Literature Review

Hawaiʻi Care Choices is expanding services, care options to North Hawaiʻi this month Big Island Now; Press Release; 2/11/26 Hawaiʻi Care Choices is expanding its palliative care program to North Hawaiʻi, ... Beginning this month, the Kupu Palliative Care Program will be available through a dedicated clinic space within the North Hawaiʻi Hospice office, extending palliative care services to residents of Hāmākua, Waimea, North Kohala, and South Kohala. ... “This partnership with Hawaiʻi Care Choices expands the support available to our community,” said Faye Mitchell, executive director of North Hawaiʻi Hospice. ... “We are both honored and excited to bring Kupu Palliative Care to North Hawaiʻi and to work with a trusted organization that shares our values of compassion, dignity, and community,” said Brenda Ho, CEO of Hawaiʻi Care Choices.

CommonSpirit Health at Home’s ‘aggressive’ hospice growth strategy for 2026 and beyond Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 2/10/26 Continuing its de novo- and joint venture-based blueprint for growth, home health and hospice provider CommonSpirit Health at Home is also setting plans in motion to engage patients further upstream for earlier hospice enrollment, when appropriate. CommonSpirit Health at Home is the home-based care arm of the nonprofit health system CommonSpirit Health, which operates more than 2,200 care sites across 24 states. Hospice News caught up with CommonSpirit Health at Home CEO Trisha Crissman at the Home Care 100 conference in Scottsdale, Arizona to discuss CommonSpirit Health at Home’s strategic plans for 2026, as well as the top trends and market forces shaping the hospice community.

Community Hospice & Palliative Care unveils Advanced Cardiac Care Program Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 2/9/26 Florida-based Community Hospice & Palliative Care has launched an Advanced Cardiac Care Program to serve patients and families wrestling with heart disease. The hospice, an affiliate of Alivia Care, designed the program in collaboration with the American Heart Association (AHA) and the National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation. It will provide a suite of services specifically designed for patients with cardiac conditions.

[Canada] The quiet web of care: Hospitals, hospice, paramedics and community working as one The Millstone; Mississippi Mills area, Canada; 1/25/26 When we think about care, most of us picture the hospital: rooms, nurses, doctors, the moment a life changes. But real care in North Lanark is not anchored to a single building. It’s a living web the Mississippi River Health Alliance — Almonte General Hospital, Carleton Place & District Memorial Hospital, Fairview Manor, and Lanark County Paramedic Service — working alongside Home Hospice North Lanark and Houle Healthcare so neighbors can get the right help at the right time, in the place that matters most. ... They are parts of the same journey, passing the baton back and forth so patients, families and neighbors are not left to navigate alone.Editor's Note: Pair this with today's post, "Why patient flow will decide hospital performance in 2026."

Effectiveness and impact of telehealth-integrated palliative care for persons living with dementia and their caregiversTelemedicine & e-Health; by Brooke Worster, Lizabeth Kaminoff, Amina Mason, Laura Pontiggia, Kayla Madden, Mackenzie Kemp, Amanda Guth, Nina Diamond, Allison Herens, Kristin Rising, Jeannette Kates; 12/25 In 2024, an estimated 6.9 million Americans aged 65 and older were living with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the most common form of dementia. Palliative care (PC) can improve quality of life (QOL) and reduce nonbeneficial care, yet persons living with dementia (PLWD) remain underserved. The intervention group [in this study] received up to two telehealth visits with a PC specialist, the patient (if able), and a caregiver (if participating). The intervention group had significantly fewer emergency department visits and hospitalizations but no differences in QOL or caregiver burden.

Personalized palliative care shows signs of improving quality of life for children with advanced cancer American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), EurekAlert!; by Mass General Brigham; 2/4/26How to reduce suffering in children with advanced cancer remains an ongoing but urgent question. A Mass General Brigham-led study examined whether systematically surveying children with advanced cancer and their parents about their symptoms and quality of life, providing feedback to children, families, and clinicians—and acting on that information by implementing personalized palliative care—could improve patients’ experiences. Their findings, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, suggest that integrating feedback along with response by specialized pediatric palliative care (SPPC) has the potential to improve children’s quality of life.

Congress passes spending bill, extends telehealth flexibilities American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC); by Renee Dustman; 2/4/26 ... Congress has extended the expiration dates for certain telehealth flexibilities from Jan. 30, 2026, to Dec. 31, 2027 (unless otherwise stated), as follows: ...

Honoring Black History Month: Advancing equity in hospice and end-of-life care Gilchrist; by Gilchrist Staff; 2/3/26 Black History Month is a time to honor the resilience, contributions, and leadership of Black Americans, past and present, while also reflecting on the work that remains to ensure equity across all areas of society, including healthcare. In hospice and palliative care, Black leaders, clinicians, advocates, and community members have played a vital role in expanding access, shaping compassionate care models, and addressing long-standing disparities at the end of life. At Gilchrist, Black History Month is not only about reflection, but also about action. 

National policy framework for Pediatric Palliative Care Homes National Center for Pediatric Palliative Care Homes; email and webpage; 2/3/26The NCPPCH recently formally released its National Policy Framework for Pediatric Palliative Care Homes, and has begun early engagement with key national partners. This framework is intended to help policymakers at the state and federal level better understand the structural, licensing, and reimbursement pathways needed to support Pediatric Palliative Care Centers nationwide. Review the Policy Framework and Executive Summary here: https://www.ncppch.org/national-policy-framework.

How to responsibly use AI in palliative care and hematologic malignancies CancerNetwork; podcast by Ram Prakash Thirugnanasambandam, MBBS; 2/2/26 In a conversation with CancerNetwork®, Ram Prakash Thirugnanasambandam, MBBS, discussed the evolving roles that artificial intelligence (AI)–based tools may play in palliative care and the management of different hematologic malignancies. ... According to Thirugnanasambandam, implementing AI into one’s workflow may help accurately predict disease subtypes and burdens among patients with leukemia, lymphoma, or multiple myeloma. ... Thirugnanasambandam also discussed some of the ethical considerations surrounding the growth of AI-based tools, highlighting information privacy concerns and potentially biased datasets as notable issues with these platforms. Although AI may assist with decision-making, Thirugnanasambandam stated that it ultimately cannot replace a human’s nuanced clinical judgment and empathy.

Los Angeles County hospice industry under scrutiny for suspected Medicare fraud Santa Monica Observer, Santa Monica, CA; by Chet McSnark; 2/1/26 With 2,000 hospice agencies, Los Angeles County has more than 36 states combined and 30x more than Florida and New York. ... Recent reports indicate that the county accounts for approximately 18% of the nation's total Medicare billing for these services, despite representing only about 2.5% of the U.S. population. According to statements from CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz ... has estimated that fraudulent activity in Los Angeles County hospice and home health care could amount to roughly $3.5 billion annually. Federal data shows the county hosts nearly 1,923 hospice providers, a number that exceeds the total in many other states combined.

Retired VA Nurse shares what she learned from over 10,000 dying veteransTampa Bay 28-ABC, Tampa Bay, FL; by Wendy Ryan; 1/30/26“Everything I've learned that has really mattered, I learned from the dying. Perspectives shift dramatically as death approaches. The day before you're given a terminal diagnosis, you take your life for granted. The day after, you wake up,” said Deborah Grassman, reading her book ‘Soul Injury.’ For over three decades as a VA hospice nurse practitioner, Deborah Grassman helped over 10,000 veterans take their final breath in peace. In those sacred moments, she began to see something they all carried. She calls it a “Soul Injury”, a wound that quietly haunts you. ... 

[Australia] The Palliative Aged Care Outcomes Program (PACOP): establishing a national framework to improve palliative care in long-term care facilities for older people BMC Geriatrics; by Johnson, C.E., Dai, Y., Bryce, L. et al; 1/31/26 Background: With an aging population worldwide, many countries face increasing challenges in delivering quality palliative care in long-term care facilities for older people (LTCFs). In Australia, a Royal Commission into Quality and safety of Aged Care in 2021 highlighted significant gaps in this field. In response, the Palliative Aged Care Outcomes Program (PACOP), a person-centred outcomes framework, was developed to address gaps in identification, assessment and management of palliative care needs in LTCFs.Conclusion: PACOP has achieved substantial uptake and early signs of successful implementation in Australian LTCFs. ...