Literature Review

Reach of palliative care in Parkinson disease-Progress and gaps after a national team-based implementation projectNeurology in Clinical Practice; by Sandhya Seshadri, Umer Akbar, Peggy Auinger, Nicole Andrea Lessard, Megan Dini, Sally A. Norton, Hillary D. Lum, Jodi Summers Holtrop, Janis M. Miyasaki, Christina L. Vaughan, Benzi M. Kluger; 6/26While clinical trials demonstrate PC [palliative care] improves quality of life for PWP  [people with Parkinson disease] and carepartners, little is known about the impact of PC on their experiences of receiving care in real-world settings. At COEs [Parkinson's Foundation US-based Centers of Excellence], [surveyed] PWP reported significant increases in non-motor symptom (NMS) assessment ... and pain management ...  Emotional and spiritual needs were addressed more frequently ... Advance care planning (ACP) discussions [and documentation] rose ... Communication ratings and knowledge of PC were high (>85%) and stable across surveys.

VITAS medical director: improve hospice referrals for cancer patients Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 7/16/26 Hospice utilization among some cancer patients is leveling off and slowing growth, but healthcare providers and medical educators can adopt certain strategies to move the needle. This is according to Dr. Ileana Leyva, regional medical director for VITAS Healthcare. ... Neuro-degenerative, lung and cardiac diseases are gaining more prominence among hospice diagnoses. In 2024, senile degeneration of the brain was the most common terminal diagnosis among Medicare decedents at 9%, followed by Alzheimer’s at 6%, according to the National Alliance for Care at Home. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease rounded out the top three at 4.2%. Lung cancer was the 11th most common diagnosis that year, at 2.1%, the highest rate for any form of cancer. Hospice News spoke with Leyva about the barriers that prevent cancer patients from accessing hospice sooner and what stakeholders can do to drive improvement.

Center for Hospice Care and VNA Hospice NWI announce strategic affiliation to strengthen hospice care in Northwest Indiana GreatNews.Life; by VNA Hospice NWI & Center for Hospice Care; 7/14/26 Center for Hospice Care (CHC) and Visiting Nurse Association Hospice of Northwest Indiana (VNA Hospice NWI) today announced a legally binding strategic affiliation that will strengthen access to high-quality, compassionate hospice care across much of northern Indiana. This affiliation reflects a shared mission between CHC and VNA Hospice NWI to provide compassionate, skilled care focused on comfort and quality of living for those facing a serious, advanced illness. The integration process will allow patients to transition seamlessly within a unified nonprofit care network, ensuring continuity of care without disruption.

Hospice of Midland expands adult care programs and adds children's grief support Midland Reporter-Telegram; by Kessly Salinas; 7/13/26 Hospice of Midland announced it will expand its services this summer by growing two adult programs and introducing a program for children. “In response to community needs, we are enlarging two adult programs and introducing one for children,” said Deborah Goodman, CEO of Hospice of Midland. “The Pathways Palliative Care program, which supports patients with advanced illnesses, will be expanded,” Goodman said. ... The new program will be the Children’s Grief Center’s Holding Hope program. “Rays of Hope Children’s Grief Center has been here in Midland, serving the Permian Basin for 22 years,” Goodman said. “We’ve noticed, especially since COVID, a pretty substantial increase in deaths by suicide in younger individuals, especially the teen and young adult ages.” The Holding Hope program was designed for children and families affected by death by suicide.

Utilization of hospice and palliative care among patients with mental illness: a retrospective cohort study Journal of the American Geriatrics Society; by Sean O'Mahony, Utpol Das, Yuanyi Zhang, Anirudh S. Babu, Mukaila A. Raji, James Gerhart, Yong-Fang Kuo; 7/11/26 Background: Individuals with mental illness (MI) experience premature mortality and health disparities, yet little is known about their access to hospice and palliative care. Conclusions: Mental illnesses were associated with complex hospice utilization patterns characterized by longer length-of-stay, higher likelihood of enrollment far from death, lower likelihood of enrollment within 180 days before death, and lower palliative care consultation use in some groups.

CMS proposed rule: understanding palliative care in home health Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 7/10/26 While recent actions by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) could incrementally move the needle on palliative care access, they could also come with many limitations. CMS in its proposed 2027 home health rule clarified that home health providers can use certain billing codes to provide community-based palliative care to eligible patients. The agency emphasized that this palliative care would be distinct from hospice. Stakeholders in the hospice community were quick to applaud the proposal. ... However, what CMS has done falls short of a community-based palliative care benefit. For one, patients must meet the eligibility requirements for home health. This means that, among other requirements, patients must be homebound to receive this care, according to Katy Barnett, director of hospice and home health operations and policy for LeadingAge. This excludes many patients who may benefit from palliative care.

Impact of specialized pediatric palliative care on bereaved parents' mental and physical healthJournal of Pain & Symptom Management; by Claudia Delgado-Corcoran, Huong D. Meeks, Sarah E. Wawrzynski, Barry P. Markovitz, Brandy Harman, Jasmine R. Masih, Kuan Li, Mark Harousseau, Dominic Moore, Jacob Wilkes, Stefanie G. Ames; 6/26Pediatric death can lead to long-term adverse effects on parents’ health. [In this study] of 776 deceased children linked to 773 mothers and 711 fathers, 36.1% received a SPPC [specialized pediatric palliative care] consultation prior to death. Higher rates of mental and physical health burden were observed in mothers than fathers across all time points. Lack of SPPC was associated with increased risks for new mental and physical health burden for mothers within 12 months after the child’s death ... Conclusions: Bereaved parents, especially mothers, experienced new mental and physical health burden up to 24 months after a child’s death.

Palliative care for older adults with hip fracture: An explanatory sequential mixed-methods studyJournal of Pain & Symptom Management; by Daniel I Hoffman, Sydney Moore, Amanda J Reich, Christina Sheu, Mengyuan Ruan, Masami Tabata-Kelly, Kate Sciacca, Tamryn F Gray, Daniel Dohan, Charlotta Lindvall, Zara Cooper; 6/26After hip fracture, older adults experience burdensome treatments and high mortality; they may therefore benefit from palliative care (PC). Among 1,433 hip fracture admissions, GOCC [goals of care conversations], hospice discussions, and specialty PC were documented in view on their role in GOCC. Conclusion: Limited standardization, role uncertainty, and cultural factors limited PC documentation and delivery, highlighting opportunities to strengthen PC integration in surgical care.

Outcomes for hospitalized patients with comfort measures only ordersJournal of Palliative Medicine; by Gina Piscitello, Donna Durant, Tami Minnier, Marika Haranis, Robert M Arnold, Jane Schell; 6/26Clinicians place comfort measures only (CMO) orders for hospitalized patients at the end-of-life when a decision has been made to focus on patient comfort and allow the natural dying process to occur. Our primary aim was to assess the associations of specialty palliative consults (SPC) or documented goals of care conversations (GOCC) with in-hospital mortality among patients with CMO orders. Of 6,789 hospitalized patients with CMO orders ... seventy-three percent died in-hospital, and 22% were discharged with hospice. SPC placed anytime during hospital admission were associated with lower in-hospital mortality ... and higher discharge with hospice ... In contrast, documented GOCC anytime during admission were associated with higher in-hospital mortality ...  and lower discharge with hospice ...

Big Bend Health announced as parent company of Big Bend Hospice, reflecting expanded continuum of care across North Florida Big Bend Health; Press Release; 7/9/26 Big Bend Hospice, North Florida’s trusted nonprofit leader in end-of-life care for more than 40 years, today announced the formal introduction of Big Bend Health as its parent company; a strategic brand evolution that reflects the organization’s growing continuum of care while reinforcing Big Bend Hospice as its primary and most recognized service. Big Bend Health, formerly known as Seven Oaks Health, unifies Big Bend Hospice and its related healthcare services under one cohesive continuum of care. While the parent name will be used primarily for formal and legal purposes, the community will continue to see Big Bend Hospice as the forward-facing brand and the cornerstone of compassionate end-of-life care.