Literature Review
Former CMS employee: War on home care fraud yields 30 percent collateral damage
10/15/26 at 03:00 AMFormer CMS employee: War on home care fraud yields 30 percent collateral damageMcKnights Home Care; by Liza Berger; 10/13/26The recent uptick in fraud audits, denials and revocations may seem unusual, but it is not particularly new. One former Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services employee said he has seen it before — in the late 1990s... [Michael McGowan, a former CMS Region IX OASIS automation coordinator] sees the current environment as the aftermath of Operation Restore Trust. While the federal government is claiming success in response to rampant fraud, McGowan believes it is just turning over the apple cart, bruising a lot of decent apples in the process. “There are gross amounts of provider fraud and there are gross amounts of collateral damage,” he said. “They do not have the ability to truly tell the difference. What they’ve done is gone after a bunch of small players. It looks really good to say, ‘Oh, we’ve just closed 500 agencies.’ Well, I know damn good and well you did not do it right. My CMS experience in the 20 years I’ve been doing this work shows me that there’s at least 30% collateral damage. That’s the norm. And they go crowing about their success while these people’s life work has been vaporized.”
Where can Americans access palliative care? New national initiative aims to find out
10/15/26 at 03:00 AMWhere can Americans access palliative care? New national initiative aims to find outGlobe Newswire; by Elizabeth Dowling; 10/14/26Where can people living with serious illness access specialty palliative care in the United States, and where is that care still out of reach? Today, there is no comprehensive national source showing where specialty palliative care is available across both hospital and community settings. The Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC) is working to change that with the launch of the Palliative Care Program Inventory (Program Inventory), a national initiative to map where specialty palliative care programs operate and where gaps in access remain. The Program Inventory will collect information directly from specialty palliative care programs nationwide, including data on staffing, patient volume, and care delivery models. The resulting data will support research, policy, and advocacy efforts to better understand - and ultimately expand - access to specialty palliative care across the country.
Research: When being authentic undermines your leadership
10/15/26 at 03:00 AMResearch: When being authentic undermines your leadershipHarvard Business Review; by Namrata Goyal, Krishna Savani, Sven Engesser, Veronika Job; 10/12/26Leaders often assume that revealing a painful setback makes them appear more authentic to their employees. New research suggests the more powerful signal is agency: people respond more positively when leaders voluntarily disclose an unconventional choice that carried a personal cost. Across 10 experiments with more than 2,000 participants, such disclosures boosted perceived authenticity and support, especially for established leaders. By contrast, setbacks elicited sympathy but little authenticity, while exploitative choices damaged trust. The practical lesson is to distinguish vulnerability from authenticity, disclose choices rather than merely misfortunes, and build credibility before departing from convention at work.
Fun fact...
10/15/26 at 03:00 AMFun fact: people with their next mountain trip planned are a lot happier than those who don't.
Morphine underused for end-of-life dyspnea in the emergency department compared with inpatient care
10/15/26 at 03:00 AMMorphine underused for end-of-life dyspnea in the emergency department compared with inpatient careMedscape; 10/13/26Among 250 patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with dyspnea at the end of life, 15.2% received morphine in the ED, whereas 68% received it during subsequent inpatient care. Patients with lung cancer or a do-not-resuscitate order were more likely to receive morphine in the ED, but its use was not associated with reduced survival.[This summary refers to [Jerusalem] Morphine for end-of-life dyspnea: Underuse in the emergency department versus inpatient care; Journal of Pain and Symptom Management; 9/26.]
UnitedHealth reports $4.1B in profit, launches AI recommendations for Medicare Advantage plans
10/15/26 at 03:00 AMUnitedHealth reports $4.1B in profit, launches AI recommendations for Medicare Advantage plansBecker's Payer Issues; by Elizabeth Casolo; 10/13/26UnitedHealth Group reported $4.1 billion in profit for the third quarter of 2026, up 75% year over year, according to an Oct. 13 release... The company is also rolling out AI-powered plan recommendations for the upcoming Medicare Advantage annual enrollment period, CEO Stephen Hemsley said on the earnings call.
[Lisbon, Portugal] Closing the gap: Nurses call for action to pediatric palliative care
10/15/26 at 03:00 AM[Lisbon, Portugal] Closing the gap: Nurses call for action to pediatric palliative careeHospice; by Joana Mendes; 10/12/26On 6 October 2026, the Lisbon School of Nursing at the University of Lisbon hosted the international webinar “Closing the Gap: A Nursing Call to Action for Pediatric Palliative Care”, bringing together 112 participants, predominantly Portuguese nurses, around a shared commitment: advancing equitable, accessible and high-quality perinatal, neonatal and pediatric palliative care.
SOS: Year 1 A 33 --Who are the hospices that were revoked in 2025?
10/15/26 at 03:00 AMSOS: Year 1 A 33 --Who are the hospices that were revoked in 2025?Substack; by Joan Teno; 10/12/26Medicare can take away a hospice’s right to bill, an action called revocation. In 2025 it revoked 209 hospices, most often for abusive billing or for ties to other providers that put Medicare at risk. Of the 173 that I could find in Medicare’s public quality data, nearly all were for-profit, about 9 in 10 were in California, and almost half had been certified for less than two years.I then asked a simple question: how many other hospices look like the ones that were revoked? ...
I’ve mentored people for 20 years. I use these 4 steps to help them advance.
10/14/26 at 03:10 AMI’ve mentored people for 20 years. I use these 4 steps to help them advanceEntrepreneur; by Jissan Cherian; 10/9/26The best mentors treat every conversation as a two-way exchange, asking questions that sharpen the other person’s thinking while staying open to having their own views challenged. A four-step process of building self-awareness, gathering feedback from five people, separating perception from reality and refining your defining stories creates growth for both mentor and mentee.
Millions of Americans will have fewer options during Medicare open enrollment this year
10/14/26 at 03:05 AMMillions of Americans will have fewer options during Medicare open enrollment this yearMorningstar; by Jessica Hall; 10/9/26There will be no Medicare Advantage plans in 181 counties in 2027, up from 67 in 2026. Medicare Advantage controls more than half of the overall Medicare market of about 69.6 million subscribers. Millions of older adults will need to find new healthcare coverage for 2027 after several insurers exited markets and cut back on their offerings to protect profit margins.
LifeTouch Health data breach exposes Social Security numbers and health records
10/14/26 at 03:05 AMLifeTouch Health data breach exposes Social Security numbers and health recordsData Breach Rights; 10/13/26Arkansas Hospice Inc., operating as LifeTouch Health, notified the Vermont Attorney General in October 2026 of a data breach exposing Social Security numbers, government ID numbers, financial account data, and health records. The number of people affected has not been publicly disclosed. Affected individuals should place a credit freeze and monitor both credit reports and insurance statements closely.
Hospitals are seeing slim margins in 2026
10/14/26 at 03:05 AMHospitals are seeing slim margins in 2026Chief Healthcare Executive; by Ron Southwick; 10/12/26A new Strata Decision Technology report examining hospitals in the first half of 2026 illustrates the subdued performance for many hospitals. At the start of the year, median hospital operating margins were in negative territory (-0.6% in January and -0.3% in February). Hospital operating margins have moved into positive territory as the year has progressed, but the numbers are hardly lofty, with median operating margins reaching 0.7% by June. This comes after a solid second half of 2025, when hospital operating margins ranged between 1% and 1.5%.
Former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy to headline End Well 2026 Summit, taking on loneliness at the end of life
10/14/26 at 03:05 AMFormer U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy to headline End Well 2026 Summit, taking on loneliness at the end of lifePR Newswire; 10/13/26End Well... today announced that Dr. Vivek Murthy, the 19th and 21st Surgeon General of the United States and founder of The Together Project, will headline its 2026 Summit on November 12 at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles and online. Murthy will speak with Jamie Yuccas, CBS News National Correspondent, about loneliness and human connection when people are facing serious illness, caregiving, dying, and grief.
Good leadership requires...
10/14/26 at 03:00 AMGood leadership requires you to surround yourself with people of diverse perspectives who can disagree wtih you without fear of retaliation. ~Doris Kearns Goodwin
Mom, 42, gets married in hospice wedding one week after she was admitted for heart failure
10/14/26 at 03:00 AMMom, 42, gets married in hospice wedding one week after she was admitted for heart failurePeople; by Desiree Anello; 10/12/26“It’s unfortunate that we are marrying in these circumstances, but at the same time, we just knew it was the right thing for us,” the bride said. A 42-year-old woman, Katerina Lavuova, married her longtime partner, Stanley Srvcek, in a hospice wedding one week after she was admitted for heart failure. "I have learned that people don't just come here to die, they can come here to have happiness," she said.
AI prescriptions are being tested in Utah
10/14/26 at 03:00 AMAI prescriptions are being tested in UtahHealthcareBrew; by Caroline Catherman; 10/9/26Healthcare startup Nolla Health on Oct. 5 began piloting topical acne prescriptions for Utah adults, written up by AI instead of doctors. The company says it is the “first organization in the US authorized by a state regulator for AI to issue an initial prescription, not just a refill.” To start, physicians are reviewing all the AI prescriptions. Eventually, assuming the program meets pre-agreed safety targets and the state signs off, the goal is for physicians to review prescriptions in only a handful of cases, per the company’s Oct. 5 announcement.
Commure and Compassus bring AI-powered referral automation to home-based care
10/14/26 at 03:00 AMCommure and Compassus bring AI-powered referral automation to home-based careGlobeNewswire; 10/13/26Commure, the AI-native enterprise healthcare platform, today announced a strategic partnership with Compassus, a leading national provider of integrated home-based care services, including home health, palliative care, home infusion and hospice services. Together, Commure and Compassus co-developed Commure Orchestrator, an AI-powered automation platform built through close collaboration between the two organizations.
Changes in US life expectancy From 2019 to 2024
10/14/26 at 03:00 AMChanges in US life expectancy From 2019 to 2024JAMA Internal Medicine; by Deborah Dowell, Fang Xu, Xinyi Jiang, Gery Guy, Nisha Nataraj, Jean Ko, Grant Baldwin; 10/12/26From 2019 to 2024, there was no overall increasing or decreasing trend in rates for total deaths, poisoning deaths, or leading causes of death, with the exceptions of chronic lower respiratory disease and cancer and COVID-19. Overall life expectancy at birth increased by 0.123 year from 2019 to 2024.
Empassion CEO: MA Can Help with Hospice Program Integrity
10/14/26 at 03:00 AMEmpassion CEO: MA Can Help with Hospice Program Integrity Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 10/13/26Structures like Medicare Advantage (MA) can help improve hospice program integrity and reduce the health care spend, according to Robin Heffernan, CEO of Empassion Health. Empassion Health operates in 45 states... Hospice News sat down with Heffernan to discuss past program integrity issues within the home health benefit, how MA may have helped and what this means for hospices.
SOS: What happens to the SSVI calculation when one in six hospices is removed?
10/14/26 at 03:00 AMSOS: What happens to the SSVI calculation when one in six hospices is removed?Substack; by Joan Teno; 8/31/26Tweet from Kimberly Brandt, Deputy Director of CMS “Deputy CMS Administrator Kimberly Brandt with a major update on the hospice fraud crackdown in California … 1,076 hospices have been removed from the Medicare program in California alone... these are hospices that are no longer under review. They’re not on a watch list. They are GONE; thrown out of the program entirely—unable to bill Medicare, unable to touch another taxpayer dollar, unable to take advantage of another vulnerable beneficiary.” Think about this: one in six hospices may be removed from the Medicare program. How will that affect the proposed SSVI cutpoints?
West Palm Beach man accused of beating hospice patient, strangling second woman
10/13/26 at 03:10 AMWest Palm Beach man accused of beating hospice patient, strangling second womanHoodline; by Livi Miller; 10/9/26A West Palm Beach man is being held without bond after deputies say he forced his way into a home near North Federal Highway and attacked two women, including an at-home hospice patient suffering from terminal cancer. Mandy Bolobanic was arrested Thursday and now faces an array of felony charges including home invasion robbery, elder abuse, battery by strangulation and witness tampering.
‘Before I Forget’: A touching and surprisingly funny memoir on caring for ageing abusive parents
10/13/26 at 03:10 AM‘Before I Forget’: A touching and surprisingly funny memoir on caring for ageing abusive parentsScroll.in / The Conversation; by Helen Vassallo; 10/11/26In writing about trauma, French writer Anne Pauly is also acerbically funny and no one is spared from her arch humour. How do you mourn an abusive alcoholic parent? French writer Anne Pauly’s Before I Forget, translated by Dina Leifer, addresses this question in a deeply personal account of grief. We accompany Pauly’s protagonist and narrator, Anne, as she cares for her ailing father, looking after his house and his personal grooming. Having grown up witnessing her father’s recurrent violence towards her mother, Pauly addresses some very serious topics... Before I Forget is an uncomfortable read at times. Anne says that her parents hurt each other deeply, but the reality Pauly describes is that of a violent alcoholic and his abused wife. This generosity towards her father is perhaps Anne’s way of processing her grief, enabling her to continue caring for him as she strives to find the humanity inside a monster.
Dartmouth Health unveils new home-based care initiative
10/13/26 at 03:05 AMDartmouth Health unveils new home-based care initiativeHospice News; by Jim Parker; 10/9/26Dartmouth Health is launching a suite of home-based care services in partnership with Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College. The program is branded as Dartmouth Health at Home. Supported by a $20 million philanthropic gift, Dartmouth Health at Home aims to transform rural healthcare by expanding access to care, improving patient outcomes, and facilitating the safe and effective transition of care from hospitals and ambulatory settings to patients’ homes, while supporting patients and their families throughout the process. The program will include home-based primary care and palliative care. “One of the things that is revolutionary about Dartmouth Health at Home is bringing a range of coordinated services to patients in their homes rather than patients coming to one of our facilities for services,” said Dr. Nathan Goldstein, chair of the Department of Medicine at Dartmouth Health and co-CEO of Dartmouth Health at Home.
I retired in my early 50s to care for my husband with dementia. We've exhausted his 401(k) and had to sell our house.
10/13/26 at 03:05 AMI retired in my early 50s to care for my husband with dementia. We've exhausted his 401(k) and had to sell our house.Business Insider; by Noah Sheidlower; 10/12/26My husband has early-onset Lewy body dementia [says Wendy Rowland, TN]. He is 59 and has been in a memory care facility for over two years now. We have already used his 401(k), and I sold the house we had for over 20 years. Once the money from that is gone, I'm not sure what will happen.
‘Byzantine ownership arrangements’: Calls to scrutinize coding and profit incentives in nursing home Medicare payments
10/13/26 at 03:05 AM‘Byzantine ownership arrangements’: Calls to scrutinize coding and profit incentives in nursing home medicare paymentsSkilled Nursing News; by Zahida Siddiqi; 10/9/26Policy analysts at the nonpartisan agency that advises Congress on Medicare policy are planning to investigate potential coding distortions, payment inaccuracies and whether financial incentives influence patient selection by nursing home providers as part of an assessment of payment accuracy in fee-for-service Medicare’s skilled nursing facility and home health payment systems. At its October meeting Friday, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) discussed a research work plan, with commissioners calling attention to for-profit providers seeking to game the system, with a rising role of hidden private equity influence. [MedPAC presentation slides here.]Publisher's note: Bold and italics above are ours; if MedPAC is looking at this in SNF and HHA, hospice is likely not too far behind...