Literature Review

MatrixCare releases list of 2026 CAHPS Honors Elite and Honors Award winners MatrixCare, by ResMed; retrieved from the MatrixCare website on 8/11/26 MatrixCare (a ResMed company) released its 2026 CAHPS Honors and Honors Elite Award winners, recognizing home health and hospice organizations whose patient/family satisfaction scores exceeded MatrixCare's own national benchmark — a distinction limited to agencies that use MatrixCare as their CAHPS survey vendor. This is not a ranking among all roughly 6,850 Medicare-certified hospices nationwide, so many excellent agencies using other vendors simply aren't eligible to appear. Congratulations to all organizations listed, especially the approximately 70 that reached the top "Honors Elite" tier.

Embracing the four M's—a path to person-centered, reliable hospice and palliative care | part one Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN); podcast hosted by Chris Comeaux with Margherita Labson and Kelly McCutcheon Adams; 8/5/26 What if the key to delivering more compassionate, reliable hospice care isn't another regulation—but a simpler way of thinking? In Part One of this compelling conversation, host Chris Comeaux welcomes Kelly McCutcheon Adams, Senior Director at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), and Margherita Labson, President and CEO of MCLabson Consultation & Education Services, to explore the transformative power of the 4 M's Framework.  Originally developed through the Age-Friendly Health Systems initiative, the 4 M's—What Matters, Medication, Mentation, and Mobility—provide an evidence-based roadmap for delivering highly individualized, person-centered care while improving reliability across healthcare settings. 

Beyond the headlines: the hospice story we aren’t telling enough National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI); podcast hosted by Tom Koutsoumpas and Carole Fisher with Karen Rubel, Tim Meadows, Viki Jingle, and Brad Luna; 7/31/26Hospice is making headlines — but there’s a much bigger story to tell. In this episode, hospice leaders Karen Rubel, Tim Meadows and Viki Jingle join Tom and Carole to discuss how organizations can respond to today’s hospice fraud-focused environment by leading with messaging on quality, transparency, and trust. Communications expert Brad Luna then shares practical strategies for developing messages that resonate, engaging local media, and telling the stories that showcase the real impact of hospice care in communities across America.

Embracing the four M's—a path to person-centered, reliable hospice and palliative care | part one Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN); podcast hosted by Chris Comeaux with Margherita Labson and Kelly McCutcheon Adams; 8/5/26 What if the key to delivering more compassionate, reliable hospice care isn't another regulation—but a simpler way of thinking? In Part One of this compelling conversation, host Chris Comeaux welcomes Kelly McCutcheon Adams, Senior Director at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), and Margherita Labson, President and CEO of MCLabson Consultation & Education Services, to explore the transformative power of the 4 M's Framework.  Originally developed through the Age-Friendly Health Systems initiative, the 4 M's—What Matters, Medication, Mentation, and Mobility—provide an evidence-based roadmap for delivering highly individualized, person-centered care while improving reliability across healthcare settings. 

Delivering compassionate care in an evolving industry: OIG challengesHospice of the Valley, Phoenix, AZ; Press Release; 8/4/26... Over nearly five decades, Hospice of the Valley-West (HOV-West) has served our community and been a national leader in end-of-life care. We are committed to excellent clinical care along with being strong advocates of regulatory compliance and proponents of responsible stewardship of public resources. This commitment is shown in a number of ways: HOV was ranked among the top three hospices in the nation for high-quality care. ... An OIG third-party contractor audited 100 hospice claims for care provided during the first two years of the COVID-19 PHE. The OIG praised HOV-West for strong internal controls, policies and procedures. During the review, their third-party auditor agreed with 85 records, denying 15 records. In conversation with the OIG, they stated that this represents good results. However, HOV-West strongly disagrees with the 15 denials and we believe they will be overturned through the review and appeal process. ... The OIG report can be read here.

Executive Personnel Changes - 7/31/26

National Alliance for Care at Home welcomes Denis Fleming Jr. as Chief Government Affairs Officer  National Alliance for Care at Home, Alexandria, VA; Press Release; 7/23/26 The National Alliance for Care at Home (the Alliance) today announced longtime industry leader Denis Fleming Jr. will serve as Chief Government Affairs Officer effective August 10. Fleming is a distinguished government affairs leader bringing over two decades of experience spanning key leadership roles in Congress, with state executive bodies, and major home health and hospice companies. Most recently, Fleming served as Vice President of Federal Government Affairs with United Health Group after serving 8 years as Senior Vice President & Legislative Counsel, State and Federal Affairs at LHC Group, where he led federal and state advocacy for this national home health and hospice provider. 

This global healthcare lesson could change America | part one Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN); podcast hosted by Chris Comeaux with Dr. Mark Stoltenberg; 7/22/26 Some of the most innovative solutions to America's healthcare challenges aren't being developed in the world's wealthiest hospitals—they're emerging from communities with the fewest resources. What can American healthcare learn from global healthcare?  In our latest episode, Dr. Mark Stoltenberg, Harvard Medical School professor and Massachusetts General Hospital physician, joins Chris Comeaux to explore global healthcare, palliative care, hospice leadership, healthcare innovation, and the future of serious illness care in America. ... Drawing from his work leading global palliative care programs throughout Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, and other underserved regions, he shares how resource-limited healthcare systems are pioneering solutions that can improve American healthcare, strengthen the healthcare workforce, and restore compassionate, person-centered care.

Local nurse goes to Washington DC to meet with elected officials about hospice fraud YubaNet.com, Grass Valley, CA; by Foothills Compassionate Care; 7/22/26 Last month, at end of June, Registered Nurse, Kellie Bolle of Foothills Compassionate Care, traveled to Washington DC to meet with elected officials on the issue of fraud, waste and abuse in hospice care. ... With a rapidly escalating fraud crisis in hospice care, reputable, mission-focused organizations and providers are having to answer for a growing number of bad actors. Foothills Compassionate Care invites the public to an interactive town hall that will include: An update on national efforts to combat hospice fraud, insights from Clinical Care Manager Kellie Bolle, MSN, RN, CHPN, following her advocacy meetings in Washington, D.C., information about how to identify a reputable hospice provider, a discussion of hospice, palliative care, and the Medicare hospice benefit, and an open question-and-answer session with hospice professionals. Free and open to the public. [On Wednesday, July 29, 2026. Go to this article for their RSVP to the public.]

This global healthcare lesson could change America | part one Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN); podcast hosted by Chris Comeaux with Dr. Mark Stoltenberg; 7/22/26 Some of the most innovative solutions to America's healthcare challenges aren't being developed in the world's wealthiest hospitals—they're emerging from communities with the fewest resources. What can American healthcare learn from global healthcare?  In our latest episode, Dr. Mark Stoltenberg, Harvard Medical School professor and Massachusetts General Hospital physician, joins Chris Comeaux to explore global healthcare, palliative care, hospice leadership, healthcare innovation, and the future of serious illness care in America. ... Drawing from his work leading global palliative care programs throughout Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, and other underserved regions, he shares how resource-limited healthcare systems are pioneering solutions that can improve American healthcare, strengthen the healthcare workforce, and restore compassionate, person-centered care.

Highest Medicare Hospice Utilization Rates Posted in CY 2025!1520ai / Hospice Analytics press release; by Cordt T. Kassner; 7/20/26Medicare hospice utilization reached a record high of 51.9% in calendar year (CY) 2025, according to preliminary analysis by Cordt T. Kassner, PhD. Utilization measures the share of Medicare deaths that occurred under hospice care – a consistent, conservative metric used in annual reporting... States leading the nation in hospice utilization (all >60%) include: Utah (67.7%), Rhode Island (62.1%), Florida (60.2%), and Wisconsin (60.0%)... As previously published , hospice utilization serves as a key indicator of both access and quality in end-of-life care... Data-driven insights like these remain essential for improving care for patients and families nationwide. [Download the entire article, including two detailed graphs, here.]

CMS to give 60 days notice if it opts to extend six-month moratoriumMcKnight's Home Care; by Liza Berger; 7/13/26According to Jeneen Iwugo of CMS, the agency will provide at least 60 days’ notice if it extends the six-month national moratorium on new Medicare home health and hospice enrollments. The statement was made during a panel at the National Alliance for Care at Home’s Finance and Technology Summit last Monday... Officials also emphasized that CMS is shifting from recovering improper payments after claims are paid to using data analytics and artificial intelligence to stop suspicious payments earlier. However, AI only identifies potential concerns; payment suspensions and provider revocations remain human decisions.Publisher's note: The moratorium began 5/13/26 and is scheduled to end 11/13/26; 60 days prior to 11/13/26 is 9/14/26. Source article may have restricted access; summary above from Homecare & Hospice Association of Colorado newsletter.