Literature Review

Hackensack Meridian Health first to earn Joint Commission’s responsible health AI certification: The New Jersey health system’s endorsement signals that the industry is prioritizing AI governance alongside rapid technological adoption.Healthcare Divs; by Jill Hughes; 8/4/26n: The New Jersey health system’s endorsement signals that the industry is prioritizing AI governance alongside rapid technological adoption.

From ethics to trust: strategic guardrails for safe, secure, effective AI in healthcareMedCity News; by Luk Arbuckle; 8/3/26Ethical AI and trustworthy AI frameworks should be table stakes for healthcare and life sciences organizations seeking to innovate with AI. There’s more attention, more skepticism and more pressure to get AI right, especially knowing these applications can impact patient lives. As AI becomes more integrated into drug development and clinical workflows, leaders across healthcare and life sciences are therefore expected to demonstrate ethical stewardship and technical competence to instill trust and protect patients. That’s why ethical AI and trustworthy AI frameworks should be table stakes for healthcare and life sciences organizations seeking to innovate with AI. ... Together, they allow teams to answer two critical, pressure-tested questions: what risks are associated with this AI application, and are we capable of mitigating them?

National Alliance for Care at Home hosts 2026 Finance and Technology Summit National Alliance for Care at Home, Alexandria, VA; Press Release; 7/14/26 On July 12-14, the National Alliance for Care at Home (the Alliance) successfully hosted the 2026 Alliance Finance and Technology Summit in Boston, MA. The Summit brought together leaders from across the care at home continuum, with expert-led sessions, peer collaboration, and insights into digital transformation, data strategy, and tech-enabled care delivery. More than 600 attendees and exhibitors participated in the comprehensive program, which featured keynote presentations, concurrent educational sessions, networking opportunities, award presentations, and a fundraiser at Fenway Park for the Research Institute for Home Care.

Frazier Healthcare Partners announces definitive agreement to acquire MatrixCare WKOW-17 ABC | Businenss Wire; Press Release; 7/7/26 Frazier Healthcare Partners ("Frazier"), a private equity firm focused exclusively on the healthcare industry, today announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire MatrixCare (the “Company”) from Resmed (NYSE & ASX: RMD). MatrixCare is a leading provider of cloud-based EHR software purpose-built for out-of-hospital care settings, including skilled nursing, senior living, home health, hospice, and life plan communities. ... The transaction includes MatrixCare and related software offerings historically sold under the MatrixCare brand, including Healthcare First, Citus, and home health and hospice solutions.

CMS creates new health tech office to lead interoperability efforts, digital products Fierce Healthcare; by Heather Landi; 6/15/26 The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) aims to play a bigger role in health tech modernization efforts, including leading interoperability initiatives. The agency created a new Office of Health Technology and Products (OHTP) to provide "enterprise leadership and oversight for CMS healthcare technology modernization, digital products and transformation of platforms and services supporting Medicare, Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and other CMS-administered programs," according to a notice in the Federal Register published on June 11. The new health tech-focused office will work in close coordination with the CMS Chief Information Officer (CIO) and will lead enterprise strategy for artificial intelligence, interoperability, digital product development, Medicare.gov, provider directories and claims system modernization, according to the notice. The office consists of eight divisions and the notice lists more than 90 responsibilities.Editor's Note: Examine the detailed Federal Register's "Statement of Organization, Functions, and Delegations of Authority"

Medicare pushes end-of-life discussions in hospitalsAXIOS; by Maya Goldman; 6/29/26The Trump administration wants to formalize the process for recording whether Medicare patients want to be kept alive if they become incapacitated. Why it matters: Health providers have been required to ask about living wills and other "advance directives" since the early 1990s. But the questions are often skipped - or become a box-check in the admissions process. Only about a third of U.S. adults have documented their end-of-life care wishes. More consultations could reduce costly life-extending treatments that patients don't really want.Driving the news: The administration is proposing that hospitals begin reporting adult patients' preferences for end-of-life care in electronic health records starting in 2028.

Symptom-monitoring app helps patients with advanced cancer maintain quality of life The ASCO Post; by The ASCO Post Staff; 6/2/26 Use of a mobile app for proactive symptom monitoring helped patients with advanced cancer who were no longer receiving active anticancer treatment maintain their quality of life and reduced hospital utilization, according to findings from a randomized controlled trial presented at the 2026 ASCO Annual Meeting. The study evaluated SUPPORT+, a digital symptom-monitoring platform designed for patients receiving palliative care. The app sends weekly automated reminders prompting patients—or their caregivers—to complete a brief questionnaire about physical and emotional symptoms. Based on responses, the app provides self-management recommendations for mild or moderate symptoms and automatically alerts palliative care nurses when severe or worsening symptoms are reported. Nurses then follow up with patients through the app or by telephone.

Early electronic advance directives reduce burdensome end-of-life care News Medical & Life Sciences | Wiley; 5/20/26 Advance directives document patient preferences for future care, including end-of-life. An analysis in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society found that older patients with an advance directive that had been uploaded into the electronic health record at least six months before death were 25% less likely to experience potentially burdensome end-of-life care (19.9% versus 26.8%) and 31% less likely to have died in the hospital (23.2% versus 32.1%).

Readers write: When CIOs need to be in the room with patient engagement technology in new construction projects HIStalk - Healthcare IT News & Opinion; by Brad Storm; 5/18/26 Installing equipment may seem like the end goal at the start of a new construction project. But there’s so much more involved, especially when it comes to patient engagement technology for your new facility. As an IT professional, you need to be in the room during four key steps of the process.

Proposing a framework to license autonomous clinical AI: as autonomous clinical AI continues to evolve, we need uniform regulatory standards, says LDI Fellow Penn LDI - Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics; by Alon Bergman, PhD; 5/15/26 Late last month, Utah’s Medical Licensing Board called for the immediate suspension of the state’s pilot program with the AI company Doctronic. The program lets a chatbot evaluate patients and recommend prescription renewals for nearly 200 chronic condition drugs, with the state planning to phase out physician review of each case. The board said that it only learned about the pilot after it had launched. Its warning was blunt: proceeding without proper clinical oversight “potentially places Utah citizens at risk.” ... Utah is one of at least 47 states now considering more than 250 bills governing clinical AI, producing a patchwork of rules on bias audits, payment policy, and patient consent.Editor's Note: See related article by the same author Alon Bergman, AI doctors should be licensed. Here’s a framework to do that: Utah's pilot program with Doctronic shows that federal action is necessary. 

AI ethical minefields in clinical decision-making Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 5/11/26 ... Quickly evolving AI technologies will play a role in hospices’ sustainability as demand rises and workforce resources dwindle. Hospices need innovative care models, which involves leveraging AI in different ways, said Dr. Kimberly Curseen, the new board of directors president at the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM). ... Ensuring accurate data and safeguarding patient privacy and autonomy can lead companies to run into certain AI ethical “danger zones.” Hospices need to understand the limitations of AI, particularly when considering the use of these technologies to augment clinical decision making, according to Dr. Javier Zaglul, hospice and palliative care fellow at Florida Atlantic University.

New tech lets home carers and hospice providers communicate better, more safely Columbia Basin Herald Local News, Wenatchee, WA; by Joel Martin; 5/6/26 Anyone who’s ever had to deal with communication between medical providers, home caregivers and Medicare or insurance knows the frustration of trying to get everybody on the same page. A new system debuted by Confluence Health is expected to make those connections easier and safer. “Suppose a patient fell and (injured themselves) and they go in for (treatment),” said Adam MacDonald, corporate communications program manager for Confluence Health. “This is going to make it so their home health and hospice nurses are looking at the exact same record.”

Palliative care market: expanding healthcare focus on quality of life BriefingWire.com; Press Release; 4/23/26 Palliative Care Market is witnessing steady global growth due to the rising prevalence of chronic and life-limiting diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disorders, respiratory illnesses, and neurodegenerative conditions. ... Technological advancements, such as telemedicine and remote patient monitoring, are further reshaping the palliative care landscape. These innovations allow healthcare providers to deliver continuous care to patients in remote or underserved areas, improving accessibility and reducing hospital dependency. Integration of digital health platforms is also enhancing coordination between multidisciplinary care teams, ensuring better patient outcomes.