Literature Review

CMS clarifies telehealth policy during enrollment moratorium Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 5/21/26 Hospices will continue to be able to use telehealth for face-to-face recertifications during the hospice and home health enrollment moratorium, according to the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS). ... The federal statute stipulates that telehealth recertifications are not permitted in regions that are under an enrollment moratorium. This has raised some questions about how hospices can use telehealth for the next six months. “Perhaps the most troubling unintended consequence of a nationwide moratorium is its apparent impact on telehealth …” a trio of state associations said in a joint statement. “In rural communities and congested urban areas alike, this imposes severe and unnecessary burdens on the most vulnerable patients at the most vulnerable moments of their lives.”

Official Federal Register document with "Announcement of Nationwide Temporary Moratorium on Enrollment of Hospices" Federal Register National Archives; 5/14/26 [On Thursday, 5/14/26,] This document is scheduled to be published in the Federal Register on 2026-05-15 and available online at https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2026-09718, and on https://govinfo.gov.

Varied reporting of the CMS Hospice and Home Health Moratorium

Trinity Homes sees home health, hospice transition Minot Daily News, Minot, ND; by MDN Staff; 5/21/26 Trinity Health has announced it has contracted with CHI Health at Home and Hospice and CaringEdge to provide hospice services to residents at Trinity Homes. Both are established Minot-area providers. Ensuring continuity of care has been the top priority throughout this transition, according to Trinity, which has worked closely with CHI Health at Home and Hospice and CaringEdge to facilitate a smooth transition for patients and their families. The transition of patients is complete, Trinity reported.

Maui Hospice calms jitters after feds freeze new Medicare sign-ups Hoodline; by Marc Suzuki; 5/20/26Hospice Maui moved quickly this week to calm worried island families after federal officials hit pause on new Medicare hospice and home health enrollments. The Wailuku nonprofit stressed that long-standing, Medicare-certified providers like itself are not the focus of the federal action, and that patients already in its care will continue to receive visits, medications and support services without interruption. The organization also pointed families to a direct phone line for anyone who wants a real person to walk them through what the freeze does and does not mean.

Family Hospice expands compassionate care with new Greenwood, South Carolina location EIN Presswire, Greenwood, SC; by Family Hospice, LLC; 5/18/26 Family Hospice is proud to announce the opening of its newest location in Greenwood, South Carolina. ... The new location builds on Family Hospice’s established presence in the Upstate, including its Greenville and Spartanburg offices. As part of the expansion, Greenwood covers Abbeville, Clinton, Greenwood, Laurens, McCormick, Edgefield, Newberry, Saluda, and parts of Anderson, Greenville, Spartanburg, and Aiken counties.

Compassus-Providence JV to move forward in Oregon Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 5/18/26 The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) has cleared the way for a Compassus-Providence Health System joint venture to operate in the state. The home-based care provider Compassus has established a joint venture with the health system Providence in 2024 and expanded it last year. However, in Oregon the state agency must review all such transactions. ... The conditions are intended to ensure the proposed transaction serves the public interest by expanding access to home health and hospice services in medically underserved communities, according to OHA.

CMS leader explains hospice fraud, Medicare risks, and the future of healthcare | part one Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN); podcast hosted by Chris Comeaux with Kim Brandt; 5/13/26 In this compelling first installment, CMS Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Administrator Kim Brandt joins Chris Comeaux for a candid conversation about the growing hospice fraud crisis, the financial future of Medicare, and the urgent transformation happening across American healthcare. Drawing from her leadership role at CMS and firsthand experiences with hospice care in her own family, Brandt shares why hospice remains a critical pillar of compassionate care — while also exposing the alarming abuse threatening the integrity of the system.

Trends in preferred place of death among patients with bladder cancer in the United States, 2000 to 2020Palliative & Supportive Care; by Manas Pustake, Atharva Railkar, Mohammad Arfat Ganiyani, Atulya Aman Khosla, Avi Harisingani, Hanzala Jehangir, Mostafa Eysha, Divya Samat, Taha Hassan, Rohan Garje; 4/26Understanding trends in end-of-life care for bladder cancer patients is essential in improving palliative care planning. This study analyzes trends in preferred place of death among bladder cancer patients in the United States from year 2000 to 2020. Black individuals had significantly lower odds of hospice use than White patients ... and hospice use increased annually by an average of 13.4% ...  Interestingly, younger individuals were more likely to die in hospice compared to those aged 85 years or older, though the odds decreased with age. The results indicate that utilization of hospice care and home-based end-of-life care have risen in prominence though disparities are present across racial and regional groups.

Locally owned and operated hospice center opens in downtown New Iberia, LA The Daily Iberian, New Iberia, LA; by Corey Vaughn; 5/12/26 It’s always a scary decision to leave your job and start your own business, but New Iberia native Tyler Robicheaux said it’s an opportunity he couldn’t pass up. Robicheaux officially opened the doors to Foundations Hospice last year after being given the opportunity, alongside silent partners, to take his years of hospice care experience to the next level. ... One of the best parts of being the owner of his own hospice business has been implementing his vision for good care from the ground up. “You get to build it from the ground up: the good and not so good,” he said. 

Varied reporting of the CMS Hospice and Home Health Moratorium

CMS leader explains hospice fraud, Medicare risks, and the future of healthcare | part one Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN); podcast hosted by Chris Comeaux with Kim Brandt; 5/13/26 In this compelling first installment, CMS Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Administrator Kim Brandt joins Chris Comeaux for a candid conversation about the growing hospice fraud crisis, the financial future of Medicare, and the urgent transformation happening across American healthcare. Drawing from her leadership role at CMS and firsthand experiences with hospice care in her own family, Brandt shares why hospice remains a critical pillar of compassionate care — while also exposing the alarming abuse threatening the integrity of the system.