Literature Review

Blending storytelling with education: Southampton author’s book sheds light on hospice and palliative care Daily Hampshire Gazette; by Sam Ferland; 3/3/26 When a loved one is dying, there is no specific script to freeze the flooding of emotions and decisions a family faces. But hospice nurse Maureen Groden believes bridges can be built through the power of storytelling to help guide families over the universal challenges faced as a loved one nears the end of life. “It’s about telling stories and listening to them too,” said Groden, who has more than 30 years of experience nursing in the Valley.

Moral distress and occupational burnout in US physicians JAMA Network; by Michael A. Tutty, PhD, MHA, Colin P. West, MD, PhD, Liselotte N. Dyrbye, MD, MHPE, Hanhan Wang, MPS, Lindsey E. Carlasare, MBA, Christine A. Sinsky, MD, Mickey Trockel, MD, PhD, Tait D. Shanafelt, MD; 3/24/26 Question: What is the level of moral distress and the association between burnout, intent to leave (ITL), and intent to reduce work hours (ITR) among physicians and US workers?Conclusion and Relevance:  In this survey study, moral distress was common among physicians and experienced at higher rates than the general US working population. Understanding the differences between moral distress and burnout may allow organizations to more effectively implement interventions to address both concerns among clinicians. 

Hospice of the Prairie & Prairie Home Health announces leadership transition The Dodge City Daily Globe, Dodge City, KS; by Tammy Lawson; 4/3/26 Dodge City Hospice of the Prairie & Prairie Home Health ... announces an Executive Director leadership transition. After 25 years of service, Julie Pinkerton, BS RN CHPN, will step down as Executive Director. ... Under Julie's leadership, the organization experienced growth through increased usage of home health and hospice care throughout the service area while establishing organizational sustainability, working closely with frontline clinicians and community partners.The organization is pleased to welcome Jeremy Rabe, MBA, as the new Executive Director of Hospice of the Prairie & Prairie Home Health. Jeremy brings more than 20 years of experience in healthcare leadership. ... Jeremy will begin his role as Executive Director on June 1 with Julie leaving the organization later in the summer.

How a $64 million NIH grant will transform palliative care across lifespan | part one Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN); podcast hosted by Chris Comeaux with Dr. Jean Kutner; 4/8/26 In this episode of TCNtalks / Anatomy of Leadership, host Chris Comeaux sits down with Dr. Jean Kutner—one of the nation’s leading voices in Hospice and Palliative Care research—to unpack a historic moment for the field: a $64 million NIH investment designed to transform care for people with serious illness across the lifespan.  More than just a funding milestone, this initiative represents a long-awaited convergence of advocacy, interdisciplinary collaboration, and national prioritization of Palliative Care research.

Proposed Rule: FY 2027 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate Update and Hospice Quality Reporting Program Requirements. CMS-1851-P DisplayRegulations.gov -  An official website of the United States Government | CMS; 4/6/26 This proposed rule would update the hospice wage index, payment rates, and aggregate cap for Fiscal Year 2027; include an analysis of Medicare non-hospice spending, and proposes requirements that hospices provide the hospice election statement addendum to all Medicare beneficiaries. Additionally, this rule proposes conforming regulation text changes to discharge from hospice care regulations; regulation text changes to the face-to-face encounter regulations; and includes RFI on community palliative care services; hospice specific wage index construction; and the overlap between hospice and medical aid in dying. Finally, this rule proposes changes to the Hospice Quality Reporting Program. In commenting, please refer to file code. CMS-1851-P.

Beyond the checklist: MARly app introduces caregiver OS to detect early changes in condition and organize care at homesimPAL Solutions press release; 3/24/26MARly is a healthspan companion app designed to support patients, caregivers, and care teams in delivering safer, more coordinated care at home. Its Caregiver OS features are designed to make care at home more practical, organized, and sustainable for caregivers and families. New care coordination function transforms everyday caregiving by providing real-time insight—supporting caregivers while helping care teams stay ahead of avoidable health crises. simPAL Solutions has announced an early access release of Caregiver OS (Caregiver Operating System), a new care coordination function within its MARly App designed to help caregivers organize care at home while capturing early signs of health change that often go unseen between clinical visits. [For additional information, visit www.marly.health.]

Power outages can quickly become emergencies for families with home medical devices Hawai'i Public Radio; by Savannah Harriman-Pote; 3/25/26 ... Power outages from this month's storms have sent ripples through the health care system. ... Access to power is crucial for people who rely on certain medical devices like oxygen machines. Faye Mitchell, executive director of North Hawaiʻi Hospice, said these at-home machines allow her patients to receive care in the comfort of their homes. Without electricity to operate them, some of her more vulnerable patients need to go to a hospital. North Hawaiʻi Hospice provides palliative in-home care to about 25 patients spread out across northwest Hawaiʻi Island. One of their patients is a young boy who requires a medical device to breathe properly. "This is a child that's so fragile that when he can't breathe properly, they have to fly to Oʻahu," Mitchell said. "So it's really not a matter of inconvenience. It's really a serious issue." Mitchell said they care for patients as best as they can during power outages. North Hawaiʻi Hospice has a trained safety officer who reviews emergency plans with families, and patients who require oxygen are given extra oxygen tanks if weather conditions might cause the power to go out.Editor's Note: What emergency disaster risks are prevalent for your service areas? Floods, hurricanes, tornados, wildfires, extreme heat, ice, something else? Today, get to know (and bookmark) USA Today's National Power Outage Map Tracker, updated every 15 minutes. For the future, be as ready as possible, using these and other resources.

Special Report - Untapped potential: The power of peer support programs in prisons John Howard Association of Illinois; project led by Kate Eves; March 2026 issue At the time this report was drafted, there were more than 70 Peer Support Programs (PSP) in U.S. carceral facilities identified in operation with a focus on improving health outcomes for incarcerated people with more new programs regularly coming to our attention, in addition to international programs. This project focused on 15 programs across 12 jurisdictions addressing a range of health and well-being areas including mental health, substance abuse and palliative care. [Use Ctrl+F and type "hospice" to find this report's 28 references to hospice.]

Palladium acquires DME Express from WayPoint Private Equity Professional; by John McNulty; 3/26/26 Palladium Equity Partners has agreed to acquire a majority equity interest in DME Express, a provider of durable medical equipment, from WayPoint Capital Partners. ... Palladium’s investment in DME is its second in the hospice industry and the second platform investment for its sixth fund, which has not yet announced a final close and is reportedly targeting $1.5 billion in capital. 

Free webinars: Pediatric concurrent hospice care miniseries, guidance for clinicians: A compassionate, coordinated, and compliant approach National Alliance for Care at Home; Press Release; 3/23/26 This Virtual Training will provide a practical, relevant, and comprehensive overview of Pediatric Concurrent Hospice Care as an approach that allows children and adolescents to receive ongoing disease-directed therapies alongside hospice services. Participants will learn the foundations of Concurrent Hospice Care under Section 2302 of the Affordable Care Act including eligibility criteria, planning and coordination requirements, and interdisciplinary collaborative strategies.

Hospice where staggering 97% of terminal patients survive is accused of defrauding Medicare for $7.45 million CBS News Bay Area; by Adam Yamaguchi, Laura Geller, Rachel Gold; 4/2/26 The FBI arrested a married couple Thursday accused of fraudulently billing Medicare for $7.45 million while running a hospice with a survival rate reported to be more than 97% after five years. They were the first in a series of arrests planned Thursday, federal officials told CBS News. A high survival rate at a hospice provider is one of a series of red flags identified by state auditors for fraud because most people enter hospice care in the final stages of a terminal illness. In past cases of fraud, operators were found to be using false or stolen identities to collect federal reimbursements for palliative care. The targets of the early-morning operation were Gladwin and Amelou Gill, a doctor and psychologist who co-own 626 Hospice, which does business as St. Francis Palliative Care, according to the FBI.