Literature Review

Caregiving under the Medicare Hospice Benefit JAMA Internal Medicine - Viewpoint Aging and Health; by Helen P. Knight, MD; Richard E. Leiter, MD, MA; Harry J. Han, MD; 9/8/25 As palliative care physicians, we frequently refer patients to hospice care. When we do so, we often worry about them. How will they and their families manage custodial care—the day in, day out, physical and financial demands of caregiving—on top of navigating the inherent challenges of end of life? We know that high-quality hospice agencies provide patients and their families with invaluable support for symptomatic, emotional, and spiritual needs. But in the US, due to constraints of Medicare reimbursement, hospice agencies provide only limited custodial care support; this lack of assistance often is an unwelcome surprise to our patients and families and profoundly shapes their end-of-life experience.

Husband and wife have emotional reunion after a year apart while dealing with dementia People; by Sam Gillette; 9/4/25 "We are humbled to help turn final wishes into treasured memories," a hospice official says of Everett Linton and his wife. ... An 88-year-old former truck driver from Cincinnati was able to hitch a ride to see his wife for the first time in almost a year, leading to an emotional reunion. “I'm ridin', I'm going to see my wife,” Everett Linton told a reporter from ABC affiliate WCPO from the passenger seat of a semi-truck. The nostalgic ride and reunion on Aug. 22 were organized by his care facility, Luminary Hospice Cincinnati, and the facility where his wife, Patricia, is staying, Majestic Care of Fairfield Assisted Living in Fairfield, Ohio.

How ‘The Pitt' gets death right Hollywood Reporter; by Ingrid Schmidt; 9/8/25 Boasting 13 Emmy nominations and four recent TV Critics Association Award wins, HBO Max's breakout medical drama The Pitt has been widely lauded for its hyperrealistic portrayal of a chaotic, underfunded hospital emergency department. Among the many things the show has been credited for getting right is its nuanced depiction of death and dying. The Pitt cuts deep into the heart of harrowing end-of-life decisions and conversations faced by patients, family members and physicians, as well as the messy emotional aftermath. Editor's Note: Ira Byock, MD--pioneer palliative physician--significantly contributed to The Pitt's death stories. Explore more in our previous posts: Social Media Watch 6/20/25 and “It’s an homage”: Noah Wyle quietly sneaked in a tribute in one of the best episodes of ‘The Pitt’ . Additionally, we thank Dr. Byock for serving as a guest editor in our newsletter. 

When I go, I'm going green KFF Health News; by Paula Span; 9/8/25 More Americans are choosing burials in which everything is biodegradable. ... Although a consumer survey conducted by the National Funeral Directors Association found that fewer than 10% of respondents would prefer a green burial (compared with 43% favoring cremation and 24% opting for conventional burial), more than 60% said they would be interested in exploring green and natural alternatives. “That has to do with the baby boomers coming of age and wanting to practice what they’ve preached,” Webster said. “They’re looking for environmental consistency. They’re looking for authenticity and simplicity.” ... “Do you see a lot of interest in green burials?” I asked the friendly town cemetery commissioner who was showing me around. “I don’t think we’ve had a traditional burial in two years,” he said. “It’s all green.”Editor's Note: What trends are choices for green burials are active in your service areas? Are your teams equipped with relevant referral information? For extensive, reputable research and resources about green burials, examine the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) webpage, Green Burial. 

Nursing homes can disrupt ‘rehabbed to death’ cycle with PDPM-based palliative care Skilled Nursing News; by Kristin Carroll; 9/7/25 ... Skilled nursing facilities can leverage the Patient Driven Payment Model (PDPM) to provide more palliative care to people near the end of life, helping to drive value-based care goals while improving the patient experience. However, much more needs to be done on the policy level to disrupt the current status quo, in which people commonly go through several care transitions near the end of life, driving up costs across the health care system while patients receive services that are not aligned with their own goals. Enabling concurrent SNF and hospice care is one change that could lead to improvement. These are assertions in the recent article “Rehab and Death: Improving End-Of-Life Care for Medicare Skilled Nursing Facility Beneficiaries,” published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

This is the one question leaders need to ask themselves: To avoid burnout, leaders need to pay attention to their energy levels Forbes - Work Life; by Tim Jack Adams; 9/1/25 You’ve carried the weight of big decisions, the pressure to perform, to lead and deliver, all despite what’s happening behind the scenes. You’ve navigated through uncertainty and change, providing the space for everyone else to thrive. It’s a feeling that the most capable leaders feel. It’s not quite burnout, but a kind of dullness. A slow drain. A fog that creeps in quietly and makes it harder to stay clear, connected, and grounded. ... It's not about time, it's about energy. ... To help people understand and manage their energy, my team and I developed a framework that assesses four key domains in under 60 seconds:

CMS: Annual Change in Medicaid Hospice Payment Rates—ACTIONCMS, Department of Health and Human Services; email from Rory Howe, director; 9/5/25The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has released the Medicaid hospice rates for FY 2026. They are slightly different than the Medicare rates and should be used when billing for Medicaid hospice patients. This memorandum contains the Medicaid hospice payment rates for federal fiscal year (FY) 2026. The rates reflect changes made under the final Medicare hospice rule published on August 1, 2025 (CMS-1835-F). Please inform your staff and all state agencies in your jurisdiction of these new payment rates, which are effective October 1, 2025. We expect state agencies to share the Medicaid hospice payment rates for FY 2026 with the hospice providers in their state.

Publicly traded hospice companies seeking acquisitions, reporting substantial growth Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 8/28/25 The nation’s largest hospice companies are seeing significant hospice growth amid executive changes and rising interest in M&A. These are the key themes that emerged during this year’s second quarter earnings season, in which publicly traded home health and hospice companies report their financial results, guidance for the remainder of the year and other key announcements. ... 

CMS updates AHEAD model: 6 things to know Becker's Hospital Review; by Alan Condon; 9/2/25 CMS on Sept. 2 unveiled policy and operational updates to the Achieving Healthcare Efficiency through Accountable Design Model, a state total cost of care initiative launched in 2023 to curb spending, improve population health and advance health equity. Six things to know: 

Social workers’ role in improving hospice live discharge processes Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 8/26/25 A lack of standardized care coordination is challenging the ability for patients and families to receive support following a live discharge from hospice. Deeper integration of social work services may help address the issue. This is according to findings from a recent study published in the Journal of Gerontological Social Work, which examined different methodologies for preparing patients, family caregivers and providers for hospice-initiated live discharges from social worker perspectives. 

The VA as a beacon of innovation in serious illness careCTAC blog; by Tom Edes; 8/27/25In this time of federal service reorganization, we are called to remember what history has taught us: innovation rooted in both compassion and evidence can transform care for people with serious illness. Few institutions embody this lesson better than the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). For decades, the VA has stood as both a care provider and an innovator, serving Veterans of all ages living with chronic diseases and disabilities... The VA’s story is not just about the past; it is about what is possible for the future of American health care if we choose to invest in it.

Awards and Recognitions: August 2025