Literature Review

What to know about palliative and hospice care Association of Health Care Journalists (AHCJ); by Liz Seegert; 3/28/25 ... [Palliative care] is fundamental to health and human dignity and is a basic human right, according to the FXB Center for Health and Human Rights at Harvard.  When reporting on serious illnesses, journalists can help demystify palliative care and encourage more people in need to take advantage of it by clearly explaining the differences, and benefits, and incorporating anecdotes to further illustrate how these types of care make a difference in the lives of patients and their families. [Continue reading ...] Editor's note: Share this article--written for health care journalists--with your communications and marketing leadership, with your community newspapers' journalists, and your employee/volunteer educators. Too often, new hospice/palliative care employees at all levels of roles and responsibilities begin their roles without clear knowledge, comprehension, and application of distinctions between standard healthcare, palliative care, and hospice care.  

[UK] Man to sell his 4,000 books in aid of hospice BBC News; by Emily Coady-Stemp and Jo Burn; 3/26/25 A man has opened a shop to sell his collection of 4,000 books to raise money for the hospice where he is receiving care. Rob McCann, from the Kent village of Sutton Valence, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in July 2023 and given just weeks to live. "Yet here I am, 18 months later, still going strong," he added. He opened Capelli's Books in his village on Tuesday to raise money for the Heart of Kent Hospice. [Continue reading ...]

Healthy Colorado: Expanded hospice care in El Paso County KRDO TV-AM-FM, Colorado Springs, CO; 3/24/25 It's hard to talk about, and even harder for many families to live through. But it's important to know how many options there are for supported care. CommonSpirit Home Hospice recently expanded its program into El Paso County. They've been providing compassionate, end-of-life care for more than 30 years now. [Continue reading ...]

The power of data in enhancing hospice care at United Hospice Mid-Hudson News, Hudson Valley, NY; by Mid-Hudson News Staff; 3/23/25 ... United Hospice CEO Cara Pace said data plays a crucial role in tracking patient health status, symptom management, and overall comfort. ... Hospice care must evolve to meet the changing needs of patients and families. By leveraging data, United Hospice can make informed decisions about service expansions, patient care enhancements, and operational improvements. Data-driven insights guide leadership in planning for the future, ensuring that the organization remains responsive to community needs while continuing to provide exemplary care. ... [Hospices] must be attentive to the experiences of both patients and their families. “By systematically collecting feedback through surveys and other data collection methods, United Hospice can assess satisfaction levels, identify areas for improvement, and address concerns proactively,” Pace said. “This continuous engagement fosters trust and strengthens relationships with families and the broader community.” ... [Continue reading ...]

Digital Transformation 101: A handy primerHealthcare IT News; by Bill Siwicki; 3/21/25 Robert Slepin, chief digital officer at SE Health and an emeritus CIO adviser at Epic, describes the key aspects of digital transformation that provider organizations need to understand, primary technologies involved and how to best organize the effort. Healthcare IT News sat down with him to discuss aspects of digital transformation efforts that provider organizations don't quite have a firm grasp on to begin with, the primary technologies involved in digital transformation, how to organize such a comprehensive effort as digital transformation, and his transformation effort at SE Health. [Continue reading ...]

‘Disturbing’ outlook: Hospices’ top regulatory concerns in 2025 Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 3/20/25 Telehealth policies and program integrity concerns represent two of the leading regulatory issues on hospices’ radar this year. Regulatory changes and increasing oversight were the second-most cited concerns among nearly a quarter (21%) of 112 hospice professionals who participated in this year’s Outlook Survey by Hospice News and Homecare Homebase. Challenges around staffing and improved public awareness also topped the list of providers’ concerns. This is the third piece of this three-part Hospice News series that explores the significant regulatory challenges facing hospice providers in 2025. 

2 tailwinds shaping hospice growth, care delivery Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 3/14/25 Rising demand for end-of-life care is pushing hospice growth opportunities to the forefront in value-based reimbursement. More payers in this arena are increasingly recognizing the depth of potential beneficial outcomes when it comes to collaborative hospice partnerships. Swelling aging populations have fueled rising health care costs across the country, with payers and providers alike seeking ways to ensure affordable access and sustainable services. ... “As far as tailwinds for the industry specific to hospice, [it’s] predictions for demographic growth,” [David Jackson, CEO and founding partner of Choice Health at Home] said. “The biggest opportunities for growth [are] talking about vertical integration and how we reach up into the health care system. [It’s] talking about the value that we bring from the perspective of patient care, and then talk about the plans, the payers, the opportunity to enhance their financial outcomes.”

Malpractice lawsuits are rising — here’s how physicians can protect themselves Becker's ASC Review; by Patsy Newitt; 3/11/25 Medical malpractice insurance is essential for protecting physicians from financial and legal risks, particularly amid the rise in malpractice lawsuits, according to a March 5 article on Physicians Thrive’s website.  In 2023, malpractice verdicts hit a record high. There were 57 medical malpractice verdicts of $10 million or more, with more than half of those verdicts hitting $25 million.  Here are nine things to know from the Physician’s Thrive article. 

Children's Respite Homes of America aims to address the severe lack of children's respite and palliative care homes in the U.S. Cision PRWeb, Scottsdale, AZ; by Children's Respite Homes of America; 3/11/25 Twenty years ago, there were no dedicated children's respite and palliative care homes in the United States. Today, there are only a handful. By contrast, the United Kingdom—a country one-fifth the size of the U.S.—has developed a network of 54 children's respite and palliative care homes. Based on population, the U.S. would need over 250 similar homes to provide equitable access. The disparity leaves countless families without essential respite care, and Children's Respite Homes of America aims to change that. ... Cottor, who co-founded Ryan House in Phoenix, Arizona, alongside his wife Holly and with strong community support, established Children's Respite Homes of America with an ambitious but necessary goal: to develop 50 children's respite and palliative care homes in 50 cities within the next five years. ...

VA in IM marks 75th anniversary as a mainstay for veterans’ care The Daily News, Iron Mountain, MI; by Betsy Bloom; 3/6/25 A winter storm didn’t stop the Oscar G. Johnson VA Medical Center from celebrating its 75th anniversary with an open house Wednesday. The facility opened on March 5, 1950 — it then was the largest construction project done in the Upper Peninsula — as strictly an inpatient hospital with 264 beds, primarily for treating World War II veterans ... [and much has] changed in 75 years. The medical center now serves about 22,000 veterans in the U.P.’s 15 counties, along with nine Wisconsin counties — more than 26,000 square miles, giving it the most rural patient base in the VA system. ...  Its hospice area now has a semi-private patio that allows even a full bed to be taken outside so those in end-of-life care can still enjoy some fresh air, said Mary Oman, [a] tour guide.Editor's note: Congratulations and thank you to the Oscar G. Johnson VA Medical Center for your history of innovating care for veterans--especially your rural care system and hospice care. 

Understanding a patient’s AI medical journey The Hastings Center; by Ian Stevens, Erin William, Jean-Christophe Bélisle-Pion, and Vardit Ravitsky; 3/5/25As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly integrated into U.S. health care, patients should know the ways in which AI is being used in their care, concludes a new paper, “Bring a ‘Patient’s Medical AI Journey’ to the Hill.” Transparency is crucial for interactions between health care providers and individual patients, as well as for systemic level uses of AI, including:

Central Coast VNA & Hospice expands registered nursing services in Monterey Buzz; 3/5/25 Central Coast VNA & Hospice is significantly expanding its registered nursing care services in Monterey, providing residents with increased access to high-quality, personalized healthcare delivered directly in their homes. … Key expanded services include advanced care planning, which helps patients and families make informed medical decisions, and a palliative care program focused on relieving symptoms and reducing stress for patients with serious illnesses. The organization also offers specialty programs targeting specific health conditions such as cardiac care, diabetic care, and orthopedic support. 

Medicaid health plans failing to pay hospices for nursing home room and board Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 3/3/25 ... Medi-Cal, California’s Medicaid program, is among the states that shifted management of its safety net health coverage to health plans. Under this system, Medi-Cal pays the health plans who then pass payments on to the providers. However, due to confusion among managed care plans that oversee Medicaid in most states, those hospices are not getting those dollars back, according to Craig Dresang,  CEO of YoloCares. This has caused hospices to lose thousands to millions of dollars in some cases. “Managed health care plans are saying they’re denying the claims, and they’re tying them up so that they age out. So the due date has passed and we can no longer bill,” Dresang told Hospice News. [Click on the title's link to continue reading.]