Literature Review

TCN/HPC Today: Storm clouds on the horizon for reimbursement - Top news stories, May 2025 Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN); podcast by Chris Comeaux with Cordt Kassner, 6/4/25 What happens when artificial intelligence meets end-of-life care?  How do we reconcile private equity's profit motives with hospice's mission-driven ethos?  These questions took center stage in this month's roundup of hospice news with host Chris Comeaux and guest Cordt Kassner. The May edition of TCNtalks' top news stories reveals a healthcare sector at a fascinating crossroads.  AI has emerged as both a tantalizing promise and a practical challenge for hospice providers.  ... In this episode of TCN Talks, hosts Chris Comeaux and Cord Kassner reflect on Memorial Day and discuss significant news stories from May, including the complexities of thanking veterans for their service, the role of artificial intelligence in hospice care, and the importance of honest conversations about racism in healthcare.Editor's note: This monthly podcast combines quantitative data and qualitative discussion from articles gleaned from the 400+ posts we provide each month. Do you seek to make sense of it all? Tune in and learn. We welcome your feedback via our newsletter's Contact page. 

[United Kingdom] Hospice cuts 19 jobs to save £1.7m amid ‘worst financial crisis’ in its history LSE - The London School of Economics and Political Science; by Emily Moss; 5/29/25 A Yorkshire-based hospice charity has cut 19 jobs in the hope of reducing its annual costs by £1.7m as it faces what it has previously described as “the worst financial crisis” in its almost 40-year history. The Kirkwood, which provides palliative and end-of-life care for people living in and around Kirklees, West Yorkshire, said that an additional nine employees had agreed to reduce their hours or adjust their roles to enable the hospice to save money. The hospice opened its redundancy consultation in February. The initial plans placed 33 roles at risk of redundancy. At the time, the Kirkwood said it was facing the “worst financial crisis” in its history, citing a “perfect storm” of an increasing demand for hospice services versus rises in the prices of essential equipment, energy and food.Editor's note: This represents just one of many ongoing reports of financial crises, extreme fund-raising, closures and staff layoffs throughout the UK's hospices. Themes and patterns pair with trends we're seeing throughout the US.

CMS’ TEAM Payment Model: What hospices need to know Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 5/30/25 A forthcoming alternative payment model for hospitals focuses on discharge planning and ensuring effective post-acute care, including hospice and palliative care when appropriate. The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) late last year unveiled its new Transforming Episode Accountability Model (TEAM). Participation in the model will be mandatory for select hospitals. The program is set to launch on Jan. 1, 2026 and run through Dec. 31, 2030. CMS designed the program based on lessons learned from previous episode-based payment models, as well as input from stakeholders in response to a Request for Information published in 2023.  

Capito sees earmark results in hospice renovations CBS 13 WOWK, Charleston, WV; by Sarah Davis; 5/28/25 U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) visited the Hubbard Hospice House in Charleston Wednesday to see her congressionally directed spending in action. The senator got an exclusive tour of the renovations being made, including a new roof, HVAC system and a fresh paving job on the facility’s parking lot. The construction project is supported by Capito’s 2024 congressional directed spending, also known as an earmark, which she said is a necessary investment for the welfare of West Virginians.

[United Kingdom] Hospice cuts staff and beds to secure its future BBC News, Yorkshire, UK; by Alex Moss; 5/23/25A hospice in Huddersfield has announced it has made 19 staff redundant and reduced the number of inpatient beds in order to save its future. The Kirkwood provides end-of-life care to about 2,000 patients each year but its chief executive Michael Crowther said it had faced a "perfect storm" of rising operational costs over the past few years. ... He said: "This has been the single hardest decision we have ever had to make." Another nine staff members have agreed to cut their hours and several others have decided to retire to help reduce the annual costs by £1.7m, the hospice added. ..."As you can imagine, this has been one of the most difficult periods in The Kirkwood's history. ..."Editor's note: Read more--directly from The Kirkwood--at "Securing Our Future Together: A New Way Forward." 

Health systems need radical transformation. Are C-suites ready? Becker's Hospital Review; by Laura Dyrda; 5/21/25Health systems faced with ever-thinning margins and uncertain financial future may be tempted to double-down on cost cutting as an immediate option relief. But for most, that’s not the best option. ... “Amid unprecedented volatility, resource constraints, and technological disruption, how can healthcare executives rapidly adapt and transform their organizations to sustainably deliver high-value care, optimize operational efficiency, and preserve workforce resilience and empathy?” posed Craig Albanese, MD, CEO of Duke University Health System in Durham, N.C. The question is urgent and complex. Hospital leaders are searching for connecting points with old friends, rivals, community organizations and other stakeholders to problem-solve together. They’re also pursuing larger strategic changes instead of small fixes to truly build sustainable organizations for the future. ...

Medicare Program: Fiscal Year 2026 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate Update and Hospice Quality Reporting Program RequirementsFederal Register - the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services; retrieved from the internet 5/20/25 Public Inspection Document: [On 5/20/25 this webpage reads:] This document is unpublished. It is scheduled to be published on 05/21/2025. Once it is published it will be available on this page in an official form. Until then, you can download the unpublished PDF version.Editor's note: This post has been prepared on Tuesday, 5/20/25, with the hope that--per the notification on this page--it will be available in its official form from this same link/webpage on Wednesday, 5/21/25. Our email delivery time is 6:00 am EDT. If this has not populated yet, please check back later in the day.

Downside risk, upside payment highlight new CMS innovation agendaModern Healthcare; by Bridget Early; 5/13/25The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is rolling out a broad new agenda for its innovation center that could lead to requirements that participants in value-based care programs to take on downside risk, the agency announced ... The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation plan prioritizes shared risk and prospective payments, streamlined quality measurement, artificial intelligence and other technologies, and Medicare Advantage payment models, Director Abe Sutton said in an interview Friday [5/9]. Notably, CMS is walking away from a goal set four years ago to have all fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries under accountable care arrangements by 2030, Sutton said. CMS provided Modern Healthcare an advance look at the new innovation center platform. ... Designing models that require providers to accept at least some downside risk could be the most consequential action stemming from the plan. Subjecting participants to potential financial losses, not just potential benefits, is key to driving cost savings and quality improvement, Sutton said.

HHS proposal slashes Medicare SHIP funds MSN; by Mary Helen Gillespie; 4/22/25 The Trump administration is proposing federal budget cuts to Medicare State Health Insurance Assistance Programs (SHIP) and seven additional elder health care safety net programs that assist older Americans. ... SHIP programs have been under the umbrella of the Health and Human Services agency Administration for Community Living. The pre-decisional budget lists funds for seven other ACL programs that would be eliminated are:

Access to hospice and certain services under the hospice benefit for beneficiaries with end-stage renal disease and beneficiaries with cancer MedPAC; by Kim Nueman, Grace Oh, and Nancy Ray; 4/11/25 [From MedPac Presentation Roadmap, Meetings held April 10 & 11, 2025]

National Alliance for Care at Home responds to the FY 2026 Hospice Proposed Rule National Alliance for Care at Home, Alexandira, VA and Washington, DC; Press Release; 4/11/25 The National Alliance for Care at Home (the Alliance) issued the following statement [Fri 4/11] in response to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Hospice Wage Index proposed rule, which proposes payment and regulatory updates under the Medicare hospice benefit. The proposed 2.4% payment update fails to adequately address the mounting financial pressures facing hospices nationwide. With escalating operational costs driven by inflation, workforce shortages, and rising expenses for supplies and services, the proposed payment increase would threaten the ability of hospices to sustainably provide quality end-of-life care. “The proposed payment update for FY 2026 falls short of what is needed to sustain high-quality hospice care,” said Dr. Steve Landers, CEO of the Alliance. “Without meaningful adjustments, hospices across the country will face serious challenges—jeopardizing access to care for terminally ill patients and placing added strain on families already facing the unimaginable. ..."

The cost of nurse turnover in 24 numbers | 2025 Becker's Hospital Review; by Molly Gamble; 4/7/25 Nurse shortages and mounting labor costs are among health system CEOs’ top concerns, and a new survey puts numbers to the financial risks hospitals face from nurse vacancies and churn. The 2025 NSI National Health Care Retention & RN Staffing Report features input from 450 hospitals in 37 states on registered nurse turnover, retention, vacancy rates, recruitment metrics and staffing strategies.  It found the average cost of turnover for one staff RN grew from January through December 2024 to $61,110, among other dollar figures and statistics that are helpful to understand the financial implications of one of healthcare’s most persistent labor disruptions. Here are 24 numbers that illustrate the cost of nurse turnover, according to the most recent edition of the report, which is available in full here. [Continue reading ...]

How this thrift shop helps Virginia families in their time of need: 'They’re good people here' CBS-6 News - Richmond, Petersburg, VA; by Wayne Covil; 3/31/25 The regulars who frequent Crater Community Hospice Thrift Shops were busy browsing for bargains on Monday. They know that some of the money they spend here goes back into their community. Crater Community Hospice runs the stores as a way for the nonprofit to raise much-needed funding. "The money we bring in to our stores goes directly to caring for our patients," Zach Holt, with Crater Community Hospice, said. "I don’t want to ever say no to a patient. I don’t want to ever say no to a patient’s need." Krystal Mansfield told CBS 6 there was a reason she chose to shop at Crater Community Hospice Thrift Shops. "[It] was a big part of my grandmother's end of time, and they took very good care of her in her last days," Mansfield said. ... Angie Dowdy shared a similar story. ... [Continue reading ...]