Literature Review

Tri-Cities Chaplaincy Hospice House Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business, Kennewick, WA; Press Release; 1/15/26 Tri-Cities Chaplaincy has completed a remodel of its Hospice House in Kennewick. The 15,000-square-foot facility provides hospice inpatient care, including symptom management, respite for family caregivers and routine care ... The remodel addressed cosmetic and functional updates to all 10 patient rooms, including added technology for point-of-care charting. Several new spaces were added, including a fireside room, waiting area, larger collaborative nurses station and an interfaith chapel. ... A primary goal of the remodel also was to establish a homelike environment with a less clinical feel while still providing quality end-of-life care.

Marion hospice volunteer wins major honor from New England Patriots SouthCoast Today | The Standard-Times; by Faith Harrington; 1/14/26 Giving back took center stage this season as the New England Patriots Foundation donated $185,000 to 17 local nonprofit organizations in honor of its 2025 Patriots Difference Makers. ... The feel-good initiative wrapped up during the Patriots’ season finale on Jan. 4, where all of the Difference Makers were recognized, including Marion resident Madeline Cooke, who earned the title of 2025 Patriots Difference Maker of the Year. ... As the 2025 Patriots Difference Maker of the Year, Cooke was presented with a $25,000 grant for Community Nurse Inc. ... The foundation called her “a trailblazer, determined to walk alongside patients and their loved ones with dignity, grace, and compassion.”

Granite VNA Season of Remembrance campaign raises over $53K The Laconia Daily Sun, Concord, NH; Press Release; 1/12/26 Granite VNA, New Hampshire’s largest not-for-profit home health and hospice agency, raised more than $53,000 during its annual Season of Remembrance campaign in support of hospice services. ... Nearly 400 businesses and individuals supported the campaign, which began in October. ... Fifty-five people who donated $250 or more received a unique hand-blown glass ornament created by Granite VNA home care physical therapy assistant Jeff Lamy.  ... Season of Remembrance also invites community members to honor loved ones who have passed by adding their names to an online honor roll. This year, 1,170 people from 95 towns across New Hampshire were remembered.

CMS expands PPEO and EPR to Georgia and Ohio JD Supra; by Bryan Nowicki; 1/8/2026 CMS has extended its Provisional Period of Enhanced Oversight (PPEO) and its Expanded Prepayment Review (EPR) enforcement efforts to Georgia and Ohio. The enhanced enforcement efforts can lead to the revocation of a hospice’s Medicare billing privileges, termination of Medicare/Medicaid enrollment, and/or the prepayment review of 100% of a hospice’s claims. VERY Brief PPEO/EPR Overview: CMS’s process relating to these efforts is quite inconsistent, but generally . . .

West Michigan nonprofit celebrates 30 years of service, debuts new grief program MLive, Byron Center, MI; by Skyla Jewell-Hammie; 1/8/26 Faith Hospice, one of West Michigan’s largest nonprofit hospices, celebrated three decades of service with the launch of a new grief support program. The new program, “Real Grief,” is designed to address the needs of those experiencing unexpected, unexplained loss and unrelenting grief. "It’s a starting point for those struggling to process their loss,” said Janet Jaymin, M.A., LPC, director of integrative support services. “We’ve created a community where people can connect with others who understand what they’re going through.”

OhioHealth, Columbus family foundation end decades-long relationship Columbus Business First - Healthcare, Columbus, OH; by Carrie Ghose; 1/9/26 The primary benefactors for OhioHealth Corp.'s hospice facility have shifted their family's support to another nonprofit, Dayton-based Ohio's Hospice - citing dissatisfaction with the involvement of private equity in end-of-life care. ... "In the bright glare of machines and the cold calculation of metrics, some in our society have allowed the final days of human life to become a logistical and financial puzzle, measured in reimbursement rates and hospital capacity," said a statement from the Kobacker family of Columbus. OhioHealth will announce new naming rights for its Kobacker House in the coming months, the system said in a statement to Columbus Business First. No patients are affected by the transition. [Access may be limited due to paywall.]

St. Croix Hospice expands care across five new locations Investors Hangout; by Addison Perry; updated 1/6/26 St. Croix Hospice has taken a significant step forward in enhancing their hospice care services by opening five new branches. These locations are vital in expanding patient access to high-quality end-of-life care in different regions. ... The newly opened locations are:

Kobacker program moves to Ohio’s Hospice in landmark partnership preserving future of quality nonprofit end-of-life care US National Times, Columbus, OH; Press Release; 1/7/26 The Kobacker family today announced that Kobacker House, central Ohio’s pioneering inpatient hospice facility founded in 1989, will move and continue its mission under Ohio’s Hospice, the state’s largest nonprofit hospice provider. As part of the announcement, the family published a guiding charter, The Kobacker Way, which details fundamental principles for quality nonprofit hospice care. The full document is available at www.TheKobackerWay.org. 

Harbor Hospice Foundation raises over $1M for Muskegon County residence MLive.com, Muskegon County, MI; by Ehren Wynder; 1/7/26 The Harbor Hospice Foundation said it has officially exceeded its $1 million fundraising goal in support of the Leila & Cyrus Poppen Hospice Residence. As of Tuesday, Jan. 6, the foundation said it has raised $1.17 million from donors, supporters and partner organizations. The campaign is still accepting donations until the end of January. “This milestone represents more than a dollar amount; it represents the collective commitment of our community to care for one another during life’s most vulnerable moments,” Ammy Seymour, director of development and communications for the Harbor Hospice Foundation, said in a statement. 

How private equity is ruining hospice care in the U.S. Halifax Examiner; by Philip Moscovitch; 12/29/25 ... In a recent study for the Law and Political Economy Project, Elle Rothermich, a senior research fellow at Yale’s Solomon Center for Health Law, looks at how for-profit and private equity firms have come to dominate ... hospice ... in the U.S. Of some 6,000 Medicare-certified hospices in the country, about 4,400 are for-profit affairs. Rothermich writes: 

Donna Gregory’s extraordinary people: Gwen Whitley reflects on nearly 18 years of service WWAY News, Leland, NC; by Matt Bennett; 12/29/25 Nearly 18 years ago, Gwen Whitley began working at Lower Cape Fear LifeCare, guided by an experience that had changed her life years earlier. ... Whitley said she never viewed leadership as a title, but as a responsibility to patients, families and staff. During her time as CEO, Whitley oversaw several major developments. She points to two accomplishments she is most proud of: the creation of the LifeCare Memory Partners program ... and the organization earning a Five-Star Rating from Medicare in August. ... As she prepares for retirement, Whitley said she plans to remain involved as a volunteer and through the organization’s foundation.

Precision Radiation Oncology Rhode Island and HopeHealth Hospice & Palliative Care announce Collaborative partnership Today in Business, Providence, RI; Press Release; 12/30/25 Precision Radiation Oncology Rhode Island (PRORI) ... along with HopeHealth, provider of palliative care and hospice services, are proud to announce a new collaborative partnership, aimed at improving quality of life and Precision outcomes for patients undergoing cancer care, beginning January 2026. This collaboration brings together two organizations with complementary missions: delivering state-of-the-art cancer treatment while ensuring compassionate, patient-centered support throughout every stage of the patient’s cancer journey. By working closely together, in a synergistic manner, PRORI and HopeHealth will provide a seamless continuum of cancer care that addresses not only the clinical aspects of cancer treatment, but also the physical, emotional, and psychosocial needs of patients, their families and caregivers.

Carolina Caring Foundation receives $30,000 grant to help families in Burke CountyThe Paper, Morganton, NC; by The Paper Staff; 12/20/25 Burke County families caring for children with serious illnesses will see added support through a $30,000 grant awarded to Carolina Caring Foundation for Cardinal Kids, the region’s pediatric palliative and hospice care program. Carolina Caring Foundation announced it received the grant from Speedway Children’s Charities to help fund services provided through Cardinal Kids. The foundation said this is the third consecutive year Speedway Children’s Charities has selected Carolina Caring Foundation as a grant recipient.