Literature Review

The professional guest: Ethical challenges in home-based end-of-life care among interprofessional teamsNursing Ethics; Inbal Halevi Hochwald, Gila Yakov, Moran Weiss, Liron Inchi, Inbal Mayan, Ron Sabar; 4/26Home-based end-of-life palliative care presents unique ethical challenges that differ fundamentally from those in institutional settings. Healthcare professionals navigate the complex role of being both clinical experts and guests in patients' domestic environments, operating in a context where professional authority is continuously negotiated rather than institutionally established. Home-based palliative care places professionals at the intersection of clinical responsibility and domestic sovereignty, a position for which existing frameworks offer insufficient guidance. Addressing these structural and relational challenges requires both individual-level preparation, including training in ethical decision-making in low-control environments, and systemic policy reform.

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.

New hospice expands end-of-life care services in four-county area Coshocton Tribune, Coshocton County OH; by Jane Imbody; 5/14/26 A new Heartland Hospice location has opened in Zanesville, expanding access to end-of-life care in the area. ... Heartland Hospice is part of the Gentiva family of healthcare providers. It offers care for patients with life-limiting or serious illnesses.

US halting Medicare enrollments for new home healthcare and hospice providers Reuters; by Jody Godoy; 5/13/26 The Trump administration will temporarily block new home health and hospice providers on Wednesday from enrolling in Medicare, a senior administration official said, citing concerns about widespread fraud. The nationwide moratorium is the latest move by Vice President JD Vance's anti-fraud task force to crack down on healthcare scams, including those that affect Medicare, a U.S. government program providing health insurance to elderly and disabled Americans.

Ribbon cutting held for Bernardo Hospice Care The Newberry Observer, Newberry, SC; by Kelly Duncan; 5/11/26 Dr. Michael Bernardo has been a staple in the Newberry community for over 30 years, providing care for families in all stages of life, from childbirth and adult medicine to making the transition to geriatric care and opening his own hospice practice, Bernardo Hospice Care, in 2023. Last week, Bernardo Hospice Care was officially welcomed into the community with a ribbon cutting ceremony. ... Earlier this year Beranardo was named Physician of the Year by the SC Home Care & Hospice Association. ...

NPHI commends CMS action to implement temporary nationwide hospice moratorium to strengthen hospice program integrity National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation | NPHI, Washington, DC; Press Release; 5/13/26 The National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI), the national voice for nonprofit hospice and advanced illness care, applauds the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) announcement of a temporary six-month nationwide moratorium on new Medicare hospice enrollments that will help stop fraudulent operators from exploiting the Medicare hospice benefit. NPHI was the first organization in the nation to publicly call for a temporary nationwide moratorium, formally urging CMS to take this action in a March 25, 2026 letter sent to CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz and Deputy Administrator and COO Kim Brandt.

VITAS® Healthcare is expanding hospice services along Florida's Gulf Coast, coming soon to Manatee County PR Newswire, Bradenton, FL; by VITAS Healthcare; 5/12/26 Residents of Manatee County will soon have greater access to compassionate hospice and palliative care as VITAS Healthcare, the nation's leading provider of end-of-life care, prepares to begin serving patients and families in Bradenton, Palmetto, Parrish and Lakewood Ranch this summer. ... Located along Florida's Gulf Coast, Manatee County is home to more than 468,000 residents. Of the county's population, 29% is age 65 or older, significantly exceeding both the Florida average (22%) and the national average (18%). 

We can fight fraud without threatening access to care RealClear Health; by Peter Pitts; 5/8/26 ... In recent months, the Trump administration has identified a small but significant number of bad actors that have cheated the system. These fraudsters aren’t just stealing taxpayer dollars — their actions are threatening access to quality care and undermining patients and families’ trust in Medicare. Those criminals should be removed from federal programs and prosecuted. ... But that’s not the full story. Not even close. ... This doesn’t have to be a choice between fighting fraud and protecting access to care. We can and must do both: root out fraud and protect access to high-quality hospice and home health care at the same time.

Nursing home ratings and characteristics predict hospice use among decedents with serious illnessesJournal of the American Medical Directors Association; by Ellis C Dillon, Chae Man Lee, Wenqi Gan, Doreek Charles, Germine Soliman, Julie Robison; 4/26Approximately one-third of older Americans experience a nursing home (NH) stay within 3 months of death, but it is unclear how NH characteristics influence end-of-life care.  Short-term (vs long-term) NH stays were associated with increased odds of hospice use and short hospice use. Individuals with long-term stays had lower odds of hospice use with stays at NHs with the highest (vs lowest) CMS ratings for quality measures and staffing ... Those with short-term stays had lower odds of hospice use with stays at NHs with the highest CMS Health Inspection ratings. People with long-term stays at NHs that were part of a chain, had Alzheimer's care units, or had more beds had increased odds of hospice care. Conclusions and implications: Among Connecticut Medicaid-insured decedents with NH stays, people with long-term stays and stays in NHs with better CMS ratings had lower odds of hospice use. Assistant Editor's note: This summary article highlights an important issue and an excellent opportunity for future analysis in a broader context. Intuitively, we'd like to see highly rated NHs have higher hospice utilization. 

Healthcare leaders break down hospice reform, Medicare & quality care | part one Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN); podcast hosted by Chris Comeaux with Tom Koutsoumpas and Carole Fisher; 5/6/26 In Part One of Healthcare Leaders Break Down Hospice Reform, Medicare & Quality Care, Chris Comeaux sits down with nationally respected healthcare leaders Tom Koutsoumpas, Founder & CEO of NPHI and Carole Fisher, President of NPHI to explore the evolving future of hospice, palliative care, Medicare oversight, and the growing demand for quality-driven, compassionate healthcare leadership. Together, they unpack the growing challenges facing end-of-life care — from fraud and benefit manipulation to the urgent need for quality transparency and authentic patient-centered care.

What a new hospice center means for Cleveland – beyond health care: Bill Finn Cleveland.com, Cleveland, OH; by Bill Finn, President and CEO of Reserve Care (formerly Hospice of the Western Reserve); 5/3/26 Cleveland is no stranger to reinvention. We are a city shaped by resilience, by industry and by a deep commitment to one another. That spirit is what makes this moment so meaningful as Reserve Care opens a new lakefront care center, designed not only for patients and families, but for our entire community. ... Set along Lake Erie, the space was intentionally designed to feel different from a hospital. ... Every detail, from the views of the water to the quiet areas for conversation, supports a single goal: to ease stress and create a sense of peace. But the impact goes beyond the walls of the building. ...