Literature Review

New Winship web tool helps Georgians find palliative care services Emory University Winship Cancer Institute; Press Release; 7/7/25 Patients, families and referring physicians now have a new online source for locating palliative care services in Georgia. Developed by Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, More Access to Palliative Care Georgia (MAPGA) is a searchable database of vetted inpatient and outpatient palliative care agencies and hospital-based programs across the state. ... Users who visit MAPGA can view a list and interactive map of nearby palliative care services, including hospital-based outpatient clinics and home-based care. For more customized results, they can enter their zip code or filter by location (clinic, in-home or hospital-based/inpatient) and type (adult or pediatric). MAPGA also features a “heat map” that highlights gaps in access to care. 

How rising tariffs could affect hospice M&A Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 7/11/25 ... Tariffs tend to raise prices and often trigger interest rate increases by the Federal Reserve. This makes financing debt more expensive, and many buyers in the M&A market rely on borrowing to make acquisitions. This can have a “ripple effect” on the M&A landscape, including in hospice, according to Cory Mertz, managing partner of the M&A advisory firm Mertz Taggart. “Tariffs raise costs, which can tighten debt markets and make capital more expensive,” Mertz told Hospice News in an email. “Since M&A is largely driven by both debt and equity investors, a higher cost of capital tends to put downward pressure on valuations. This can lead some buyers to pause or redirect their investment elsewhere, while some potential sellers may hold off on going to market.”

VA announces expanded burial benefits for those under VA-provided hospice care Tri-State Alert; by Staff Report; 7/11/25 The Department of Veterans Affairs announced today it has temporarily expanded burial benefits for certain Veterans, per the Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act. The new law specifies eligible Veterans are those who are discharged from VA-provided medical or nursing care to receive VA-provided hospice care at their home and who pass away between July 1, 2025, and Oct. 1, 2026. Previously, Veterans who died at home under VA hospice care after discharge from VA-provided medical or nursing care were not always eligible for a full VA burial allowance. The Dole Act addresses that gap.

Social Media Watch 7/11/25

HOPE Summer SchoolProvider Insights communication; by Annette Lee; 7/11/25Provider Insights Inc. has created a "HOPE Summer School" series, an 8-course microlearning program for our busy hospice professionals. This series is specifically designed to help hospice teams master the upcoming CMS HOPE Data Set, ensuring staff are confident and compliant. The program covers four core objectives: understanding HOPE's purpose and structure, navigating CMS documentation and reporting, building confidence in completing HOPE items with real-life examples, and meeting the Symptom Follow-Up Visit Measure. The 8 bite-sized modules (5-20 minutes each), interactive quizzes, a post -test, and 14 downloadable tools, this mobile-friendly training is perfect for busy nurses on the go. Download the HOPE Section A tool for a free sneak peek of the simple tool kit, and head over to providerinsights.com for more information and to get your organization enrolled.

Medicare fraud has gone global. It’ll take a nationwide effort to stop itLos Angeles Times; by Mehmet Oz, Kim Brandt; 7/15/25Federal law enforcement recently announced a $14-billion fraud takedown — the largest healthcare fraud action in U.S. history, involving many crimes orchestrated by foreign nationals. Every American taxpayer should be alarmed not just because of the dollars at stake, but also because it reveals how vulnerable Medicare and Medicaid have become to large-scale, international exploitation... Fraud is a national problem, but it starts locally. Drive around certain neighborhoods in Los Angeles and you’ll pass what appear to be empty office buildings, which unbeknownst to neighbors could serve as hubs of criminal activity. There are more than 1,000 potentially fraudulent hospice operations identified in Los Angeles.Publisher's note: Medicare fraud is tragic - and that hospice is the highighted provider in this story is also tragic. This article includes steps that can be taken to stop this fraud. Also, thanks to Sheila Clark, President-CEO of the California Hospice & Palliative Care Association (CHAPCA) for forwarding this article.

Tracking the Medicaid Provisions in the 2025 Reconciliation Bill | KFF KFF; updated 7/8/25The chart tracking the Medicaid provisions in the House and Senate-passed version of the bill includes the following topics:  Medicaid Expansion, Eligibility Policies, Financing, Long-term Care, Access, and Prescription Drugs. The chart outlines details of the current law, House-passed bill, Senate-passed bill (enacted into law) and KFF Resources. Of particular note are the final work requirements in the statute, prohibiting the implementation, administration, or enforcement of certain provisions in both the CMS “Eligibility and Enrollment” final rules until October 1, 2034, and limits retroactive coverage to one month prior to application for expansion enrollees and two months prior to application for coverage for traditional enrollees, effective January 1, 2027. On July 1, 2025, KFF posted a CBO estimate of federal Medicaid spending reductions across the states including charts for components of the federal Medicaid cuts in the Senate reconciliation bill and a map of federal Medicaid cuts by state. Guest Editor’s Note, Judi Lund Person: While the details of the Medicaid provisions are daunting to understand and then apply to Medicaid enrollees in your area, I found this chart to at least organize the issues and track what happened between the House and Senate-passed versions, including what was enacted into law. More will likely unfold as we hear more from HHS and CMS about implementation.

Palliative care knowledge, attitudes, and self-competence of nurses working in hospital settingsJournal of Palliative Care; by Mona Ibrahim Hebeshy, Darcy Copeland; 6/25With the growing need to integrate palliative care into healthcare systems, nurses in hospital settings often provide care for patients with life-limiting conditions, many of whom lack formal education in palliative care. [Conclusions:] Nurses generally feel competent; however, they often lack confidence in addressing patients’ social and spiritual needs. They experienced unease when discussing death and exhibited paternalistic attitudes. Significant differences were found in educational background, nursing experience, personal caregiving experience, and practice setting. Positive correlations exist between attitudes, knowledge, and self-competence, indicating that greater knowledge and competence were associated with better attitudes toward end-of-life care.

20 states sue after the Trump administration releases private Medicaid data to deportation officials Associated Press (AP), Washington, DC; by Amanda Seitz and Kimberly Kindy; 7/1/25The Trump administration violated federal privacy laws when it turned over Medicaid data on millions of enrollees to deportation officials last month, California Attorney General Rob Bonta alleged on Tuesday, saying he and 19 other states’ attorneys general have sued over the move. Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s advisers ordered the release of a dataset that includes the private health information of people living in California, Illinois, Washington state, and Washington, D.C., to the Department of Homeland Security, The Associated Press first reported last month. All of those states allow non-U.S. citizens to enroll in Medicaid programs that pay for their expenses using only state taxpayer dollars.

Palliative care in the ICU: From oxymoron to standard of careIntensive Care Medicine; by Nancy Kentish-Barnes, Judith E. Nelson; 6/25Palliative care can be integrated into intensive care through ICU clinicians and palliative care specialists, and these approaches are complementary and synergistic. One study found that proactive specialist involvement in ICU rounds for high-risk patients led to more and earlier family meetings and shorter hospital stays. However, collaboration challenges, such as continuity of communication, highlight the need for close team cooperation. The integrative model trains intensivists and ICU nurses to embed palliative care into routine practice, ideally starting in medical and nursing education. Research has shown that improved communication and support from intensivists and ICU nurses are associated with better bereavement outcomes for families, including reduced post-traumatic stress, anxiety, depression, and prolonged grief.

Texas floods: "Ways you can help" and "Community crisis and grief resources for hospices"Lists and links compiled at Composing Life Out of Loss - Community Grief; by Joy Berger; updated 7/8/25 

Medicaid provisions threaten home and community-based services for millions of vulnerable Americans National Alliance for Care at Home, Alexandria, VA and Washington, DC; Press Release; 7/3/25The National Alliance for Care at Home (the Alliance) issued the following statement today in response to the House’s passage of the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” also known as the Reconciliation bill, which now heads to President Trump’s desk for his signature. “The Alliance is deeply troubled by the Medicaid provisions within the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which has passed both chambers of Congress and now awaits President Trump’s signature,” said Alliance CEO Dr. Steve Landers. “These provisions—including work requirements, reduced provider taxes, and new cost-sharing mandates—prioritize short-sighted budget savings over the health and wellbeing of our most vulnerable citizens who rely on home and community-based services (HCBS).” The home care community advocated throughout the legislative process for Congress to mitigate these harmful Medicaid provisions.

Pallitus Health Partners receives CHAP Accreditation for Adult Palliative Care and Pediatric Care Certification for Kourageous Kids Pallitus Health Partners, Louisville, KY; Press Release; 7/8/25 Community Health Accreditation Partner, Inc. (CHAP) has awarded Care Guide Partners, Inc. (dba Pallitus Health Partners) CHAP Accreditation under the CHAP Palliative Care Standards of Excellence. The nonprofit also received certification for its Kourageous Kids (KKids) palliative care program. CHAP Accreditation demonstrates that Pallitus Health Partners meets the industry’s highest nationally recognized standards. The rigorous evaluation by CHAP focuses on structure and function, quality of services and products, human and financial resources, and long-term viability. Simply stated, adherence to CHAP’s standards leads to better quality care. ... Pallitus Health Partners, an affiliate of Hosparus Health, offers comprehensive palliative care for serious illnesses in Kentucky and Indiana. Editor's Note: Congratulations to Pallitus Health Partners and Hosparus Health! This accreditation marks yet another milestone of excellence for this organization—originally founded as Hospice of Louisville—which established one of the nation’s first pediatric hospice teams in 1980. I had the privilege of serving on the Pediatric Team of Hospice & Palliative Care of Louisville from 1997 to 2001. Profound experiences with these children, their parents, siblings, grandparents, our dedicated team members, and community partners are embedded in me, forever. They continue to shape my perspective and purpose in my role as editor in chief of this newsletter.