Literature Review

In current anti-fraud climate, no room for error for home health, hospice agenciesMcKnights Home Care; by Liza Berger; 10/6/26After operating hospice, home health and other companies for over a decade in Arizona, Peter prided himself on his sound reputation in the community and employees’ loyalty. He never dreamed that a technical error on a routine hospice renewal application would lead to a revocation of his hospice’s Medicare enrollment and billing privileges and leave him fighting for his livelihood.

Executive Personnel Changes - 10/9/26

Advance Care Planning for Black and White older adults with serious illnessJAMA Network; by Kimberly S. Johnson, Deborah Ejem, Alyssa Platt, Maren Olsen, Tammie Quest, Nadine Barrett, Ramona Rhodes, Anupama Gangavati, Ronit Elk, Marie Bakitas, Marisette Hasan, Kenisha Bethea, Sherone N. Williams-Bryant, Felicia Underwood, Jane Lowers, Karen Steinhauser, Rowena Dolor, Raegan W. Durant; 10/7/26The EQUAL ACP Randomized Trial. Is a facilitated advance care planning (ACP) approach more effective than a self-guided ACP approach among Black and White adults 65 years or older with a serious illness? In this cluster randomized clinical trial of 789 participants, ACP completion (advance directive, clinician note, or family discussion about end-of-life care preferences) at 1 year did not differ significantly by intervention. Among Black participants, completion was 71% with the facilitated approach and 62% with the self-guided approach. Among White participants, it was 68% and 78%, respectively.

Former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy to headline End Well 2026 Summit, taking on loneliness at the end of lifePR Newswire; 10/13/26End Well... today announced that Dr. Vivek Murthy, the 19th and 21st Surgeon General of the United States and founder of The Together Project, will headline its 2026 Summit on November 12 at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles and online. Murthy will speak with Jamie Yuccas, CBS News National Correspondent, about loneliness and human connection when people are facing serious illness, caregiving, dying, and grief.

Aging policy takes center stage at NASHP’s 2026 annual conferenceNASHP press release; by Claire Kolmansberger, Kimberly Hodges, Wendy Fox-Grage; 10/9/26Aging is a core pillar of state health policy. Adults age 65 and older are the fastest-growing age group in the U.S., and by 2034, older adults are projected to outnumber children for the first time. As demographics shift, states are simultaneously navigating direct care workforce shortages, rising demand for long-term services and supports (LTSS), and shifting Medicaid budgets. At NASHP’s 2026 annual conference, aging shaped discussions across a breadth of topics as states grappled with how to sustainably support a growing aging population, including those with complex care needs. Sessions explored strategies to strengthen aging care systems and services, including home- and community-based services, nursing home care, and palliative care. “Aging has come of age.” [says] Rani Snyder, President, The John A. Hartford Foundation.

Where can Americans access palliative care? New national initiative aims to find outGlobe Newswire; by Elizabeth Dowling; 10/14/26Where can people living with serious illness access specialty palliative care in the United States, and where is that care still out of reach? Today, there is no comprehensive national source showing where specialty palliative care is available across both hospital and community settings. The Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC) is working to change that with the launch of the Palliative Care Program Inventory (Program Inventory), a national initiative to map where specialty palliative care programs operate and where gaps in access remain. The Program Inventory will collect information directly from specialty palliative care programs nationwide, including data on staffing, patient volume, and care delivery models. The resulting data will support research, policy, and advocacy efforts to better understand - and ultimately expand - access to specialty palliative care across the country.

Medicaid provider allegedly billed $165K for dead patient's rides among fraud exposed in explosive reportNew York Times Post; staff writers; 10/5/26A Colorado resident [Wesam Yassin] was charged with trying to steal hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars by billing the state’s Medicaid program for transporting a patient to doctor’s appointments — rides that would have taken place after that person had already died... It also pointed to charges against Ashley Marie Stevens, who is accused of trying to bilk the state for over $1 million in taxpayer dollars. She is accused of billing the state some $400,000 for non-medical rides for herself and her family in addition to “ghost rides,” which never even took place.

Event Recap: NPHI Unites Healthcare Leaders in Washington to Shape the Future of Hospice and Advanced Illness CareNPHI press release; by Matt Wilkinson; 10/6/26The National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI), the national voice for nonprofit hospice and advanced illness care, brought together members, partners, sponsors and national healthcare leaders from across the country for its 2026 Washington Leadership Conference, held September 30 – October 2 in the nation’s capital. The three-day gathering focused on strengthening the quality and integrity of hospice care, advancing innovation and addressing the challenges facing patients, families and providers in a rapidly changing healthcare landscape. The conference featured direct conversations with senior officials from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS OIG), congressional staff and national healthcare leaders. Discussions covered Medicare policy, program integrity, quality improvement, caregiving, artificial intelligence and new opportunities to expand access to serious illness care.

Hospice East Bay workers strikeHospice News; by Holly Vossel; 10/5/26Dozens of workers at California-based Hospice East Bay on Monday launched a seven-day strike. The strike includes 70 bereavement counselors, chaplains, nurses, social workers and pharmacists at the hospice. The workers joined the National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW) in 2023.

DAI closes HCA hospice, home health transactionHospice News; by Jim Parker; 10/5/26Deaconess Associations Incorporated (DAI) has closed its acquisition of 31 home health and hospice agencies from HCA Healthcare. The deal includes 24 home health locations and seven hospice locations across eight states... Based in Cincinnati, Ohio, DAI is a faith-based, independent, nonprofit health care enterprise with a portfolio of more than $1 billion spanning diversified health services, programs, investments and community grant initiatives nationwide. The organization operates in 23 states, including six where it offers home health and hospice services. Across its broader footprint, DAI also provides physical, occupational and speech therapy services in senior living communities. The 31 acquired operations are concentrated primarily in Texas and Florida, with additional locations in Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, Missouri, Kansas and Colorado.

The LiBBY Study results are now available! [Agitation in dementia]LiBBY press release; by staff; 10/7/26The LiBBY (Life’s-end Benefits of cannaBidiol and tetrahYdrocannabinol) Study was the first of its kind to examine the possible benefits of Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) as a safe treatment option for agitation in hospice-eligible people with dementia. The LiBBY Study results show that the THC/CBD investigational treatment administered as an oral, digestible combination oil reduced the symptoms of agitation, in comparison to the placebo treatment. The LiBBY Study results were presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) in London, United Kingdom on July 14, 2026. The slides are publicly available and can be viewed below.

Neurodegenerative disease death certification among National Football League players with dementiaJAMA Network Open; by Charlotte B. Luster, Christopher J. Nowinski, Bobak Abdolmohammadi, Evan D. Feigel, Michael J. Mastrodicasa, Brenna Finegan, Lee Goldstein, Douglas I. Katz, Robert C. Cantu, Brigid Dwyer, Yorghos Tripodis, Thor D. Stein, Michael L. Alosco, Ann C. McKee, Jesse Mez, Daniel H. Daneshvar; 9/26This cohort study of 202 brain donors found that only 30.7% of former NFL players with clinician-adjudicated dementia had NDD [neurodegenerative disease] listed as the underlying cause of death. This study suggests that NDDs are substantially underascertained on death certificates of former NFL players, which mirrors findings in the general population, suggesting that death certificates may underestimate the true burden of NDD, particularly in less-severe cases. Across 7 investigations, dementia was listed on death certificates for only 7.2% to 41.8% of individuals with documented dementia diagnoses. Similar underascertainment has been reported for Parkinson disease and Alzheimer disease (AD). In a cohort of patients with AD, only 25.5% of death certificates listed AD or dementia as the underlying cause, while 63.5% recorded it as a contributing cause. Assistant Editor's note: In nursing school many years ago, I never learned much about dementia or AD. It was kind of an "aside diagnosis"--a problem "pertaining to old people", but never the primary diagnosis. It wasn't until I got into hospice care that I realized what a devastating disease it can be, and how it affects many body systems, not just the brain. Of course, it deserves to be a primary terminal illness in and of itself! As noted in this article summary, 63.5% of death certificates list AD or dementia as a contributing cause of death. I'm sure it is indeed a contributing cause of death in some cases. But in other cases, as the article summary suggests, it is likely the primary cause of death and simply not captured as such on the death certificate.

Hospice industry generates $142 million in economic activity [in Puerto Rico] W Journal; by Newsroom; 9/24/26 Puerto Rico’s hospice industry generates an estimated $142 million in economic activity, supports approximately 1,417 jobs and produces nearly $48 million in annual payroll, according to a new study by Estudios Técnicos Inc. (ETI). Commissioned by Grace Health Puerto Rico, the study examines the industry’s economic impact and the potential cost benefits of hospice care compared with more intensive forms of end-of-life treatment. ... “The findings demonstrate that hospice services generate not only economic benefits, but also important social benefits for patients and their families,” said Anitza Cox Marrero, director of ETI’s Social Analysis Division.