Literature Review

Health system C-suites ‘knee deep’ in generative AI Becker's Health IT; by Laura Dyrda; 11/12/25 ... During the AI Summit at Becker’s 13th Annual CEO+CFO Roundtable, leaders from health systems and technology companies shared what they’ve learned from deploying generative AI at scale — from building predictive models to redesigning governance and culture.

Hospice: Track errors, payment caps to avoid facing costly penalties Home Health Line, DecisionHealth; by MaryKent Wolff; 11/13/25 Keep a close eye on possible claim and billing mistakes that could lead to issues related to your payment cap. While increased revenue may seem like a good thing for providers, overpayments could lead to heightened scrutiny and financial hardships for your agency. [May require subscription for additional information]

Applied transformation in healthcare: From digital dreams to operational reality | Viewpoint Chief Healthcare Executive - Opinion; by Clay Holderman; 11/17/25 Healthcare’s digital transformation journey has entered a new, more demanding phase. No longer is it enough to simply adopt technology. Health systems are now expected to show tangible results: stronger margins, better patient access, and improved outcomes are under greater pressure than ever before. ... Here are three key insights from our analysis, and what healthcare leaders can do to make progress real.

New hospice provider opens in Corydon CorydonDemocrat.com, Corydon, IN; Press Release; 11/5/25 Heart to Heart Hospice, one of the country’s largest private providers of hospice care, is expanding its service area in Southern Indiana with the opening of a new location in Corydon to meet needs in six additional counties. The new site, located at 113 N. Oak St., will serve patients and families who reside in Harrison, Floyd, Washington, Clark, Scott and Jefferson counties.

Attorney General Bonta secures felony sentencing of Inland Empire Hospice operators for Medicare and Medi-Cal fraud  Rob Bonta - Office of the Attorney General, California Government; Press Release; 11/5/25 California Attorney General Rob Bonta today announced the sentencing of Inland Empire Hospice operators, Ralph and Rochell Canales, for submitting false claims to the Medicare and Medi-Cal programs. Ralph was sentenced by the San Bernardino County Court to seven years and four months in state prison and was jointly ordered to pay $1,455,233, alongside his wife Rochell Canales. Rochelle was sentenced to one year in jail, and ordered to abstain from working with Medicare and Medi-Cal beneficiaries ...

If you treat AI like software, you’ll miss the real transformation Forbes; by Nirit Cohen; 11/2/25 ... When employees work with AI, ownership blurs. Who is responsible for an outcome — the person, the model, or both? Who retrains the system when it learns the wrong lesson? Who decides when to trust a recommendation and when to challenge it? These are not IT questions; they’re questions for the people closest to the work — the ones who understand how value is actually created. This is why the biggest risk isn’t technical. It’s human. 

Learning to love fax again, courtesy of AI Forbes - Innovation; by Jeffrey Sullivan; 10/29/25 ... While other industries have moved on to less secure email and messaging platforms, fax still reigns supreme in healthcare. In fact, a majority of healthcare organizations still lean on fax as a primary source of communication, according to a recent survey ... The problem is that while fax is still healthcare’s go-to for sending and receiving information, many organizations haven’t updated their fax processes to adapt to current healthcare workflows that prioritize digital tools like EMRs and patient portals over traditional paper-centric practices.

After her son’s painful death, a Cheshire mother highlights Connecticut’s pediatric hospice gap New Haven Register, Norwalk, CT; by Cris Villalonga-Vivoni; 10/26/25 Carolyn Torello believes that no parent should outlive their children, yet that became her reality. ...  As his condition worsened, the family faced his impending death without the support of pediatric palliative or hospice care. No provider, she said, seemed to know how to help or where to begin. He died at 15 years old in 2021. ... In 2020, an estimated 7,800 children in Connecticut were living with complex medical conditions that limited their life expectancy and could have benefited from palliative or hospice care, according to data from the National Survey of Children's Health. ... Torello thinks that if Michael had access to hospice care, he could have died with greater dignity, and their family could have focused on simply being together. ... Efforts to create a more formalized pediatric palliative care system have been underway since 2024, led by a state-commissioned working group that will make recommendations to the legislature on potential reforms.

Ames hospice center to close due to decline in patient numbers, rising costs We Are Iowa, Des Moines, IA; by Caleb Geer;10/23/25 After more than 25 years of service in central Iowa, the Israel Family Hospice House is preparing to close its doors, according to Mary Greeley Medical Center. The decision will be effective on Dec. 31, 2025, pending approval by the hospital's Board of Trustees during their Oct. 28 meeting. "After careful consideration, and in light of a steady decline in patient numbers, increased competition from for-profit providers, insufficient reimbursements, and rising operational costs, we have made the difficult decision to close the hospice house," a post on the Mary Greeley Facebook account says in part. Reasons for the pending closure include declining patients, increased competition and increasing deficit, according to an FAQ document provided by the hospital.

Center provides hospice care options The Laker / Lutz News, New Port Richey, FL; Press Release; 10/15/25 Gulfside Healthcare Services celebrated the opening of its newest inpatient care facility Sept. 19 in New Port Richey. Guests not only toured patient rooms and family areas but also applauded the announcement of a gift by Dr. Jay Weil. The new care center will be called the Dr. Jay Weil Center for Hospice Care in honor of his generosity. Gulfside Healthcare Services celebrated the opening of its newest inpatient care facility Sept. 19 in New Port Richey. Guests not only toured patient rooms and family areas but also applauded the announcement of a gift by Dr. Jay Weil. The new care center will be called the Dr. Jay Weil Center for Hospice Care in honor of his generosity.

‘Lack of urgency’ a top cause of hospice admissions delays, industry consultants say McKnight Home Care; by Adam Healy; 10/9/25 Hospices’ delays in admitting patients can bog down operations and stifle growth. To avoid holdups, providers should act with urgency and prioritize outside-the-box thinking, industry consultants at Transcend Strategy Group recommended. ... Transcend Strategy Group recently released a new insights guide titled “Driving Sales and Admissions Success in Hospice Care.” The guide reveals hospice providers’ top reasons for admissions delays, the problems caused by these delays, and the strategies providers can use to clear bottlenecks. The insights guide noted that admissions delays are problematic for both providers and their clients. ... Hospices should get creative to solve admissions problems, Transcend’s experts agreed. Rather than look for a tool or technology to help speed up operations, look internally to identify practices that prevent care from being delivered, they said.

Seasons Hospice hosts commemoration as it closes hospice house, forges ahead with in-home care KTTC, Rochester, MN; by Caitlin Alexander; 10/10/25 Local nonprofit organization Seasons Hospice hosted a somber but significant moment on Friday as it commemorated its hospice house. After more than 25 years, Seasons Hospice is closing the doors of the hospice house, as it now shifts its focus to serving patients and families with in-home hospice care. “I had a hard time at first accepting that and getting beyond it, but I did,” one of the founders, Sarah Oehlke, said. “I’m very grateful that you have sustained our quality-of-care standards for all of the years.” “We have together provided comfort, dignity and compassion to countless families during life’s most poignant moments,” Board President Dawn Beck said. ... Seasons Hospice previously spoke about a declining census at the hospice house, especially in recent years, noting the shift toward people wishing to spend their final days in their homes with loved ones.Editor's Note: This Seasons Hospice is in Rochester, Minnesota; not to be confused with other hospice organizations throughout the nation with "seasons" in its name. They gave their hospice house both a "good life" and "a good death." We draw attention to the shift they described "toward people wishing to spend their final days in their homes with loved ones," and will continue to be on the lookout for similar trends. To quote from an ancient poet, "To everything there is a season ..." We wish Seasons Hospice well through its continued transitions.

Home health & hospice's top advocacy priorities TIMSHME.com; by Steve Landers; 10/5/25 The National Alliance for Care at Home (the Alliance) is the largest organization representing, advocating for and convening providers of home-based care, representing over 1,500 organizations and more than 10,000 agencies serving millions of people nationwide. ... Last month, the Alliance convened more than 230 frontline providers and leaders in Washington to advocate for these priorities.  ... Advocates shared the key issues impacting care, why it matters and what Congress should do about it.