Literature Review

Hospice workers stop by to thank Lila Kozel, founder of hospice care in Bismarck KXNET News CBS, Bismarck, ND; by Joel Porter; 5/1/26 Health care workers in North Dakota made a house call on Friday to a special woman’s house. Workers from CHI Health at Home stopped by Lila Kozel’s home to greet her and thank her. Kozel is credited with starting hospice services in Bismarck in the 1980s. Health workers say Kozel started the program after losing a son, which made her want to give comfort to others as her family handled their grief. Now, Lila is living on hospice care, and the workers say if not for Lila, they’re not sure the program would be what it is.

CVHHH receives $10,000 grant from Vermont Mutual Charitable Fund VB | VermontBiz; by Tim and Central Vermont Home Health & Hospice; 5/6/26 Vermont Business Magazine Central Vermont Home Health & Hospice (CVHHH) has been awarded a $10,000 grant from the Vermont Mutual Charitable Giving Fund. The funds will support CVHHH’s Adult Home Health Care program, which provides intermittent, short-term medical care, education, and support to Central Vermonters recovering from a hospital stay, injury, or surgery, and those who need assistance managing their chronic disease. 

Livingstone sells Elevate Hospice to Legacy HospiceLivingstone Partners; Press Release by Jim Moskal and Joseph Ens; 3/26/26 Livingstone’s healthcare team advised Elevate Hospice, a provider of comprehensive hospice care across Kansas and Missouri, on its sale to Legacy Hospice, a portfolio company of Bain Capital Double Impact.  Livingstone served as the exclusive financial advisor to the Company. Elevate operates three locations and delivers personalized hospice care to more than 225 patients per day.  ... Legacy Hospice, which was acquired by Bain Double Impact in November 2025, provides hospice services across five states in the Southeast with a specialized focus on in-home care in rural markets.

What a new hospice center means for Cleveland – beyond health care: Bill Finn Cleveland.com, Cleveland, OH; by Bill Finn, President and CEO of Reserve Care (formerly Hospice of the Western Reserve); 5/3/26 Cleveland is no stranger to reinvention. We are a city shaped by resilience, by industry and by a deep commitment to one another. That spirit is what makes this moment so meaningful as Reserve Care opens a new lakefront care center, designed not only for patients and families, but for our entire community. ... Set along Lake Erie, the space was intentionally designed to feel different from a hospital. ... Every detail, from the views of the water to the quiet areas for conversation, supports a single goal: to ease stress and create a sense of peace. But the impact goes beyond the walls of the building. ...

Hospice of Wichita Falls partners to protect against hospice fraud KFDX/KJTL News, TexomasHomePage.com, Wichita Falls, TX; by Angel Owens; 5/1/26 As concerns over hospice fraud continue to grow across Texas and the nation, Hospice of Wichita Falls is taking a strong and public stance against unethical practices that threaten patients and undermine trust in end-of-life care. The nonprofit organization is reaffirming its commitment to compassionate, ethical hospice services while partnering with state and national organizations to strengthen accountability across the industry. For over four decades, the organization has served the Wichita Falls community as a nonprofit, community-based provider dedicated to supporting patients and families through one of life’s most vulnerable and sacred seasons.

Hospice of Davidson County Golf Tournament raises $21,000 The Dispatch, Lexington, NC; by Jill Doss-Raines; 4/29/26 More than 100 golfers filled the fairways at Sapona Golf, Swim and Tennis Club on April 16 as Hospice of Davidson County held its 17th annual Benefit Golf Tournament, raising more than $21,000 to support patient care and community programs.

2026 Fashion Fling raises funds for Hospice Brazos Valley [and speech about fraud] The Fayette County Record, La Grange, TX; by News Staff; 4/20/26 Hospice Brazos Valley presented “Fashion Fling 2026” at a new location this year – the KC Hall in La Grange – on Saturday, April 18. About 275 ladies (along with a few gentlemen) attended the event. ... During the event, Hospice Brazos Valley CEO Lisa Mc-Nair delivered a speech: ... "“I had the opportunity last week to testify in front of the Texas Senate Health and Human Services Committee, charged with protecting taxpayer funds by preventing fraud and abuse. ... There are 1,366 hospices currently operating in Texas, which is a 98.5% increase since Jan 1, 2020. These new hospices are not rolling into to town to provide excellent hospice care; they are opening up to find ways to fraudulently bill Medicare for services. ... I am proud to tell you that ... we are one of only 24 hospices in the entire state of Texas out of the 1,366 licensed hospices, with a 5-star rating. We are in the top 1.7% of all Texas Hospices and in the top 2% in the entire nation."

Derby Brunch helps support hospice organization The Owenton News-Herald, Owen County, KY; by Staff Reports; 4/28/26 The Owen County Friends of Hospice’s annual Derby Brunch on April 25 helped raise money for Bluegrass Care Navigators to support hospice and grief services the region, the organization announced. The organization serves in Owen, Franklin, Woodford and Anderson counties. Since its inception 11 years ago, this fundraising event has raised more than $75,000.

NPHI execs: quality is hospices’ differentiator Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 4/28/26 True quality care transcends government-required metrics and is key to shaping the future of hospice care. This is according to Tom Koutsoumpas, founder and CEO of the National Partnership for Healthcare & Hospice Innovation (NPHI), and Carole Fisher, the organization’s president. While factors like regulatory compliance are crucial to quality, they don’t tell the whole story, Koutsoumpas and Fisher told Hospice News at NPHI’s Annual Summit in Chicago. “Quality is our differentiator. In addition to all the scores, certainly patient and family satisfaction is a huge part of it, making sure that we continue to put the patient and family in the center. ...” Koutsoumpas said. “Do we create an atmosphere of trust? That’s a quality issue."

Iowa City Hospice hosts Walk for Dignity KCRG-9 ABC News, Iowa City, IA; by Lacey Reeves; 4/26/26 People in Iowa City walked through Willow Creek Park on Saturday in memory of loved ones who died after receiving hospice care. Iowa City Hospice hosts a Walk for Dignity every year to raise money to provide free end-of-life care to people who need it. ... “We give over $250,000 a year in unreimbursed hospice care to people in our community who don’t have insurance, because we believe that if you’re dying, you shouldn’t have to worry about how you’re going to pay for your health care,” said Sara Krieger, CEO of Iowa City Hospice. ... As the families walked, they passed by memory lane with yard signs with photos of people who have died.

Chapters Health System launches new pediatric program PR Newswire, Temple Terrace, FL; Press Release; 4/23/26 Chapters Health System announced the launch of Chapters Kids, a system‑wide pediatric hospice and palliative care program. Chapters Kids will expand resources for pediatric patients and families throughout the Chapters Health System service area and unite existing pediatric programs from several affiliates. "The launch of Chapters Kids is another critical step forward as we work toward fulfilling our mission of taking care of patients, or taking care of those who do," said Andrew Molosky, President and CEO, Chapters Health System.

NPHI statement on “Protecting Patients and Taxpayers: Cracking Down on Medicare Fraud” hearingNational Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation, Washington, DC; Press Release; 4/22/26 The National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI) supports the continued focus by Congress and the Administration on addressing fraud, waste, and abuse within the Medicare hospice benefit. NPHI’s policy team, led by Ethan McChesney and joined by Quin Lyons, attended the House Ways & Means Full Committee hearing titled “Protecting Patients and Taxpayers: Cracking Down on Medicare Fraud,” on April 21, reinforcing NPHI’s active engagement on this issue. ... “Fraud in hospice is not a theoretical concern – it is happening in real time, and patients and families are paying the price,” said Tom Koutsoumpas, Founder and CEO of NPHI. “We are seeing entire markets impacted by actors who have no connection to the communities they claim to serve. These fraudulent actors must be rooted out of the system — at once.