Literature Review

NPHI calls for thoughtful hospice payment reform that rewards high-quality care National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI), Washington, DC; Press Release; 6/16/26The National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI)is calling for thoughtful modernization of the Medicare Hospice Benefit while raising concerns about recommendations contained in a recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report that could fundamentally alter the hospice benefit and potentially lead to substantial changes in provider reimbursement. NPHI is exploring potential reforms to the current hospice payment structure, including steps to reduce incentives for bad actors and poor-quality care by lowering the hospice aggregate cap, and reallocating dollars within the existing payment methodology to better compensate high-quality, mission-driven providers caring for the sickest patients. NPHI believes these types of reforms would better align reimbursement with patient needs, preserve the core principles of hospice care, and encourage providers to deliver care based on patient need rather than financial incentives. ...

LA County fraud: Why hospice care became the new target Film Daily; by Simone Barbon; 6/3/26 Los Angeles County has become the focal point of multiple federal, state, and local actions against hospice fraud schemes that target Medicare and Medi-Cal. The concentration of facilities, unusual billing patterns, and recent arrests explain why regulators treat the county as ground zero. ... Data shows unusual density. Records reviewed by CBS News found roughly 1,800 hospices operating in Los Angeles County. More than 700 of them triggered multiple state fraud indicators. One stretch of Victory Boulevard contained nearly 500 hospices within three miles, and a single building listed 89 separate companies. Typical facilities in the county billed Medicare about $29,000 per patient. The national average sits at $13,200. That gap prompted auditors to flag the region years before arrests began.Editor's Note: This article describes complex factors of the hospice fraud crisis with clarity for the general public.

Dr. Joan Teno exposes the hidden problems with hospice ratings and quality scores | part two Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN); podcast hosted by Chris Comeaux with Dr. Joan Teno; 6/3/26 Hospice quality ratings play a critical role in helping patients and families make informed care decisions—but are they telling the whole story? In Part Two of this compelling conversation, Dr. Joan Teno continues her deep dive into the challenges surrounding hospice quality measurement, transparency, and consumer choice.  Building on the foundation established in Part One, she explores how healthcare leaders can better leverage existing data to help patients and families identify high-quality hospice providers while avoiding misleading or incomplete information.  Dr. Teno also shares her vision for a future where technology, data analytics, and artificial intelligence empower consumers to make more informed decisions during some of life’s most difficult moments.

When the storm hits: how hospice providers help protect Florida’s most vulnerable patients South Florida Hospital News and Healthcare Report; by Kathleen Coronado; 6/1/26 In South Florida, hurricane preparedness is a part of life. Hospitals activate emergency operations centers, nursing homes review evacuation plans, and families rush to gather supplies before a storm makes landfall. For hospice providers, preparedness carries an additional layer of responsibility. Patients receiving end-of-life care are among the most medically vulnerable members of our communities. Many rely on oxygen, medications, specialized equipment or around-the-clock support that cannot simply pause when severe weather arrives. At VITAS Healthcare, hurricane preparedness is not a seasonal checklist. It is a year-round operational priority designed to ensure continuity of compassionate care before, during and after a disaster.

Los Angeles County Fraud Hotline LACounty.gov | Department of Auditor-Controller, Office of County Investigations; 6/8/26 You may remain anonymous, but having the ability to contact the informant is often critical to the success of an investigation. If you choose to provide your name and contact information, the County will hold your identity in confidence to the extent allowed by law. You can read more about this here.

The ASCENT Consortium to Publish Two Requests for ApplicationsASCENT Consortium press release; 6/4/26The ASCENT Consortium is pleased to announce plans to publish a Request for Applications (RFA) for the ASCENT Research Scholar and Pilot and Exploratory Studies Awards Programs.

Humana to divest end-of-life care business for $900 million Forbes; by Bruce Japsen; 6/10/26 Humana, one of the nation’s largest providers of privatized Medicare Advantage health insurance for older adults, announced plans to divest its minority stake in a provider of end-of-life services for $900 million. Humana Wednesday said it has signed a “definitive agreement with a consortium of investors to divest all or substantially all of its minority interest in Gentiva, the nation’s leading provider of end-of-life services, including hospice and palliative care.” Humana said the company “intends to utilize proceeds from the sale for general corporate purposes.” The deal is expected to close in the third quarter of this year subject to various regulatory approvals.

FBI Public Service Announcement: Emerging hospice fraud targeting Medicare recipients Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); Public Service Announcement, Alert Number I-060326-PSA; 6/3/26 The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is issuing this Public Service Announcement to warn the public of an emerging hospice fraud scheme that targets vulnerable Medicare recipients who are not in need of hospice services. Scammers are enrolling Medicare patients in hospice care for services they do not need or for services that are not provided. ...Tips to Protect Yourself:

Social Media Watch 5/29/26

Awards and Recognitions: May 2026

How AI’s growing role in nursing raises questions about safety, ethics, and human care: Penn nursing report cautions that AI systems may add rather than reduce costs and workflow burdensPenn LDI - Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics; by Hoag Levins; 5/27/26 As artificial intelligence systems spread through hospitals and clinics, a growing debate is emerging over whether the technology will ultimately strengthen nursing care — or gradually replace parts of it. That tension is at the center of a new University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing report, “Artificial Intelligence and Nursing Science: Opportunities, Challenges, Implications, and Guidelines,” published in the May-June 2026 edition of Nursing Outlook.

Rigorous assessment of leadership development programs in health careNEJM Catalyst; by Amanda Woods Herron, Katelyn J. Cavanaugh, Courtney L. Holladay; 4/26Effective leadership is increasingly recognized as a critical determinant of organizational performance within health care systems, but funding for such programs is frequently in jeopardy as revenues fail to keep up with other expenses. Therefore, the managers of such programs should adopt rigorous methods for evaluating the impact of their work. Despite the proliferation of leadership development programs, few institutions systematically evaluate these initiatives. This article presents a comprehensive framework for the evaluation of leadership development, grounded in implementation science and organizational research, as applied within a large academic health care institution. The framework emphasizes the necessity of clear eligibility criteria, integrated data sources, and alignment with institutional strategic priorities to assess program effectiveness and support continuous improvement.