Literature Review

Dying man’s final wish comes true as his beloved dogs find a forever home together Greater Good; by Guest Contributor; 8/25/26 A man in New York spent his final weeks with one hope on his mind: that his beloved German shepherds would find a new forever home. His story, and the story of his dogs Bowie and Nikki, has moved thousands of people who care deeply about pet adoption and the special bond between humans and animals. At its core, this is a story about love, planning for pets when life changes, and the quiet heroism of animal rescues that step in when families are in crisis. ... One of the most moving moments in this story came when Mr. Spencer asked for something that many pet guardians nearing the end of life quietly hope for. He wanted to say goodbye. 

SOS: What does Google and ChatGPT say about SSVI and quality?Substack; by Joan Teno; 8/26Medicare recently finalized a new hospice scorecard called the Service and Spending Variation Index (SSVI). It gives each Medicare-certified hospice a number from 0 to 16, built from nine billing-based measures, where a higher score flags a hospice whose spending and service patterns look unusual compared with its peers. A high score is not proof of bad care or fraud — it mainly signals to Medicare which hospices may be worth a closer look. In this post I asked Google Gemini and ChatGPT to interpret a sample hospice’s score, and I compare how well each explained what the number does, and does not, mean for a family choosing a hospice.Publisher's note: Even though Substack is a blog site rather than a journal, Joan's content is outstanding and also fits here in a Saturday research issue!

How dementia is being defeated: Incidence among the elderly is falling fastThe Economist; 7/26When Eric Stallard, an actuary and academic, began looking into the incidence of dementia among elderly Americans, he was so stunned by his findings that he held off publishing his first paper on the subject for two and ahalf years while he double-checked his work... Instead of confirming the received wisdom that America faced an intensifying plague of the condition, they showed that the proportion of old people succumbing to it was in fact shrinking fast... Last year he and some colleagues published research in the Journal of the American Medical Association showing that, whereas 40 years ago three in every ten Americans aged 85-89 had dementia, by 2024 just one in ten had it.

Saturday newsletters focus on headlines and research - enjoy!

An exploration of gratitude on well-being in hospice and palliative care familial caregiversJournal of Palliative Medicine; by Kathryn Levy, Pei C Grant, Hannah Rachiele, Gina Schuster, Jonathan L Rossi, Sheila Conboy, Andrew Gasper, Christopher W Kerr; 7/26Familial caregivers (FCGs) play a critical role in health care by providing unpaid care to loved ones with serious illness. Although caregiving is often associated with emotional and physical burden, increasing attention has been directed toward potential sources of meaning and psychological growth, including gratitude. Higher levels of gratitude were associated with greater flourishing and recognition of positive caregiving experiences and were inversely associated with caregiver strain among FCGs of hospice and palliative care patients. Future longitudinal and intervention-based research is needed to determine whether gratitude-focused approaches can improve resilience, psychological well-being, and relational connection in end-of-life caregiving.

Avow expands the future of health care in Southwest Florida with property acquisition in Lee County PRLOG Press, Naples, FL; by Avow; 8/26/26 Avow is pleased to announce the acquisition of property at 14590 Hope Center Loop in Hope Preserve, Fort Myers, representing an important step in the organization's continued expansion of services for patients and families throughout Southwest Florida. With a 44-year history of providing compassionate, not-for-profit care, Avow is expanding its presence in Lee County to make high-quality hospice, palliative care, home health, and grief and loss support more accessible to the growing community. The Hope Preserve property will provide a future home for an approximately 40,000-square-foot Avow facility designed first and foremost to serve patients, families, children, and adults throughout the region.

Ready, Fire, Aim: The CY 2027 Home Health Proposed Rule's shoot-first approach to provider enrollment Husch Blackwell | Hospice Insights; by Bryan Nowicki and Andrew Brenton; 8/26/26 CMS’s CY 2027 Home Health Proposed Rule tucks a sweeping set of Medicare provider enrollment changes inside what is nominally a routine payment rule, expanding the grounds on which CMS can deny or revoke a provider’s enrollment. In this episode, Husch Blackwell’s Bryan Nowicki and Andrew Brenton unpack several of the rule’s most consequential proposals, including new denial and revocation grounds and retroactive revocation effective dates. They also discuss why home health agencies and hospices should be paying close attention as the rule moves toward finalization.

California and the federal government battle over hospice fraud, as victims lose coverage and care Regional Media News, Los Angeles, CA; by wrnnews.com; 8/26/26At 71 and a few years into retirement, Linda Henry felt like she was in good health, and only went to her doctor in Southern California for the occasional checkup. So it was a shock when she found out in 2024 that she had been enrolled in hospice, a specialized end-of-life care usually provided to people with six months or less to live. A Medicare worker told her the system said she had heart failure. Henry was a victim of rampant fraud in the hospice industry, a problem that’s been especially extreme in California, ... Henry believes her Medicare number was stolen after a healthcare payment portal that services insurances was hit by a cyberattack. She found out about her hospice enrollment in September 2024 after her doctor billed Medicare for an allergy test and was denied. Soon, other claims were being returned unpaid.