Literature Review

10 healthiest, unhealthiest cities in 2025 Becker's Hospital Review; by Mariah Taylor; 3/31/25 San Francisco is the healthiest city in the U.S. while Brownsville, Texas, is the unhealthiest city, WalletHub found. WalletHub compared 182 cities, including the 150 most populated cities in the U.S. plus at least two of the most populated cities in each state, across four dimensions: healthcare, food, fitness and green space. ...

What happens when someone passes at home? It depends Bozeman Daily Chronicle, Bozeman, MT; Chris Remely "discussions with a funeral director"; 4/5/25 One of the most common questions we get asked as funeral directors is, “What happens if I pass away at home?” The answer is ... it depends. Home death is fairly common in the context of someone being on hospice care. For many individuals who have been given a difficult medical diagnosis that is terminal, they often prefer to be at home surrounded by loved ones for as long as possible. ... In this scenario, hospice will pronounce the death and work with the funeral home to transfer the individual into their care. ... However, when someone passes away at home and they are not on hospice, this is considered an “unattended death” — meaning a medical professional is not involved. In this case, the coroner’s office is required to investigate the death to determine the cause and manner of death — as well as pronounce the death. ... When someone from the coroner’s office arrives, they will do several things. They will visit with the next of kin and ask them questions about their loved one’s medical history and investigate the scene where the death occurred. Editor's note: Too often, hospices gloss over this all-important information for caregivers and families. Death is traumatic enough. Families are left in a lurch. Conflicts can erupt at the family's most vulnerable moments. Yes, timing and delivery for such sensitive information is important. Our sponsor Composing Life Out of Loss provides empathic, sensitive videos for hospice teams to use with caregivers and families, with interdisciplinary team guides for tending individuals' different readiness for education and preparation.

Jackson County nurse braves floodwaters to reach isolated hospice patient Fox 56, Jackson County, KY; by Corey Elam; 4/4/25 When deadly flooding cut off access and phone service for a Jackson County hospice patient on Friday [4/4/25], a healthcare worker teamed up with emergency management teams to care for her patient. According to Hospice Care Plus, after finding out her patient was isolated and couldn’t be reached by phone, Nurse Makale Fox worked with Jackson County Emergency Management (JCEM) to find a way to get to her. “With the support of Jackson County Emergency Management, Makale ... was able to safely navigate through the flooded area and reach her patient, ensuring they received the comfort and care they deserved,” Hospice Care Plus wrote. The hospice care nonprofit thanked Makale for her unwavering commitment, as well as JCEM for making it possible for her to get to her patient. [Continue for photos and more ...]

Agrace named preferred hospice provider to Oakwood Village Communities Agrace, Madison, WI; Press release; 4/2/25 Two pillars of Madison’s healthcare community are partnering to deliver exceptional care to patients and families: Oakwood and Agrace. Residents of Oakwood Village Communities who are in the final months of life now have a preferred partner for high-quality hospice care. Agrace, Wisconsin’s largest nonprofit hospice, has entered into a Preferred Partner Agreement with Oakwood for the care of its residents, effective immediately. “Agrace is honored to be named Oakwood’s Preferred Partner for delivering hospice care,” said Lynne Sexten, Agrace President & CEO. [Continue reading ...]

Impact of outpatient palliative care services on resource utilization and cost management in a capitated Medicare populationJournal of Palliative Medicine; Parag Bharadwaj, Gagandeep Gill, Nathan Dyjack, Lindsay Fahnestock, Lorie D'Amore, Shuinn Chang, Nancy Hanna, Tanya Dansky, Gwyn Merz, Annamarie Jones, David Kim, Manjit Randhawa; 3/25The integration of palliative care into the U.S. health care system has grown significantly, with outpatient palliative care services (OPCSs) playing an increasingly vital role in managing patients with serious illnesses. Results [of this study] demonstrate substantial growth in OPCS enrollment, with a 129% increase from 2019 to 2023. Per-member-per-month costs showed a sustained reduction, with a 23% decrease by 2023. In addition, there were consistent reductions in ED [emergency department] visits and IP [in-patient] admissions, indicating effective outpatient care management. Patients transitioning from OPCS to hospice exhibited longer hospice stays, further emphasizing the benefits of early palliative care interventions.

Federal legislation would mandate hospice education upon hospital discharge McKnights Home Care; by Adam Healy; 4/2/25 A bill under consideration in Congress would require hospitals to educate patients about hospice care options upon discharge. HR 2437, introduced Thursday by Rep. Erin Houchin (R-IN), would amend Medicare policy to mandate that hospitals “provide information on available hospice programs to certain individuals upon discharge,” according to the bill. Although hospitals are not necessarily required to provide patients with information on available hospice programs upon discharge, they are encouraged to do so. [Continue reading ...]

Moffitt Cancer Center to offer inpatient hospice Becker's Hospital Review, Tampa, FL; by Elizabeth Gregerson; 3/31/25 Tampa, Fla.-based Moffitt Cancer Center has partnered with Clearwater, Fla.-based Empath Health to offer inpatient hospice services. Moffitt care teams will continue to care for patients while nurses from Suncoast Hospice of Hillsborough in Tampa, part of Empath Health, will ensure inpatient hospice care criteria is met. Moffitt’s palliative medicine team will also “collaborate closely” with the hospice care team ... Moffitt CEO Patrik Hwu, MD, prioritized partnering with a hospice agency two years ago, the release said. “One of the biggest benefits of this partnership is the option for patients and their loved ones to transition from curative treatment to receiving compassionate end-of-life care while they continue maintaining relationships with their care team at Moffitt,” Kerry Hoerner, BSN, RN, senior vice president of Empath Health’s hospice division, said in the release. 

Niagara Hospice to offer free community presentation for National Healthcare Decisions Day Niagara Frontier Publications; Press Release; 3/28/25 April 16 is National Healthcare Decisions Day, which is a day set aside to educate and empower individuals to discuss and document their end-of-life health care wishes. Niagara Hospice invites the community to attend the free presentation, “Advance Care Planning: Advance Directives for Health Care,” ... Advance care planning includes advance directives like health care proxies, do not resuscitate (DNR) orders, and living wills. Advance directives help to ensure end-of-life care wishes are followed if one is unable to make necessary decisions for themselves. [Continue reading ...]Editor's note: For more information about National Healthcare Decisions Day (NHDD), explor The Conversation Project, at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. 

What is death positivity? Healthline; by Sarah Choi, medically reviewed by Joslyn Jelinek, LCSW, ACSW, RDDP; 3/28/25 Death positivity involves acknowledging death as simply the final phase of life. It emphasizes open discussions around death and education on the options, rights, and choices surrounding it. ... The Death Positivity Movement was coined in 2011 by funeral director Caitlin Doughty, but the sentiment existed long before — the movement’s origins date back to the 1970s, drawing on the hospice movement. ... Elements of the Death Positivity Movement:

What to know about palliative and hospice care Association of Health Care Journalists (AHCJ); by Liz Seegert; 3/28/25 ... [Palliative care] is fundamental to health and human dignity and is a basic human right, according to the FXB Center for Health and Human Rights at Harvard.  When reporting on serious illnesses, journalists can help demystify palliative care and encourage more people in need to take advantage of it by clearly explaining the differences, and benefits, and incorporating anecdotes to further illustrate how these types of care make a difference in the lives of patients and their families. [Continue reading ...] Editor's note: Share this article--written for health care journalists--with your communications and marketing leadership, with your community newspapers' journalists, and your employee/volunteer educators. Too often, new hospice/palliative care employees at all levels of roles and responsibilities begin their roles without clear knowledge, comprehension, and application of distinctions between standard healthcare, palliative care, and hospice care.  

Palliative care in home health: Misconceptions and market opportunities Home Health Care News; by Joyce Famakinwa; 3/28/25 While palliative care remains an uncommon offering among home-based health care providers, forward-thinking providers have recognized a growing market demand and are strategically expanding their service offerings to include palliative care solutions. Expanding service lines to include palliative care can help home-based care providers stand out from their peers, industry insiders told Home Health Care News. However, a significant knowledge gap is slowing the adoption of palliative care within the home health community. Home health care clinicians, patients and caregivers all report insufficient knowledge of palliative care, according to a recent study conducted by Columbia Nursing research and published in the Journal Home Healthcare Now. [Continue reading ...]

Mitchell Hospice House celebrates upcoming grand opening KTIV-4 News, Sioux City, IA; by Acacia Phillips; 3/25/25 ... On Tuesday, Mitchell Hospice House celebrated its grand opening, which is less than a week away. At the celebration, members of the community had the opportunity to tour the facility. ... Mitchell Hospice House has a total of 9 rooms. ... They also have rooms for family members so they can be close to their loved ones. The goal is to provide a space for those who need that end-of-life care but want a place that feels like home. They officially open next Monday, March 31. [Contintue reading ...]