Literature Review

Hospice community responds to proposed DEA telehealth prescribing rule Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 3/20/25 A proposed rule by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) could impede timely access to medications for hospice and palliative care patients, according to members of the hospice community. ... If finalized, this proposed rule would require prescribers to register with the DEA before they are allowed to prescribe schedule II-V controlled substances, along with some monitoring and other requirements.  ... Implementation of the proposed rule would have adverse consequences for hospice and palliative care patients, according to the National Alliance for Care at Home. ... The Alliance made several recommendations to the DEA regarding the proposal: 

Certified nurses at Mount Sinai: Representing a commitment to excellence and to their profession Mount Sinai Today - Featrued, Nursing; 3/18/25 Nursing Certification is an important, independent validation of specialized nursing knowledge and expertise that meet or exceed professional standards. In fact, empirical evidence shows an association between nursing certification and better patient outcomes, ... Across the Mount Sinai Health System, an impressive near 50 percent of nurses have earned board certification in their chosen specialties. Their patients, families, colleagues, and teams are the direct beneficiaries of nursing expertise that is recognized as meeting or exceeding the highest professional standards. ... [From Carla Alves-Miraldo, MS, MSN-Ed, RN, CHPN, KP6,] "Becoming a Certified Hospice and Palliative Care Nurse is a reflection of my commitment to ensuring every patient receives comfort, dignity, and compassionate care during life’s most challenging moments. This certification is more than a title—it represents my dedication to guiding patients and families with expertise, empathy, and unwavering support."

The challenges ahead with Jeanne Chiricohallenges ahead with Jeanne Chirico, HPCANYS President/CEO

2 tailwinds shaping hospice growth, care delivery Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 3/14/25 Rising demand for end-of-life care is pushing hospice growth opportunities to the forefront in value-based reimbursement. More payers in this arena are increasingly recognizing the depth of potential beneficial outcomes when it comes to collaborative hospice partnerships. Swelling aging populations have fueled rising health care costs across the country, with payers and providers alike seeking ways to ensure affordable access and sustainable services. ... “As far as tailwinds for the industry specific to hospice, [it’s] predictions for demographic growth,” [David Jackson, CEO and founding partner of Choice Health at Home] said. “The biggest opportunities for growth [are] talking about vertical integration and how we reach up into the health care system. [It’s] talking about the value that we bring from the perspective of patient care, and then talk about the plans, the payers, the opportunity to enhance their financial outcomes.”

Leverage collaboration, detailed notes to improve end-of-life care Home Helath Line; by MaryKent Wolff; 3/13/25 Educate your hospice staff on monitoring symptoms that could indicate a patient is nearing the end of life. Agencies that manage these symptoms early and take the time to prepare and comfort caregivers and families for the transition could see these successes reflected in their CAHPS Hospice survey scores. [Subscription required for more content.]

Empath Health CEO to Congress: Invest in home-based care Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 3/11/25The federal government must invest further in home-based care, Empath Health CEO Jonathan Fleece told lawmakers at a hearing with the U.S. House of Representatives Ways & Means Health Subcommittee. leece was among several post-acute care leaders who appeared at the hearing, representing home health, hospice, skilled nursing facilities, rehabilitation hospitals and other stakeholders. In opening remarks, Fleece pointed to the benefits of home-based care for patients and families, as well as the sector’s ability to reduce health care costs. 

Q&A: Nursing and the integration of technology at HIMSS25 mobihealthnews; by Anthony Vecchione; 3/10/25 Lavonia Thomas, nursing informatics officer at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, sat down with MobiHealthNews at the HIMSS Global Health Conference & Exhibition in Las Vegas last week to discuss how nurses are implementing digital tools that help improve patient care.  ... [Thomas:] "We are having some great success in nurses' engagement and their feeling of being highly engaged. A nurse is not going to tell you, "I love the electronic health record" or certain things about technology. What is important is that they feel that they are heard, that their feedback is taken into the design and development and that their workflows are assessed." ...

Local pharmacist advising Ohio health director on palliative care Herald-Star, Steubenville, OH; by Christopher Dacanay; 3/10/25 A local pharmacist hopes to “expand utilization” of palliative care in Jefferson County and increase patients’ quality of life from her new position as an adviser to the Ohio Department of Health director. Steubenville resident Mary Mihalyo, doctor of pharmacy, was appointed Dec. 10 to the Palliative Care and Quality of Life Interdisciplinary Council. Bringing her own expertise, Mihalyo joins a diverse, 20-person group of professionals with experience in the provision of palliative care. ... Mihalyo, who founded Steubenville’s A&B Pharmacy with her husband, is the former CEO of Delta Care Rx LLC. She now serves as chief clinical officer for the company, which has been rebranded as Dragonfly Health. ... Her professional work, since [1999], has focused on serving hospice and palliative care patients locally and nationally as part of interdisciplinary teams. ... [Council members] ... actively consult with and advise the director on palliative care initiatives in the state, identify standards of practice, pinpoint initiatives at the state or national level integrating palliative care into the healthcare system and developing its practice and lay out patient identification guidelines for health care providers.

Mahogany CEO: Hospice on cusp of ‘tremendous revolution’Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 3/7/25 Mahogany Home Health and Hospice recently launched services in southwestern Ohio. The new hospice startup is the first Black-owned hospice and home health organization statewide with a drive to improve utilization among underserved populations. This is according to Victor Couzens, owner, founder and CEO of Mahogany Home Health and Hospice. The organization recently received a green light from state licensing agencies to begin serving Cincinnati and Dayton, Ohio and surrounding communities. ... Couzens recently told Hospice News, ... "As a hospice chaplain, I was often confronted with the pressure of trying to fit a square peg into a round hole when it comes to how underserved communities are actually reached and cared for. It’s about offering insights, or even evidence-based approaches, to meeting the needs of Black and brown people, the needs of the LGBTQ+ community, the needs of immigrants and just any other groups who do not make up the majority of the patient population. ..."

The 8 new rules of IT leadership — and what they replaceCIO; by Mary K. Pratt; 3/3/25 The technology landscape is rapidly evolving — so too is the way IT chiefs should lead their organizations. Here’s which old rules of IT leadership are no longer relevant and what has replaced them. ... Here, veteran CIOs, researchers, and advisers share the changes they’re seeing, offering a look at the new rules of IT leadership along with the old ones they’ve replaced. 

A hospice for kids: Grinnell family eyes Iowa City for state's first pediatric hospice Des Moines Register, Des Moines, IA; by Richard Hakes; 3/6/25 A Grinnell couple’s dream to help other families after they lost their young son to a rare disease took a big step forward in Iowa City just a few days ago. Shanna and Curtis Sieck’s non-profit called Mason’s Light House has signed a contract for land just west of the Johnson County Historic Poor Farm as the initial step toward building Iowa’s first pediatric hospice. Named in honor of their son, the facility is expected to be only the fourth in the United States. ... Mason’s Light House would accept up to seven children for both hospice and respite care, provide family suites and be fully staffed with a pediatric palliative care team of nurses, social workers, therapists and other specialists in the field. There would be no cost to patients and their families who use it.

Faith Home Health and Hospice continues HCH servicesThe Holton Recorder, Holton, KS; by Brian Sanders; 3/5/25 Last September, Holton Community Hospital announced that it would close its award-winning home health and hospice department by the end of the year. Enter Kansas City-based Faith Home Health and Hospice, which has been working with staff from the HCH home health and hospice department since November to ensure that those services continue for those in the Jackson County area who need them. Faith chief executive officer Bev Kimzey, noting that her firm is under contract with HCH to purchase the department, saw taking over management of the department and continuing those services in this area — especially with HCH’s home health and hospice staff intact — as “a win-win.”

The feedback fix: A leadership playbook for scaling listening in hybrid teams Forbes; by Eric Johnson; 2/28/25 When I stepped into the CEO role at SurveyMonkey, I quickly learned that modern leadership isn’t just about making decisions—it’s about listening. At a time when workplace trends like quiet quitting and “resenteeism” reveal the undercurrents of employee disengagement, leaders must ask: Are we doing enough to listen to our teams? ... Here’s how we turned listening into action, using a simple but powerful framework called "strategy circles."