Literature Review

CMS issues memo with contingency plans for state survey & certification activities in the event of federal government shutdown CMS - Center for Clinical Standards and Quality; by CMS Directors, Quality, Safety & Oversight Group (QSOG) and Survey & Operations Group (SOG); 10/1/25 On October 1, 2025, CMS issued QSO-26-01-ALL identifying State Survey and Certification functions that (a) are not affected by a Federal shutdown, (b) excepted functions that are to be continued in the event of a shutdown (also referred to as “essential functions”), and (c) other activities that are directly affected and therefore should not be operational during a Federal shutdown. CMS also clarified that Hospice Surveys funded through the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) of 2021are considered mandatory and are not impacted by the Federal Government shutdown. Work funded under these sources should continue.

Hospice, palliative care services yield high quality, cost savings Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 9/22/25 Hospice and palliative care services can result in better outcomes and reduced costs, recent research has found. A recent study by Empassion Health examined 45,957 seriously ill patients receiving supportive care through the organization from January 2023 to April 2025. The study found a 35% reduction in total cost of care per patient during the final year of life when compared to other individuals. ... The Empassion Health study’s key findings include:

Emotional analytics in HRtech: Measuring mood, motivation, and morale HRTechSeries; by HRTech Staff Writer; 9/22/25 ... What is emotional analytics in HR?... Emotional analytics is a new field in HRtech that combines psychology, data science, and organizational strategy. It gives HR a real-time view of how employees are feeling, unlike traditional surveys that only give a static picture. ... Emotional analytics is the process of gathering and analyzing information about how employees are feeling. This means figuring out mood patterns, stress levels, trust in leadership, and team or department morale. ... For instance, a quarterly survey might not show how worried the workers are right away after a big change in the organization. Real-time sentiment tracking, on the other hand, can let HR leaders know when stress levels are rising within days. This lets them offer proactive support like counseling sessions, open communication, or changes to workloads. ...

Study finds hospice providers “game” Medicare Payment Cap, but with modest impact on costs Penn LDI - Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics; by Julia Hinkcley, JD; 9/16/25 ... Each year, about half of Medicare beneficiaries who die receive hospice services. A new study by LDI Senior Fellow and Director of Research Norma Coe and her colleague David Rosenkranz shows that some hospice agency decision-making may be intended to increase payments by undercutting the annual revenue cap that Medicare imposes. But this “gaming” of the payment rules creates only modest increases in both hospice enrollment and spending. The study’s findings also support MedPAC’s view that wage index-adjusting the cap could make it more equitable across hospice programs, but the authors caution that the MedPAC proposal to reduce the cap by 20 percent might lead some hospice providers to close, and therefore requires more analysis.

The Denver Hospice and Colorado Visiting Nurse Association announce Ben Marcantonio as new President The Denver Hospice; by CS Master Admin; 9/23/25 Tim Bowen, President and CEO of Care Synergy, along with The Denver Hospice and Colorado Visiting Nurse Association (CVNA) Boards of Directors, are pleased to announce that Ben Marcantonio has been selected as the new President of The Denver Hospice and Colorado Visiting Nurse Asssociation. Marcantonio brings more than 40 years of leadership experience in healthcare, education, and social service organizations. Most recently, he served as Chief Integration Officer for the National Alliance for Care at Home, where he was responsible for integrating operational processes, systems, and departments of two national associations into one unified organization. ... Earlier in his career, Marcantonio was President and CEO of Hospice of the Chesapeake in Maryland, where he successfully expanded access to care, increased financial stability, and strengthened community-based palliative care services. He also served in leadership positions at San Diego Hospice and The Institute for Palliative Medicine, Scripps Health, and Charter Hospital, and began his career in educational leadership with the Diocese of San Diego.

Hospice Research Information 9/20/25

[Canada] Availability of respite care almost triples a palliative care patient’s chance of dying at home EurekAlert! - AAAS; News Release by McGill University; 9/22/25 Access to respite services for family caregivers increases a palliative care patient’s probability of dying at home almost threefold, according to a McGill University-led study. Previous surveys suggest most Canadians with a serious illness would prefer to spend the end of their lives at home. ... Funded by Quebec’s health ministry as part of its action plan for equitable access to quality palliative and end-of-life care, the study set out to find which factors matter most in helping patients avoid a transfer to a hospital or palliative care centre in their final days. Respite care – professional help that allows family caregivers to take short breaks –emerged as the strongest predictor, with patients 2.7 times more likely to die at home when it was available.

One year after Hurricane Helene: Lessons in resilience, recovery, and renewal Hospice & Palliative Care Today; Joy Berger and Cordt Kassner with Vern Grindstaff, Millicent Burke-Sinclair, and Chris Comeaux; 9/26/25 At this time last year, Hospice & Palliative Care Today brought you a series of articles reporting on the devastating impact of Hurricane Helene across the Southeast, focusing on hospices in the North Carolina mountains. We remain deeply grateful for the many ways you—our readers and colleagues—rallied in support of those hospice organizations and their communities during their time of urgent need. This Saturday, September 27, 2025, marks the one-year anniversary of that epic disaster. To reflect on what has been learned and how recovery has unfolded, Vern Grindstaff (CEO of Compassionate Care WNC, Burnsville, NC), Millicent Burke-Sinclair (President and CEO of Four Seasons, Flat Rock, NC), and Chris Comeaux (President and CEO of Teleios Collaborative Network, Flat Rock, NC) gathered in conversation with Cordt Kassner (publisher) and Joy Berger (editor-in-chief). The insights that follow honor the hospice employees who persevered to provide urgent patient care. We celebrate their spirit of compassionate community and courageous problem-solving from the onset one year ago through ongoing recovery.

RECAP: NPHI convenes national leaders in Washington for annual fall Leadership Conference National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation; Press Release; 9/23/25 The National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI) brought together CEOs and senior leaders from across the country last week for its Washington Leadership Conference, the organization’s annual fall gathering in the nation’s capital. ...

CMS launches landmark $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program CMS Newsroom - Rural Health; Press Release; 9/15/25 Today [9/15], the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) unveiled details on how states can apply to receive funding from the $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program created under the Working Families Tax Cuts Act to strengthen health care across rural America. This unprecedented investment is designed to empower states to transform the existing rural health care infrastructure and build sustainable health care systems that expand access, enhance quality of care, and improve outcomes for patients. ... The Rural Health Transformation Program invites all 50 states to apply for funding to address each state’s specific rural health challenges. 

Executive Personnel Changes - 9/12/25

Photos show Ghana’s fantasy coffins as a stylish final restAP News; by Misper Apawu; 9/12/25ACCRA, Ghana (AP) — While fantasy coffins have been common among the Ga people of Accra, Ghana, they are becoming a widespread practice offering a colorful alternative to simple wooden boxes. Each piece is crafted not just to bury the deceased, but to embody the essence of their life. They can be so colorful that they can make dying seem attractive.

Nonprofit hospice consolidation ‘intensifying’Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 9/16/25As of the second quarter in 2025, nonprofit deals represented 33% of hospice and home health transactions, The Braff Group reported. Half of these hospice assets were picked up by nonprofit buyers, meaning that half of the market is choosing to sell to for-profit companies, [Mark] Kulik explained.