hospice joins Empath Health's One Hospice Model alongside Empath Suncoast Hospice in the Tampa Bay region, Empath Tidewell Hospice on the Southwest Florida coast, and Empath Hospice of Marion County in Ocala, four legacy non-profit organizations with 40 to 50 years of community roots ...

Agrace expands to serve southeastern Wisconsin PR Newswire, Milwaukee, WI; by Agrace; 4/2/26 Agrace, the largest Wisconsin-based nonprofit hospice, has expanded to serve the entire southern half of Wisconsin with the addition of Ozaukee, Washington, Racine and Kenosha counties to its Milwaukee service region. ... Southeastern Wisconsin Agrace patients are served through its regional office in Wauwatosa by a care team that includes a local hospice physician, nurses, CNAs, volunteers and a spiritual & grief counselor.

Carolina Caring, nationally-recognized serious illness care provider, expands services to Davie County Carolina Caring, Davie County, NC; Press Release; 4/1/26 Carolina Caring, the nonprofit serious illness care provider serving Western North Carolina and the Charlotte Region, announces an expansion of services into Davie County. Carolina Caring is one of the first 3 hospice organizations established in North Carolina and has remained committed to the mission of providing high-quality, compassionate care for more than 45 years. The organization continues to evolve to meet the growing needs and expectations of the populations it serves. The expansion into Davie County follows a period of significant organizational growth and distinction.

QIM26-302: Hospice at the bedside: A Quality Improvement Initiative to improve end of life care and reduce inpatient mortality in a cancer center Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network - JNCCN; by Matthew Murphy, Jacqueline Young, Hardik Thakkar, Sean Powell, Timothy Hembree, and David Buxton; 3/31/26 ...  Patients dying in the hospital may not survive transfer to external hospice units. ...  Integration of GIP Hospice beds into the hospital has streamlined delivery of timely, comprehensive EoL care for patients and bereavement support for families. The collaborative care model allows the hospital-based team to deliver care with active support from the hospice agency. Families express appreciation for the program, especially in situations when the patient is not stable for transfer.