Literature Review

Expanded palliative care program in Dubuque addresses a 'significant need' Telegraph Herald; by Grace Burwell; 3/28/26 A “meant to be” collaboration between two Dubuque providers is offering the local aging population expanded palliative support. UnityPoint Health-Finley Hospital and Hospice of Dubuque recently launched an expanded palliative care program, bringing three nurse practitioners to the Dubuque hospital. Lavonne Noel, executive director of Hospice of Dubuque, said the new resource sprung out of “more need than ever before. It’s more important than ever that we work together in the health care environment right now, so we’re excited to join forces and collaborate on this."

Northern Counties Health delivers care, access over 50 years Caledoninan Record, Vermont; 3/27/26 Northern Counties Health Care, Inc. is marking a golden milestone this year, celebrating five decades of providing primary care, dental care, and home health and hospice services across Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom. The nonprofit traces its roots to a citizen-led effort to improve access to care and now operates a regional network designed around local needs. The organization’s origins date to 1976, when community leaders formed a board to continue the work of the Northern Counties Comprehensive Health Planning Council and established what became Vermont’s first federally qualified health center. ... The network today includes seven community health centers, two walk‑in primary care locations under the Northern Express Care banner, three dental centers, and a certified home health and hospice division.

Medicare plan switching and hospice care among decedents with advanced cancer JAMA Network Open; by Xin Hu, Changchuan Jiang, Youngmin Kwon, Fangli Geng, Qinjin Fan, Kewei Sylvia Shi, Zhiyuan Zheng, Jingxuan Zhao, Joan L Warren, K Robin Yabroff, Xuesong Han; 3/2/16Importance: Hospice ... is an excluded benefit under Medicare Advantage (MA), with coverage instead provided by traditional Medicare (TM). With growing MA penetration, more beneficiaries also switch between MA and TM for financial protection and physician access considerations, although less is known about how different Medicare programs and plan switching behaviors affect EOL care for patients with advanced cancers.Conclusions and relevance: In this cohort study of Medicare decedents with advanced cancers, continuous MA enrollees were most likely to receive hospice at home, while those who switched from MA to TM more frequently received hospice care in nursing homes. Plan switching near the EOL may reflect access barriers, highlighting the importance of addressing care coordination to improve EOL care.

Trauma-informed palliative care: A systematic scoping review of evidence sources describing concepts relevant to an emerging field of practice Palliative Medicine; by Rebecca Salama, Jane Simpson, Fiona J. R. Eccles, Maddy French; 3/23/26 Background: Trauma-informed palliative care aims to improve end-of-life experiences by recognising and responding to the presence of psychological trauma. While many practitioners support the approach, they also acknowledge the need to build a stronger evidence base.Results: ... the review identified a substantial body of evidence that describes concepts relevant to its approach. These findings provide a valuable starting point for future research.

Hearing on “Improving kidney health through better prevention and innovative treatment” U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health; written testimony fo Dr. Robert Taylor; 3/18/26

Identifying key components of neuropalliative care fellowship using nominal group techniqueJournal of Pain & Symptom Management; by Sachi Y Gianchandani, Jocelyn M Jiao, Kwame O Adjepong, Yaowaree L Leavell, Jessica M Besbris, Neha M Kramer, Joel N Phillips, Paul M Vermilion; 2/26There is no standardized curriculum for neurology-focused palliative care training. An adapted nominal group technique (NGT) was used to collect and rank responses to 2 key questions: "In designing the ideal dedicated neuropalliative care clinician training experience, what core components should be included?" and "When a general palliative care fellowship has a neurologist in their program, how could the program/program director potentially tailor the year to their unique needs?" For both key questions, the top-ranked responses included: dedicated outpatient neuropalliative care experience, mentorship from faculty with expertise in neuropalliative care, and a core didactic curriculum that includes neurology-specific content. Additionally, appropriateness for certification in hospice and palliative medicine was identified as crucial.

Palliative care in rural, remote, and northern communities: a scoping review BMC Palliative Care | Springer Nature; by Natasha Magyar, Katherine Kortes-Miller & Lynn Martin; 3/19/26 ... This scoping review provides an analysis of the current literature addressing palliative care in rural, remote and Northern regions globally and identifies themes in existing literature to determine areas of need for future research. ... Identified barriers include travel and cost of accessing care, policy issues, lack of communication, lack of knowledge/education. On the other hand, the identified facilitators include collaboration, advanced care planning, specialized education and training of care partners, utilization of telemedicine, and the use of volunteers.

[Spain] Queen Letizia supports universal access to palliative care Aragon Health Research Institute | Biomedical Research Center; Press Release; 3/16/26 Her Majesty Queen Letizia received a delegation from the Spanish Society of Palliative Care (SECPAL) with representatives from all essential professional profiles in palliative care. During the meeting, they conveyed to Queen Letizia the current situation of palliative care in Spain as well as the important challenges that persist ... Queen Letizia showed her sensitivity and commitment towards ... those facing advanced illnesses or who are at the end of their lives, and conveyed to SECPAL her support for initiatives aimed at strengthening the development of palliative care in Spain. ... Faced with this reality, SECPAL handed the queen over a decalogue [ten-point plan] which outlines the priorities for the development of palliative care in our country, such as ensuring that there are sufficient resources and appropriately trained teams at all levels of care.

Palliative care often comes late for veterans with COPD; use increases modestlyU.S. Medicine - The Voice of Federal Medicine, Atlanta, GA; by Mary Anne Dunkin; 3/13/26 Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is associated with substantial symptom burden, functional decline and frequent hospitalizations, making early palliative care an important component of comprehensive management. Yet, despite an increased focus by the VA on such care, new research suggested that many veterans with COPD still receive little or no palliative support—and, when they do, it often begins late in the course of illness. 

A narrative review of attitudes and beliefs toward hospice and palliative care in South Asian Muslim communitiesJournal of Palliative Medicine; by Adeela Mushtaq, Mona Tareen, Renato V Samala, Susan B LeGrand; 2/26This article presents two case narratives illustrating reservations toward HPC [hospice and palliative care] in South Asian Muslim (SAM) communities, highlighting challenges and proposing strategies for culturally sensitive care. The first case demonstrates that, even with evidence-based and empathetic approaches, hesitancy toward HPC may persist. This underscores the need for (1) community-level initiatives leveraging religious and cultural platforms to educate and engage communities, and (2) greater awareness among healthcare professionals of these values to minimize conflict and reduce provider distress. In the second case, Islamic scholars were consulted regarding the use of sedative medicines at the end of life. They agreed such use is permissible under the principle of medical necessity, emphasized deference to medical expertise, and stressed preserving the patient's ability to recite the Shahadah (testimony of faith) in their final moments.

Webinar for free CME/CE credit: Determining prognosis in cancer and non-cancer diagnosis VITAS Healthcare; Press Release; for 3/18/26, 1pm EDT Supported by evidence-based data, this webinar will help physicians and healthcare professionals identify hospice-eligible patients with advanced illnesses, including cancer, cardiac disease, lung disease, dementia, liver disease, stroke, and HIV/AIDS. Attendees will explore trajectories of dying, functional decline, and factors that support accurate diagnoses and prognoses for cancer and other key diseases that lead to hospice referrals. ... Presented by Lauren Loftis, MD

Why Florida’s certificate of need program works for hospice | Opinion The Florida Times-Union; by Susan Ponder-Stansel; 3/11/26 Since the introduction of hospice care in the U.S. during the 1970s, Florida has been a leader in establishing high standards for licensing of hospice organizations who provide care in our state. This includes a certificate of need program that has a competitive process that is intentional, effective and disciplined. Through a competitive batching process under the program, hospice licenses are awarded only when providers can demonstrate unmet community need and prove they have the resources, staffing, infrastructure and expertise to meet that need reliably and over time. [Full access may be limited by paywall]