Exploring Artificial Intelligence in hospice and palliative care: An integrative review of technological and clinical 
Journal of Palliative Medicine; by Tuzhen Xu, PhD, APRN, FNP-C, Caiyi Liu, PhD, BSN, RN, Lin Li, PhD, Dan Song, PhD, RN, Gloria M. Rose, PhD, NP-C, FNP-BC, and Sen Zhu, PhD; 2/4/26 
Conclusions: AI holds potential in enhancing timely, patient-centered palliative and hospice care, supporting prognostication, symptom management, and decision-making. Successful integration requires attention to clinician trust, workflow alignment, equity, and ethical considerations. To maximize its impact on underutilization, future research should focus on multicenter validation, representative datasets, ethical deployment, and seamless integration into clinical practice.

Many patients with advanced blood cancers delay hospice to keep access to blood transfusion
Managed Healthcare Executive; by Briana Contreras; 2/4/26
Key Takeaways:

• Hospice nonuse in leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma is strongly associated with transfusion exclusion policies, forcing patients to choose between symptom-relieving transfusions and comfort-focused end-of-life care.
• Patient-ranked priorities placed transfusion access first, followed by telemedicine and transportation, while standard interdisciplinary hospice visits were comparatively less influential in decision-making.

“This is what loneliness looks like”: A description of a high-risk population of palliative and oncology patients 
American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine; by Tamia Ross, MSPH, Ruwanthi Ekanayake, BA, Lucy Rabinowitz Bailey, MPH, Kain Kim, MD, and Emily Pinto Taylor, MD; 1/9/26 
Background: Loneliness exacerbates symptom burden and reduces quality of life in serious illness. Social prescribing–linking patients to non-clinical community activities–offers a novel approach to address loneliness in palliative care.
Results: Most patients were older, non-Hispanic Black women experiencing financial strain, food insecurity, and transportation barriers. Anxiety exceeded depression severity; mood disorders, loneliness, and social isolation were leading referral reasons.

Personalized palliative care shows signs of improving quality of life for children with advanced cancer 
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), EurekAlert!; by Mass General Brigham; 2/4/26
How to reduce suffering in children with advanced cancer remains an ongoing but urgent question. A Mass General Brigham-led study examined whether systematically surveying children with advanced cancer and their parents about their symptoms and quality of life, providing feedback to children, families, and clinicians—and acting on that information by implementing personalized palliative care—could improve patients’ experiences. Their findings, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, suggest that integrating feedback along with response by specialized pediatric palliative care (SPPC) has the potential to improve children’s quality of life.

Vance to lead sweeping anti-fraud task force investigating California 
Before It's News; Press Release; 2/4/26 
Vice President JD Vance is poised to chair a new White House task force aimed at rooting out potential fraud and abuse in government programs in California, according to CBS News. Andrew Ferguson, chairman of the Federal Trade Commission, is expected to serve as the task force’s vice chairman and handle day-to-day operations, CBS News reports. President Donald Trump is anticipated to issue an executive order in the coming days to formally establish the group, the news outlet said.

Congress passes spending bill, extends telehealth flexibilities 
American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC); by Renee Dustman; 2/4/26 
... Congress has extended the expiration dates for certain telehealth flexibilities from Jan. 30, 2026, to Dec. 31, 2027 (unless otherwise stated), as follows: ...

• The use of telehealth to conduct face-to-face encounters prior to recertification of eligibility for hospice care continues to be allowed except when:
  • The patient is in an area subject to a moratorium on the enrollment of hospice programs;
  • The patient is receiving hospice care from a provider that is subject to enhanced oversight; or
  • The encounter is performed by a hospice physician or nurse practitioner who is not enrolled in Medicare.

What Salem-area lawmakers are prioritizing for the 2026 session 
Salem Reporter, Salem, OR; by Rachel Alexander and Hailey Cook; 2/4/26 
... Oregon’s month-long legislative session got underway on Monday, Feb.2. The fast-paced short session occurs in even years. ... Hospice care oversight: SB 1575 would add protections for patients in hospice care. The new rules would include requiring a background check for business owners, ensuring agencies have the financial resources to care for patients and pausing the issuance of new hospice licenses until the state rules are implemented.  Patterson said the change was at the request of the Oregon Hospice and Palliative Care Association. “In other states there has been a lot of fraud and abuse, and we want to prevent that from happening here in Oregon,” she said. 

Mississippi House approves bill to allow medical marijuana use in hospitals for terminally ill patients 
Marijuana Moment; by Kyle Jaeger; 2/5/26 
The Mississippi House of Representatives has approved a bill to allow terminally ill patients to access medical marijuana in hospitals, nursing facilities and hospice centers. About a week after advancing out of the House Public Health and Human Services Committee, the full chamber passed the legislation from Rep. Kevin Felsher (R) in a 117-1 vote on Wednesday. Known as “Ryan’s Law,” an acknowledgement of a young cannabis patient who passed and whose father has since become an advocate for access in hospital settings, the bill is meant to “support the ability of terminally ill qualifying patients to safely use medical cannabis within specified health care facilities.” 

Programs that pair older-adult mentors with medical students aim to overcome ageism 
Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC); by Bridget Balch; 2/4/26 
... About 1 in 5 people over age 50 report having experienced age discrimination in a health care setting, according to a 2015 study. It’s an issue that researchers at Yale School of Public Health estimate costs the health care system $63 billion a year and can have serious negative effects on the physical and mental health of those discriminated against. As the proportion of the population over age 65 is increasing rapidly, some medical schools have developed senior mentoring programs that pair medical students with older-adult mentors to help overcome stereotyping and ageism, and to give older adults opportunities to engage with and give back to their communities.

DaVita’s strategic investment in Elara Caring aims to transform home-based kidney care 
Market Chameleon; Press Release; 2/3/26 
DaVita has announced a major new partnership, joining forces with Ares Management to invest in Elara Caring—one of the nation’s leading home health providers. ... A standout feature of this partnership is the plan for DaVita and Elara to co-develop a specialized, kidney-focused in-home care model. Leveraging DaVita’s expertise in kidney health and Elara’s reach in home care, the initiative seeks to cut preventable hospitalizations and lower costs for high-acuity patients. For the growing population living with chronic kidney disease, this could open new, personalized options for treatment and stability at home—addressing a consistent challenge in value-based care.

Social Media Watch 2/6/26

• Dr. Oz, Administrator CMS, provides a California Fraud Update on X - three items, including hospice. [Dr. Oz references the 2022 California Hospice Licensure and Oversight report. Also see Gov. Newsom's press release, In the four years since Governor Newsom’s new hospice provider ban took effect, California has revoked more than 280 licenses.]
• Ernesto Lopez, CEO 1520ai, comments on an article by Roseanne Berry - Understanding eligibility and documentation.
• Don Sullivan reposted Shelli Feder's comments regarding tracking state-level palliative care policy per [Yale's] Solomon Center’s groundbreaking palliative care law and policy initiative drives nationwide reforms.

Gold medals aren't really made of gold. They're made of sweat, determination, and a hard-to-find alloy called guts. ~ Dan Gable

Welcome, Winter Olympics 2026!