Literature Review

Hospice doctor shares what happens in the moments immediately after death Good; by Adam Albright Hanna; 2/3/26 Throughout human history, one question has bewildered every civilization, society, and individual. What happens after we die? For some people, it is a question for science. For others, it is a question of faith. But for Dr. B.J. Miller, it is a question that he is totally fine not knowing the answer to. Miller is a hospice and palliative care physician at the University of California, San Francisco. He is one of the world's leading voices on dignified death, and for him, the end of life is actually about the living. ... "I’ve been around people who are just about to die," Miller said. "Bodies that have just died. And there is this lingering sense, it’s true. There’s a feeling. It’s a palpable... yeah, there’s a lingering." ... "I didn’t need to have control over everything, I didn’t need to know the answers anymore. I mean, I love not knowing. The answer’s unimportant. It’s just a sacred and gorgeous moment."Editor's Note: Having served in direct hospice patient care from 1993–2002, I was present with many persons during their active dying and in the moments just after death, including attending deaths as a chaplain. Over time—and especially through the intimate experience of my parents’ deaths—that sense of sacredness Dr. Miller describes remains real for me. So I find myself wondering and asking non-clinical leaders: when you look at Average Daily Census (ADC), Length of Stay (LOS), and other familiar metrics, what do you see? Numbers on a spreadsheet? Or living measures of something immeasurably human—something that truly matters?

Woman who allegedly stole $3.2m from Medicare boasted about lavish home Complex; by Helen Storms; 2/7/26 A California woman has been arrested after allegedly stealing $3.2 million from Medicare as part of an elaborate hospice scam. The woman, identified as 49-year-old Flor Mora, shared photos of the lavish $4 million dream home she bought from the funds she is accused of stealing before being hit with felony charges. Mora purchased the luxurious seaside home located in the Carmel Highlands in Monterey County, California, in November 2025. It would later be featured in the Washington Street Journal and even voted the House of the Year. Little did voters know that Mora had paid for the early 20th-century style home with reportedly stolen funds.

Measures that matter: How better metrics can transform end-of-life care | part twoTeleios Collaborative Network (TCN); podcast hosted by Chris Comeaux and Cordt Kassner, with guests Bob Tavares, Robin Heffernan, and Mindy Stewart-Coffee; 2/6/26 Top News Stories of the Month, January 2026What gets measured shapes how patients experience the final chapter of life.  In Part Two of Measures That Matter, Hospice and healthcare leaders explore how focused, meaningful metrics—not check-the-box measures—can improve quality, reduce unnecessary hospitalizations, and strengthen value-based end-of-life care. The conversation highlights a small, high-impact set of indicators that better reflect real-world Hospice performance—such as visits in the last days of life, live discharges and burdensome transitions, gaps in nursing visits, access to higher levels of care (GIP and Continuous Home Care), and patient experience, including the simple but powerful question: “Would you recommend this Hospice?”

Former HR worker wins over $5M in jury award for retaliation HR Dive; by Emilie Shumway; 2/3/26 A Utah jury awarded a former HR benefits generalist $5 million on Jan. 29, finding that a preponderance of evidence showed her employer, Bristol Hospice, retaliated against her by firing her after she complained about her supervisor’s behavior (Graham v. Bristol Hospice Holdings, Inc.). According to a lawsuit filed in 2021, the plaintiff complained that her supervisor, a payroll director, subjected her to a hostile work environment. The vice president of HR allegedly investigated her complaint and dismissed it, determining the “behavior was a one-time issue, not a general behavioral concern.” But the behavior continued, per legal documents. 

Blaming younger doctors for setting boundaries ignores the broken system The Podcast by KevinMD; podcast hosted by KevinMD with Christie Mulholland; 1/31/26 Palliative care physician and certified physician development coach Christie Mulholland discusses her article “5 things health care must stop doing to improve physician well-being.” Christie challenges the pervasive narrative that younger physicians lack work ethic and argues that their boundary-setting is a rational response to an untenable system. ... Christie explains the double standard where new technology is an investment but physician wellness is expected to prove immediate financial return. 

Cultivating leaders in medicine: We can do better Medscape; by Aba Black, MD, MHS; 1/29/26 ... there’s no question that medicine as a field has lagged when it comes to propagating tenets of effective leadership. ... [Too] many doctors make it through the endurance run that is medical education without ever being told what makes a good leader. There’s good reason to want more doctors in leadership roles, as healthcare administrators with clinical expertise bring an important skill set to the challenges facing our healthcare system. While hospitals led by economists may fare better financially, physician-led hospitals are associated with lower mortality rates and higher patient satisfaction. 

Executive Personnel Changes - 1/30/26

Healthcare leaders must confront toxicity to avoid obsolescence, SCAN Group CEO warns Time.News; by Grace Chen; 1/27/26 A new call to action from Dr. Sachin Jain emphasizes ethical leadership, honest self-assessment, and a relentless focus on patient needs as crucial for survival in a rapidly evolving healthcare landscape. Healthcare organizations face a stark choice: embrace ethical principles and actively combat internal toxicity, or risk becoming irrelevant.

Remembering the Holocaust with little-known story about a Jewish refugee and Cicely Saunders: Honoring the International Holocaust Remembrance Day - 80th Anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz

7 hospice leaders’ predictions for 2026 Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 1/20/26 Hospice News interviewed several industry leaders to identify the most significant market forces and trends expected to shape the sector in 2026. Their insights revealed several shared themes, including growing demand for home-based care, ongoing workforce challenges, continued industry consolidation, heightened technology adoption and heightened regulatory oversight. Participants also emphasized the importance of better integrating hospice into the broader health care continuum. 

The Hospice of East Texas announces Christi Baggett as incoming President/Chief Executive Officer The Hospice of East Texas, Tyler Texas; 1/15/26 The Hospice of East Texas is pleased to announce that Christi Baggett will assume the role of President/Chief Executive Officer effective January 15, 2025. Marji Ream will assume the role of CEO Emeritus until late spring. Baggett brings more than two decades of leadership experience in healthcare operations, strategic development, and organizational management at the Hospice of East Texas. She has served as Chief Operating Officer for the past seven years. ... During her tenure, Baggett has also held key leadership roles including Vice President of Operations and Innovation and Director of Information Management, also serving as HIPAA Security Officer. ... This leadership change comes after the announcement of current President/CEO Marji Ream’s retirement, after 21 years at the helm. 

Top news stories from 2025, and predictions for 2026 by Chris Comeaux and Cordt Kassner | Part 2 Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN); podcast/video hosted by Chris Comeaux with Cordt Kassner; 1/16/26 In Part 2 of Top News Stories from 2025, and Predictions for 2026, Chris Comeaux and Cordt Kassner look back on their 2025 predictions with honesty and perspective before turning their focus to what lies ahead.  Both agree that 2025 was defined less by disruption and more by incremental movement.  While pressures around staffing, reimbursement, Medicare Advantage, Hospice quality, and AI persisted, many of the anticipated “breaking points” never fully arrived—revealing a year shaped more by steady undercurrents than seismic shifts.