Literature Review

Tuesday Health brings community-based palliative care to Massachusetts in partnership with Commonwealth Care AllianceNEWSnet PR Newswire, Boston, MA; Press Release by Tuesday Health; 6/16/26Tuesday Health announced a partnership with Commonwealth Care Alliance (CCA) to deliver community-based palliative care to eligible members across Massachusetts, effective July 1, 2026. The partnership expands access to relationship-based care for individuals who are dual eligible for Medicare and Medicaid and enrolled in CCA’s Senior Care Options (SCO) and One Care programs. ... Tuesday Health delivers evidence-based, provider-led palliative care wherever patients call home, through interdisciplinary teams of nurses, nurse practitioners, social workers, and physicians. 

High schooler shares final milestone with Dad after hospice nurses help him organize bedside graduation ceremony People; by Abigail Adams; 6/12/26 A dad got to watch his son graduate from high school just days before he died in hospice care. Brad Case was put into hospice care after being diagnosed with esophageal cancer, according to WPTA. So, his son Braden Case, a senior at Hamilton Junior Senior High School in Hamilton, Ind., did what he could to make sure his dad could see him graduate. Braden worked with nurses to put together the improvised graduation ceremony at Brad's bedside. A photo taken from the special moment, shared by WPTA, showed Braden in his blue cap and gown while standing by his father's side. Braden told WPTA that Brad had always been there for his big moments in life, and he wanted to ensure his dad witnessed this one.

How Mayo Clinic adopted an innovative AI tool for palliative care utilization HealthLeaders; by Christopher Cheney; 6/10/26 The AI tool not only identifies hospitalized patients with serious illnesses who could benefit from palliative care services but also targets these patients faster than the health system could in the past. ... To address underutilization of palliative care services, Mayo Clinic and Bayesian Health developed an AI tool to boost palliative care in the hospital setting.

MedPAC Executive Summary - June 2026 report MedPAC; 6/15/26As part of its mandate from the Congress, each June the Commission reports on potential improvements to Medicare payment systems and issues that affect the Medicare program, including changes to health care delivery and the market for health care services. The six chapters of our June 2026 report cover the following topics:

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.

Medicare hospice: action needed to pay more efficiently for routine home care GAO - U.S. Government Accountability Office; GAO-26-107585; publicly released 6/9/26 Fast Facts

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: