Literature Review

Nearly one in four US adults projected to develop heart failureCardiologytoday; by Scott Buzby; 10/5/26One in four U.S. adults are projected to develop HF in their lifetime. The prevalence of HF is expected to increase from 3% currently to 3.8% by 2050. HF mortality represented 14.6% of all deaths in the U.S... Nearly one in four U.S. adults are projected to develop heart failure in their lifetime, and the overall prevalence of the disease is expected to keep rising due to an aging population with increasing comorbidities, researchers reported.

What hospitals need to change before data catches up ICD10 monitor; by Penny Jefferson, MSN, RN, CCDS, CCDS-O, CCS, CDIP, CRC, CHDA, CRCR, CPHQ, ACPA-C; 9/29/26 Medicare Advantage has traditionally occupied a familiar space in hospital operations: prior authorization, utilization management, denials, risk adjustment, and reimbursement. With the FY 2027 Inpatient Prospective Payment System final rule, healthcare organizations need to add another significant area to that list—hospital mortality performance. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized modifications to five existing 30-day, all-cause, risk-standardized mortality measures to include eligible Medicare Advantage beneficiaries ...: acute myocardial infarction (AMI), heart failure, pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery.

Assessing palliative care screening tools for patients with cancer Oncology Nurse; by Vicki Moore, PhD; 9/25/26 A total of 19 screening tools for assessing palliative care needs among patients with cancer were identified in a recent scoping review, but with variation in their applications. The findings of the review were reported in the journal BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care. ... The researchers identified 37 studies that reported a total of 19 screening tools for assessing palliative care needs of patients with cancer, which the researchers grouped into 3 categories. These included universal tools, tools with cancer-specific modules, and tools specifically developed for patients with cancer. 

Missed opportunities for goals-of-care conversations in a patient with end-stage juvenile Huntington’s disease: A case reportAmerican Journal of Hospice & Palliative Medicine; by Ignacio Borque, Nuria Perez ´ de Lucas, Alicia Gonzalez, Eduardo Bruera; 8/26Juvenile Huntington’s disease (JHD) is a rare, severe neurodegenerative disorder with early onset, high symptom burden, and a predictable trajectory toward advanced disability and premature death. Despite this, goals-of-care (GOC) conversations and advance care planning are often delayed, leading to reactive, crisis-driven decisions and increased emotional burden for families and clinicians. We present a 30-year-old woman with genetically confirmed JHD, diagnosed at age 14, who declined progressively over more than 15 years. Despite longstanding neurological follow-up and repeated hospital admissions, palliative care referral occurred only 20 days before death. Late palliative care integration limited anticipatory planning and shifted complex decisions into a stage with little room for deliberation, when cognitive and clinical deterioration constrained meaningful participation.

Top ten tips palliative care clinicians should know when caring for seriously ill patients with stimulant use disordersJournal of Palliative Medicine; by Rebekka DePew, Nicole Dussault, Kyle Quirk, Erin Vipler, Josh Borris, Sandra DiScala, Teddy Scheel, Katrina Nickels, Gregg Robbins-Welty, Janet Ho; 8/26Stimulant use disorder (StUD) is common in the hospice and palliative care (PC) setting, though guidance for clinicians remains limited. Stigma around stimulant use is widespread and can lead to impaired clinician/patient communication, poor symptom control, and lower quality of care. PC clinicians should be able to diagnose StUD, understand the potential pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic management options, engage with patients in a trauma-informed way, and refer to addiction medicine colleagues when appropriate. When utilizing opioids for pain management, PC clinicians should be aware of the impact of stimulant use on opioid risk and toxicity. In this article, a multidisciplinary group of PC, hospice, addiction medicine, psychiatry, ethics, and pharmacy clinicians presents ten practical tips for caring for seriously ill patients with current or prior StUD.

When lung cancer spreads to the liver: what to expect Everyday Health; by Ashley Welch, medically reviewed by Tingting Tan, MD, PhD; 9/8/26 Liver metastasis from lung cancer occurs when cancer cells from the tumor in the lung travel to the liver. Also known as stage 4, it’s the most advanced stage of lung cancer. ...

Central Illinois nursing home fined $25K by state after resident's death Pekin Daily Times, Perioa, IL; by Zach Roth; 9/6/26 A Canton nursing home was fined $25,000 after a resident died last year after being taken off medication that was prescribed to prevent blood clots. ... On March 31, 2025, a verbal order was given to stop providing Xarelto because the woman began hospice care one month prior. ... The care plan noted that she had a history of strokes and that medication needed to be provided as ordered by her doctor. ... The hospice's owner said that the power of attorney had contacted them after the woman had died asking about the medication situation, noting that they hadn't seen anything to show that her Xarelto had been discontinued. The hospice owner also said that they hadn't received an order from a hospice physician or nurse to discontinue it. Editor's Note: Details are more complex than space allows in the short summary above. A verbal order to stop a medication, without a documented physician directive or clear communications with the family, is a quiet risk hiding in plain sight at hospice transitions — one that can hasten death rather than ease it. Deprescribing has its place in end-of-life care, but only through structured, physician-ordered, shared decision-making. Does your hospice's process protect against this, or could it happen to one of your patients tomorrow? 

Nearly half of veterans with stage IV cancer die without hospice: a national VHA analysis of 45,397 decedents Medscape; by Sasmith Menakuru, MD; Alexander Quattlebaum, MD; Chance Bloomer, MD; Lara Khoury, MD; Abdulsabur Sanni, MD; Michael Goodman, MD; 9/3/26  Results: Of 45,937 veterans, 20,338 ... had no hospice admission or consultation.  ... Conclusions: Hospice access for veterans with Stage IV cancer deteriorated during COVID-19 and shows no meaningful recovery; ... These findings identify Stage IV hospice access as an underrecognized national VHA quality priority warranting Stage IV—triggered automated palliative care consultation, embedded outpatient palliative care in oncology clinics, standardized referral protocols at documented progression, and veteran/family-facing hospice education. This analysis establishes a statistically rigorous national baseline for benchmarking interventions–and a call to action for the VHA oncology community to restore hospice as a core element of veteran-centered end-of-life care.

Priorities for advancing palliative care for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: a consensus report from a palliative care for ALS working group in the United States Muscle & Nerve; by Kara E. Bischoff, Yaowaree L. Leavell, Jessica M. Besbris, Christi Lero, Kelsey Noble, Astrid Grouls, Jerome Kurent, Benzi M. Kluger, Steven Z. Pantilat, Ambereen K. Mehta, on behalf of the International Neuropalliative Care Society's Palliative Care for ALS Working Group; 8/31/2026 The Palliative Care for ALS Working Group was formed within the International Neuropalliative Care Society, consisting of interprofessional ALS and palliative care clinicians, researchers, advocates, and patients and care partner representatives who are committed to improving palliative care for people living with ALS. The group engaged in a strategic planning process to determine what is needed to advance palliative care for people with ALS over the next 3–5 years. This report outlines the core recommendations from that strategic planning process. Recommendations are divided into five sections: (1) clinician education, (2) clinical service expansion, (3) research, (4) public awareness, and (5) policy change. Editor's Note: ALS is an especially devastating, demanding disease for patients, caregivers and families, for your clinical staff and volunteers. What disease-specific education and resources do you provide? How many ALS patients have your organization served in "x" years? Do you partner in any way with your regional ALS association? For non-clinical leaders, an important, easy distinction for you to remember the clinical, deeply personal differences between ALS versus ALZ: