Literature Review

What we talk about, or not, when talking about death Enumclaw Courier-Herald; by Wire Service; 2/9/25 Death is a guarantee for everyone, so why do people shy away from talking about it and using words like death and dying? ... As a death doula and grief coach, Kathleen Putnam hopes that providing care to those who are grieving can help change the language surrounding death. ... Putnam explains that in present society, people want to avoid grief and pain. With medical advancements and industries and marketing systems focusing on keeping people alive, the rhetoric surrounding dying has become negative. Putnam also pointed out that instead of using phrases like “they died” or “they’re dying,” other phrases like “pass away” and “they went to sleep” have become popular when talking about a loss.

After 'code issue,' veterans no longer receive free care at UP hospice site MyUpNow.com, Houghton, MI; by Thomas Fournier; 2/5/25 For a veteran staying at hospice care facility, it's important family can visit, especially in rural areas. But what happens when their facility no longer qualifies as a hospice facility for the Veteran's Health Administration (VHA)? Omega House Executive Director Mike Lutz said he received a call from the local Veteran's Affairs (VA) office in Iron Mountain late December 2024 informing him that they would "no longer be servicing veterans at Omega House." ... Veterans who would usually receive a reimbursement through the VA for their hospice care would no longer be able to find that at Omega House, leaving them to get their care 100 miles away or more. 

'It's not about technology or dashboards': What health systems need from IT execs next Becker's Health IT; by Laura Dyrda; 2/4/25 Health system IT leaders are entering a new era of leadership amid transformational technology platform purchases, artificial intelligence integration and cybersecurity advancements. But being the most technically proficient no longer guarantees leaders the top role. ... Healthcare IT leaders can become distracted by the bells and whistles of new technology and move forward without considering the patient experience. ... Staying close to the health system's mission is critical for IT leaders, and [Christopher Hutchins, senior vice president and chief data and analytics officer at Lifepoint Health] ties the technology back to patient care. He prioritizes his teammates and colleagues, listening carefully to what they need. Notable mentions: James Forrester, Chief Technology Officer at University of Rochester (NY) Medical Center; Donna Roach, CIO of University of Utah Health; and Christopher Hutchins, senior vice president and chief data and analytics officer at Lifepoint Health 

Advice on navigating complex caregiving Philadelphia Corporation for Aging; by Jay Nachman; 2/3/25 The biggest challenge for someone taking care of a parent or loved one is “accepting your loved one for who they are now. Not who you knew them to be,” said Dr. Kiplee Bell, an internal medicine physician who has created a practice focused on caregiving. ... It’s not uncommon, according to Bell, for minority community members to live in multi-generational households. Additionally, in some homes, grandparents are raising grandchildren. Then there is the flipside, where young children are helping to take care of their older family members. And when English is not a native tongue, language barriers can preclude an adequate understanding of how to navigate the social service and health care systems. ...

High reliability in action — a closer look at Unit-Based Quality Rounds Mass General Brigham; 1/7/25 ... “We’re creating a new process and I’m so proud of all of you because what you have accomplished so far has been amazing,” Nursing Director Vivian Donahue, RN, said at the opening of the huddle with just over 20 physicians, nurses, advance practice providers (APPs), unit staff and hospital and system senior leaders in attendance, including Thor Sundt, MD, chief of Cardiac Surgery for Mass General Brigham. ... At the unit’s first huddle in October, a conversation about the availability of hospice care generated a new referral process that connects patients receiving end-of-life care and their families to hospice services and ongoing emotional support for those coping with the passing of a loved one. At the Dec. 11 huddle, Donahue reported that the unit had provided this welcome, deeply appreciated additional support to five patients and their families.

The iatrogenic consequences of medicalising grief: Resetting the research agenda Sociology of Health & Illness: by Sarah Gurley-Green, Lisa Cosgrove, Milutin Kostic, Lauren Koa, and Susan McPherson; published 11/28/25, distributed via Evermore 1/28/25When the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) was published in 2013, there was a firestorm of controversy about the elimination of the bereavement exclusion. Proponents of this change and of the proposed “complicated grief” designation believed that this change would help clinicians recognise major depression in the context of recent bereavement. Other researchers and clinicians have raised concerns about medicalising grief. In 2022 “prolonged grief disorder” (PGD) was officially included in the DSM-5-TR in the trauma- and stressor-related disorders section. ... As human rights activists have argued, bereavement support is an inalienable human right, one that is centered on the right to health and well-being, for “bereavement health is as intrinsic to our humanity as any other aspect of health and citizenship” (Macaskill 2022). That is why there are increasing calls for investing in bereavement as a public good and for “cultivat[ing] a bereavement-conscious workforce.” (Lichtenthal et al. 2024, e273). As Lichtenthal notes, it is not only clinicians but also institutions and systems that must “shift bereavement care from an afterthought to a public health priority.”Editor's note: "Iatrogenic" refers to unintentional consequences/condition from a medical intervention. In the hospice context, this means bereavement/grief from the hospice death. How many patients do you serve? The CMS Hospice Conditions of Participation identify "bereavement" and/or "grief" 155 times. What priority do you give to bereavement care before, at and after your patients' deaths?

UNC Health, Duke Health to build children's hospital Modern Healthcare; by Alex Kacik; 1/28/25 UNC Health and Duke Health will build a freestanding children’s hospital in the Piedmont, North Carolina, area. The academic health systems plan to build a 500-bed children’s hospital, a pediatric outpatient center and a children’s behavioral health facility. The project, fueled by a $320 million investment by the state, is set to break ground in 2027 and take six years to complete, the organizations said in a Tuesday news release. 

Michigan Center for Rural Health working to expand rural palliative care Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 1/29/25Recent studies have established a dire need for palliative care in rural areas, and the state of Michigan is no stranger to this situation. To respond to the need, the Michigan Center for Rural Health (MCRH) is partnering with Stratis Health, a nonprofit consulting firm that specializes in assisting rural communities with providing palliative care services. The two organizations, which have partnered on projects related to critical care hospitals and Medicare beneficiaries, will choose five rural communities in the state with the goal of increasing their capacity to provide palliative care. In the current phase of the project, Stratis will be training MCRH staff to apply their framework for implementing palliative care programs in the target areas.

Palliative care may improve quality of life in esophageal cancer Cure; by Tim Cortese; 1/27/25 Palliative care consultations helped patients with esophageal cancer at end-of-life experience better quality of life and less financial strain by reducing the need for intensive interventions, according to a poster presented at the 2025 ASCO Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium. The mean length of hospital stay was 7.5 days (plus or minus 11.3 days) for patients who received palliative care and 8.9 days (plus or minus 14.9) for those who didn’t; and total charges were $97,879 (plus or minus $195,868) and $146,128 (plus or minus $321,830), respectively. Patients who received palliative care consultation had a Charlson Comorbidity Index of 9.4 (plus or minus 3.3) versus 9.1 (plus or minus 3.5) for patients who did not.

Best small footprint design of 2024: PACE Center with homelike charm Senior Housing News; by Andrew Christman; 1/27/25 Healthcare and social connections blend seamlessly in a new Program for All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) location in Winchester, Virginia. The organization behind the project, Blue Ridge, was inspired by the “community village” concept in its new concept, which is a PACE center that conjures a more homelike than clinical atmosphere. The program resides within a compact footprint of 15,540 square feet, according to SueAnn Myers, executive director and project lead for Blue Ridge Independence at Home. Prioritizing accessibility and ease of movement, the location features wide hallways, ramps and “thoughtfully placed” handrails. Recessed carpets reduce issues for visitors with wheelchairs and the building features a warm contemporary aesthetic that draws inspiration from the surrounding Blue Ridge Mountains. Blue Ridge Independence at Home’s PACE center design in a small package snagged it the top spot in the small footprint category of the 2024 Senior Housing News Architecture and Design Awards.

Palliative care is essential for seriously ill patients—at any ageAMA (American Medical Association); by Kevin B. O'Reilly; 1/27/25 The AMA House of Delegates has adopted new policies outlining physicians’ ethical obligation to provide or seek optimal palliative care for patients with serious illnesses who can benefit from comprehensive management of pain and other distressing symptoms—not only those with terminal illnesses or on the precipice of death. “Physicians have clinical ethical responsibilities to address the pain and suffering occasioned by illness and injury and to respect their patients as whole persons,” says one of the new policies adopted at the latest AMA Interim Meeting, held in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. “These duties require physicians to assure the provision of effective palliative care whenever a patient is experiencing serious, chronic, complex or critical illness, regardless of prognosis.” 

Concurrent Care Collaborative a safety net for pediatric patients Noozhawk, Santa Barbara, CA; by Easter Moorman; 1/26/25 Partners for Kids has initiated Santa Barbara County’s first Pediatric Concurrent Care Collaborative designed to offer comprehensive, compassionate, and coordinated care to seriously ill children from birth to 21 years of age. Spearheaded by Kieran Shah, president/CEO of VNA Health, and Rebecca Simonitsch, Quality Initiatives Program manager for Cottage Health, nine local organizations have joined to create a safety net for pediatric patients and their families to help them receive care close to home. The groups are: CenCal Health, Central Coast Home Health & Hospice, Cottage Children’s Medical Center, Dignity Health, Hearts Aligned, Herencia Indígena, Hospice of Santa Barbara, Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation, and VNA Health.