Literature Review

Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice receives $5,000 grant from First Hope Bank Pike County Courier, Newton, NJ; 6/23/26 Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice has received a $5,000 grant from First Hope Bank, supporting the organization’s continued mission to provide compassionate, high‑quality hospice care to the community. ... The grant is part of First Hope Bank’s initiative to recognize and support qualifying small businesses, farms, and nonprofit organizations that have experienced economic challenges and supply‑chain constraints. This investment reflects the bank’s commitment to strengthening local organizations that make a meaningful difference in the communities they serve.

Medicare could have saved $255.1 Million related to hospice services for certain new hospice enrollees United States Government HHS-Office of the Inspector General (OIG), Report number: A-06-22-09003; issued on 6/18/2026, posted on 6/23/26 [From the Full Report]: Our objective was to determine whether the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) made Medicare payments to hospices for certain new hospice enrollees in accordance with Medicare requirements.

Hospice, ethics & capitalism:  a powerful conversation with  UVA Darden School of Business — part one Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN); podcast hosted by Chris Comeaux with Lauren Kaufman and Stephen Maiden; 6/17/26 Few topics spark more debate in healthcare than the intersection of compassionate care, ethical responsibility, and financial sustainability. Will mission-driven hospice organizations survive—and thrive—in a healthcare landscape increasingly dominated by for-profit providers? In Part One of this compelling conversation, host Chris Comeaux welcomes Lauren Kaufmann, Assistant Professor of Business Administration at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business, and Stephen Maiden, Managing Director of the Darden Case Writing Research Group. Together, they discuss the groundbreaking business case developed around Teleios Collaborative Network and the evolving hospice industry.

Hospice, ethics & capitalism:  a powerful conversation with  UVA Darden School of Business — part one Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN); podcast hosted by Chris Comeaux with Lauren Kaufman and Stephen Maiden; 6/17/26 Few topics spark more debate in healthcare than the intersection of compassionate care, ethical responsibility, and financial sustainability. Will mission-driven hospice organizations survive—and thrive—in a healthcare landscape increasingly dominated by for-profit providers? In Part One of this compelling conversation, host Chris Comeaux welcomes Lauren Kaufmann, Assistant Professor of Business Administration at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business, and Stephen Maiden, Managing Director of the Darden Case Writing Research Group. Together, they discuss the groundbreaking business case developed around Teleios Collaborative Network and the evolving hospice industry.

Humana to divest end-of-life care business for $900 million Forbes; by Bruce Japsen; 6/10/26 Humana, one of the nation’s largest providers of privatized Medicare Advantage health insurance for older adults, announced plans to divest its minority stake in a provider of end-of-life services for $900 million. Humana Wednesday said it has signed a “definitive agreement with a consortium of investors to divest all or substantially all of its minority interest in Gentiva, the nation’s leading provider of end-of-life services, including hospice and palliative care.” Humana said the company “intends to utilize proceeds from the sale for general corporate purposes.” The deal is expected to close in the third quarter of this year subject to various regulatory approvals.

Medicare hospice: action needed to pay more efficiently for routine home care GAO - U.S. Government Accountability Office; GAO-26-107585; publicly released 6/9/26 Fast Facts

Home care/hospice salary & benefits studies: participation now open LeadingAge; by Josh Moore; 6/8/26 Participation is now open for the annual Home Health and Hospice Salary & Benefits Studies, conducted in cooperation by LeadingAge’s partner Hospital & Healthcare Compensation Service (HCS), and LeadingAge is encouraging our members to participate.  The study is recognized as the standard for reliable and comprehensive compensation data, including management salaries, nonmanagement wages, fringe benefits, and other facility metrics. ... Last year’s Home Care Report contained data from 1,111 home health agencies and the Hospice Report had data from 1,091 hospice agencies.

National Alliance for Care at Home responds to GAO report regarding Medicare hospice payment The National Alliance for Care at Home (The Alliance), Alexandria, VA; Press Release; 6/9/26 The National Alliance for Care at Home (the Alliance) today responded to a new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) recommending that Congress consider directing the Department of Health and Human Services to restructure the Medicare hospice payment system to better promote routine home care payment efficiency. ... The GAO report asserts that shifting hospice to per-visit payment rates comparable to home health would have reduced Medicare spending by $7.6 billion for a selected group of beneficiaries in 2024. However, these savings are generated in part by paying less to “low visit” hospices that are concentrated in known high-fraud areas. ... 

Executive Personnel Changes - 6/5/26

State grant supports Navian Hawai'i, expands access to hospice careNavian Hawaii, Honolulu, HI; Press Release; 5/14/26 As federal funding uncertainty continues to impact health care providers nationwide, the Hawaiʻi State Legislature has approved a $450,000 grant-in-aid to Navian Hawaii. The funds will be used to renovate the nonprofit organization’s Kailua Home, helping expand access to hospice care and potentially increase Medicare funding for the state. The funding was included in the state’s supplemental budget bill finalized April 30, which outlines operating and capital improvement priorities for the upcoming fiscal year. The measure comes amid broader federal budget concerns, including proposed cuts to Medicaid under H.R. 1.

Lawsuit claims new Iowa hospice unfairly competes for patients and caregivers VoiceofAlexandria.com, Alexandria, MN; by Clark Kauffman; 5/21/26A West Des Moines man is being sued for establishing a hospice program that allegedly competes with his former employer for increasingly scarce healthcare workers. Abode Healthcare Inc., an affiliate of BrightSpring Health Services, is suing Rick W. Breuss III of Sacred Encounter Hospice of Central Iowa in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa. ... In August 2025, Abide alleges, Breuss resigned from Abode – six months after he formed Sacred Encounter, a competing hospice care provider.

[New Zealand] Hospices turning away dying patients as funding shortfall bites Europe Says | New Zealand; 5/16/26 Hospices across New Zealand are being forced to turn away dying patients as they struggle to cope with rising costs and insufficient government funding. There are 32 hospices nationwide providing palliative care, but the sector says it needs an additional $80 million to $100 million a year from the Government to remain financially sustainable. 

Southcoast Health event raises over $230,000 for hospice The Herald News, Fall River, MA; by Beth McDermott; 5/7/26 Southcoast Health's annual Light the Way event raised more than $230,000 for Southcoast Health at Home's Compassion Fund, according to a community announcement. The event, held April 29 at the Century House in Acushnet, brought together community members, donors and caregivers to support Southcoast Health at Home's Compassion Fund.