Literature Review

How health systems are saving money with centralized pharmaciesModern Healthcare; by Caroline Hudson; 8/27/25Health systems are centralizing pharmacy operations to cut costs. Many systems are bringing drug inventory, fulfillment and distribution under one roof. Centralization can help systems navigate a rapidly changing pharmaceutical industry.

Transformative impacts of clinical pharmacists in hospice careMcKnight's Home Care; by Deanna Douglass; 8/20/25Hospice represents a unique niche in the healthcare system, with goals and best practices that differ significantly from those of curative care. One defining characteristic of hospice is the use of medications to manage symptoms rather than improve or restore health. Pharmacists with specialized hospice and palliative care expertise have long played a vital role in enhancing quality of life for patients in their final days. From managing complex symptoms to ensuring cost-effective prescribing, these dedicated professionals are indispensable partners within interdisciplinary care teams and for hospice leadership. [This article discusses:]

More time, less paperwork: The quiet revolution in primary careModern Healthcare; by Alex Kacik; 8/26/25Concierge and direct primary care practices are gaining traction among physicians, employers and patients increasingly frustrated with traditional care pathways. The growth of these practices, where patients pay membership fees in exchange for increased access to physicians, is a symptom of Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement that has not kept pace with inflation, advisers, doctors and policy experts said. Growing care backlogs, coding and documentation tasks that take doctors away from patients and seemingly ever-rising health insurance premiums are also contributing, they said. “A year ago, I would’ve told you these care models were a slowly evolving, quiet phenomenon,” said Dr. Zirui Song, an associate professor of healthcare policy at Harvard Medical School and a primary care provider at Massachusetts General Hospital. “It is now evolving quite rapidly — it is not so quiet anymore.”Publisher's note: Is concierge medicine coming to a hospice or palliative care provider near you...?

RN median hourly pay, by stateBecker's Hospital Review; by Kelly Gooch; 8/19/25Median hourly base pay for registered nurses varies across states, with RNs in California earning the most, according to SullivanCotter’s “2025 Health Care Staff Compensation Survey Report.” The survey, released in July, covers nearly 2.5 million healthcare employees across over 2,660 participating organizations, including more than 800,000 individual RNs, licensed practical nurses and nursing managers. Here is the median per-hour base pay for RNs, by state, according to survey data shared with Becker’s [see article for all states]:

Why more doctors can't make ends meetAxios; by Tina Reed; 8/12/25America's doctors are working harder and getting paid less. And that could soon translate into less access for some patients. The big picture: A new report from consultancy Kaufman Hall shows primary care physicians and specialists are delivering more services since the pandemic. But they're not making more money because of stagnant reimbursements from public and private insurers and inflation. The data helps explain why medical practice bankruptcies hit a six-year high last year — and why some providers are shifting to pricey procedures for cash-paying customers to boost their bottom lines.

NorthStar Care Community announces partnership with Beads of Courage Fox 17 - West Michigan;by Nicole Stoner; 8/19/25 Beads Of Courage is an organization that helps pediatric patients document their health journey through beads of different sizes, shapes, and colors. ... NorthStar Care Community, already established for their compassion in pallative and hospice care, has announced a partnership with Beads Of Courage. This time, the partnership honors patients entering hospice care through their own treatment stages, milestones, and moments of courage. ... In addition, the Carry A Bead Initiative invites the public to support these patients on their journey during end-of-life care by carrying a NorthStar Bead with them, then returning it with a message of encouragement. The bead is then gifted to someone in hospice care, ensuring that these patients are not alone in their health journey.

Chicago woman wounded in mass shooting at her 25th birthday party is going to hospice care CBS News; by Sara Machi; 8/17/25 After being critically wounded in a mass shooting in Chicago's Portage Park neighborhood that killed her father and two others, Mariah Vera's body has held on for two and a half years. But her family says that time is running out, and they need help from the public. Vera's family is preparing to move her to hospice care at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center ... Family members said Vera was shot while trying to protect her father after an uninvited partygoer caused trouble at her 25th birthday party.

Musical organization brings comfort to hospice patients CBS 19 News, Charlottesville, VA by Jadyn Howard; 8/14/25 The Front Porch, a nonprofit music organization, partners with Hospice of the Piedmont to give musical performances to patients in their final months. "Mom doesn’t know her grandchildren or great-grandchildren, but Clara sings the song and words come out it’s beautiful so something about the brain remembers music," said Beth Johnson, daughter of a patient at Linden House for Assisted Living.  Clara George is a Front Porch musician who performs for Johnson's mother every Thursday. "People who have dementia a lot of times they can felt isolated or lonely or agitated and when I start playing with them I see their hands start to clap and sing along," said George.

Asking older adults with impaired cognition and care partners about serious illness experiences can elicit goals of care during advance care planning Americn Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine; by Glory H. Thai, BS, Valecia Hanna, MS, Peiyuan Zhang, MSW, Chase Mulholland Green, MPH, John Cagle, PhD, MSW, Jennifer L. Wolff, PhD, and Martha Abshire Saylor, PhD, RN; 8/13/25 Older adults with cognitive impairment and their care partners were able to respond to serious illness experience questions, with responses eliciting a spectrum of goals of care. Integrating such questions into advanced care planning (ACP) for older adults with cognitive impairment may clarify goals of care and improve decision-making for patients and families. 

Palliative care plays an essential role in heart failure care Cardiovascular Business; by Michael Walter; 8/13/25 Palliative care should play a significant role in the day-to-day management of heart failure (HF) patients, according to new recommendations from the Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA). HF patients are associated with high mortality and a considerably worse quality of life, the group wrote. Care teams should be doing everything in their power to help patients control their symptoms and live the best lives possible. The HFSA guidance is available in full in the Journal of Cardiac Failure. ... “When using a guide, conversations are more likely to be feasible, acceptable and associated with positive experiences for both patients and clinicians,” the authors wrote.

Few released under NC law that allows seriously ill incarcerated people to spend their final days at homeNC Health News; by Rachel Crumpler; 8/14/25Advocates hoped 2023 eligibility changes would increase medical releases. So far, that hasn’t happened. North Carolina expanded its prison medical release eligibility in 2023 to allow more sick and aging incarcerated people to be released, but the number of approvals is still low. Since 2019, the Parole Commission has granted medical release to 67 people.Thank you Mark Cohen, Guest Editor, for calling this interesting article to our attention!

Implementation of the Pressure Injury Prevention Care Bundle at a home based hospice program: A quality improvement project The Texas Medical Center (TMC) Library Health Sciences Resource Center; by Adaeze U. Amechi-fannin; 8/11/25 Pressure injuries remain a common and serious problem in hospice care, especially among patients who are immobile or confined to bed. Although effective prevention methods are known, inconsistent use of these methods, limited caregiver training, and poor documentation have continued to prevent success in many hospice settings. These wounds cause pain, increase infection risk, and reduce quality of life, making prevention especially important in end-of-life care. ... This project demonstrates that combining structured training, evidence-based care steps, and attention to individual patient needs can successfully reduce pressure injuries in home hospice environments.

‘You made my life’: VITAS caregiver scores NHL tickets for hospice patient through Wish Maker program McKnights Home Care; by Foster Stubbs; 8/8/25 When hospice nurse Natalie Villabrera-Williams came to visit her client and hockey lover, Alan Reddish, last year she noticed that he was growing a beard that would make Rip Van Winkle blush. When she asked him if he wanted to shave it off, he explained that his beard would remain unkempt as long as his beloved Florida Panthers remained in the 2025 NHL Playoffs. ... After that interaction, Villabrera-Williams, a nurse for VITAS Healthcare in Broward County, FL, saw an opportunity to bring Reddish, of Lauderhill, FL, closer to the action on the ice.  ...