Literature Review

National Alliance VP: palliative care should occur throughout continuum Hospice News; podcast hosted by Jim Parker with Katie Wehri; 9/3/26 Palliative care should be offered via home health, but not only through home health. This is according to Katie Wehri, vice president for regulatory affairs, quality and compliance at the National Alliance for Care at Home. The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recently clarified in a proposed rule that palliative care is available via the home health benefit. Hospice News recently sat down with Wehri on the Elevate podcast to discuss the implications of this clarification for providers, as well as other avenues CMS could consider to expand palliative care.

Hospice Savannah launches Georgia Care Innovators to unite growing family of services WJCL-22 ABC, Savannah, GA; by Emma Hamilton; 9/3/26 After more than 45 years of providing end-of-life care, Hospice Savannah has launched Georgia Care Innovators, a new organizational identity to reflect its expanding range of healthcare and community services. Hospice Savannah will continue operating under its established name as a central part of the organization. ... “Our story has never been defined by a single service,” said Kathleen Benton, president and CEO of Georgia Care Innovators. “It’s been defined by listening to our community, recognizing unmet needs and asking how we can help.” ... The Georgia Care Innovators family includes:

Beloved celebrities who opened up about their battles with dementia MSN; by Travis Reeed; 8/31/26 Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease have affected people from many walks of life, including some of the most recognizable figures in entertainment, politics, and culture. Their experiences helped bring greater attention to memory loss, cognitive decline, and the challenges faced by families and caregivers. From Hollywood legends to celebrated musicians and political leaders, these individuals continued to leave lasting legacies despite their health struggles. Their stories also helped encourage public conversations about conditions that were once poorly understood or rarely discussed openly. [Click on the slides to see personalized stories of Tony Bennett, Sally Kirkland, Ronald Reagan, Sean Connery, Margaret Thatcher, Rita Hayworth, and Jimmy Stewart.] 

The death I feared, and the peace I found Gillette News Record; by Michelle Mathal; 8/29/26 ... From the dreaded day my brother was diagnosed, to two years later when my parents tragically died in a car accident and I surfaced from the glacial water knowing I had to live to be his caregiver, to grieve alone. ... We enrolled in hospice earlier than most because Tomas was falling and losing movement in his left hand. ... No one told me that caring for a dying person would be so intimate. When I dressed him in the morning, I realized we had the same hands and feet, big enough that we should’ve been a foot taller. No one told me about the deep trust between caregiver and patient. It is a sacred pact not bound by blood, but an understanding that we would be seen at our most vulnerable and sensitive times, but not judge each other for these moments, but respect one another despite them.

[Israel] Hadassah Hospice: bringing meaning it life Hadassay.org | Medicine & Research, Jerusalem, Israel; Press Release; 8/26/26 "Outside, there may be conflicts and wars, but inside these walls is a small microcosm, disconnected from the outer world, that concentrates on humanity." This is how Dr. Daniel Azoulay described the Inna and Jack Kay Hospice at Hadassah Hospital Mount Scopus. ... This October, the hospice is marking 40 years since its founding by Dr. Reuven Fink and nurse Ruth Shahal-Gassner. In the quiet place Dr. Azoulay describes, the staff provides end-of-life palliative care to some 220 patients every year. "There's a closeness here among Jews and Muslims, religious and secular people. At the end of life, everyone is the same — everybody asks that their suffering be alleviated and battles the same anxieties and fears," said Dr. Azoulay, who is head of palliative service and responsible for the Hospice Department.Editor's Note: May we listen and learn. In the midst of our deluge of political wars each way we turn, may we find ways to "concentrate on humanity." Read again: "There's a closeness here among Jews and Muslims, religious and secular people. At the end of life, everyone is the same — everybody asks that their suffering be alleviated and battles the same anxieties and fears."

American Society of Nephrology (ASN) comments on CY2027 ESRD PPS QIP Requests for Information (RFIs)American Society of Nephrology; official comments letter from ASN to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services; 8/24/26RE: CMS-1846 Medicare Program; CY2027 Changes to the End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Prospective Payment System, Acute Kidney Injury Dialysis (AKI) Payment, and ESRD Quality Incentive Program On behalf of the more than 37,000,000 Americans living with kidney diseases and the 22,000 nephrologists, scientists, and other kidney health care professionals who comprise the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) ... In this letter, ASN provides feedback on the following requests of information (RFIs): ...

Wound care fraud: key insights for healthcare providers in 2026 JD Supra; by Lynette Byrd; 8/21/26 The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS OIG) are prioritizing wound care fraud enforcement in 2026. Healthcare providers are facing scrutiny under the False Claims Act and Anti-Kickback Statute, with audits and investigations leading to substantial liability (among other consequences) in many cases. ... Allegations of wound care-related health care fraud can take many different forms. ... While it is critical that elderly patients (including hospice patients and other terminally ill patients) receive appropriate care, there are limits to what is considered appropriate when billing Medicare or Medicaid for wound care. ...

[Israel] Existential suffering at the end of life in long-term care: A critical essay on recognition, dignity, and witnessPalliative Care & Social Practice; by Anat Romem, Rachel Bardach; 7/26Existential suffering is widely acknowledged in palliative care, but it remains inconsistently recognized and unevenly addressed in long-term care. This critical essay argues that the gap is not caused by clinician indifference, but by a persistent mismatch between whole-person ideals and care systems organized around measurable symptoms, risk management, task completion, and professional uncertainty. [This] ... essay identifies three interrelated shortcomings: the reduction of suffering to medically actionable symptoms; the depersonalizing effects of institutional routines on frail older adults; and the absence of shared existential literacy across interdisciplinary teams. The essay also cautions against romanticizing suffering or treating meaning-making as a clinical expectation. It proposes a practical framework of recognition, dignity, and witness: recognizing biography and identity as clinically relevant; protecting dignity in the ordinary details of care; and enacting witness ... Long-term care cannot resolve every existential wound, but it can reduce existential neglect by treating personhood as a core quality indicator of palliative care.

If you lost a spouse/domestic partner in recent weeks read this today AfterTalk; by Larry Lynn; 8/17/26 I remember when I lost my first wife 30+ years ago, and recall how unprepared I was to deal with financial issues in the moment. I made mistakes that cost me later, so let me keep this simple. ... 

45 minutes saved per admission: how one hospice is re-shaping their businessHospice News; by Jack Silverstein; 8/17/26When Dar Miller came to Faith Hospice of Arizona two years ago, the organization’s census was just over 100 and their staff worked overtime to enter patient profiles. Now, their average daily census is 135-140, while their nurses have more time available at the bedside and with families. The change? Faith Hospice’s relationship with their pharmacy partner OnePoint Patient Care, whose combination of collaboration, communication, integrated technology and process ensures that hospices are not only getting the best pharmacy service possible, but that their operation is always evolving with the times.