Literature Review

Compassion: a key to leadership people want to follow Forbes; by Rodger Dean Duncan; 5/26/26 When Graeme Cowan was 42, ... he survived a suicide attempt and what his psychiatrist described as the worst depression he had ever treated. A quarter-century later, Cowan is a founding director of R U OK?, host of “The Caring CEO” podcast, a LinkedIn Top Voice, and author of Great Leaders Care: Developing Safe, Resilient and Successful Teams, his fifth book. His argument, built on 4,000 interviews with people who had navigated serious personal challenges and on his own long climb back, is that most organizations are measuring the wrong things, managing from the wrong instincts, and losing their best people to problems that never enter the system at all.

Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. ~ Steve Jobs

Second annual Hospice News provider rankings and trends report: top 50 providers + exclusive analysis Hospice News; 5/26/26 The hospice sector continues to evolve rapidly, driven by shifting ownership structures, demographic demand and new approaches to caring for seriously ill populations. For the second annual Hospice News 50 report, we partnered with Hospice Analytics to rank the largest hospice chains by 2024 Medicare claims. Drawing on proprietary data — including Medicare payments, corporate disclosures, acquisition activity and SEC filings — the report provides a detailed view of how consolidation, investment patterns and emerging players are reshaping the industry.

Palliative care research project: the NIH-backed initiative in care across the lifespan will be co-led by Boston College School of Social Work Ahearn Endowed Professor Karen Bullock Boston College News, Boston, MA; by Sean Smith; May 2026 The NIH awarded a $64 million grant to establish the Advancing the Science of Palliative Care Research across the Lifespan (ASCENT) consortium, for which Bullock, the Louise McMahon Ahearn Endowed Professor at BCSSW, will serve as a co-investigator. ... These scientists will develop a national scientific infrastructure and community to advance palliative care research; create new research knowledge and research methodologies; foster career development and impact of the palliative care workforce; and disseminate palliative care research findings and facilitate their implementation.

Unlocking human potential through the workplace FacilitiesNet.com; by AnnMarie Martin; 5/22/26 ... Today’s facility leaders are no longer simply maintaining buildings. They are actively shaping the conditions for organizational success, serving as the critical connector between people, place, strategy and technology. That shift carries both weight and possibility. ... The question driving forward-thinking facility leaders today isn’t whether the workplace matters. It’s how to make it matter more. ... At the heart of this life-centered, people-first approach is a simple but powerful premise: the built environment shapes behavior. Lighting affects focus. Acoustics affect stress. Layout affects collaboration. ...

The only way to discover the limits of the possible is to go beyond them into the impossible. ~ Arthur C. Clarke

UChicago expands its offerings in biomedical ethics NewsWise; by University of Chicago Medical Center; 5/22/26 The University of Chicago Biological Sciences Division is expanding its educational opportunities in biomedical ethics with two new offerings: a biomedical ethics concentration within its Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences (BMS) program and a new online biomedical ethics certificate through the MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics. Together, the offerings are designed to meet growing demand from students and healthcare professionals seeking formal training in how to navigate ethical questions in medicine, research, and patient care. ... 

GAO makes MedPAC appointments U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), Washington, DC; Press Release; 5/22/26 Orice W. Brown, Acting Comptroller General of the United States and head of the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), today announced the appointment of the Chair, Vice Chair, and two new members to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC). She also reappointed two current members. MedPAC advises Congress on payments to providers in Medicare’s traditional fee-for-service program and to health plans participating in the Medicare Advantage program. ... 

Ways and Means-approved policies fight fraud in critical safety net programs United States House Committe on Ways & Means - Chairman Jason Smith, Washington, DC; Press Release; 5/22/26 Ways and Means Republicans advanced anti-fraud legislation after months of hearings that revealed the extent of fraud and mismanagement in vital programs like Medicare, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and unemployment insurance. ... [Go directly to the Ways & Committee Fact Sheet, released on Friday 5/22/26, with information and links below to a Fact Sheet for each newly approved policy.] 

What misconceptions do people have about hospice care What's Next? - Buffalo*Toronto Public Media | PBS; by Kelley Clem; 5/20/26Many people associate hospice care with the final days of life, but healthcare advocates say there are still major misconceptions surrounding both hospice and palliative care. On this episode of What’s Next?, Kelley Clem of Hospice Buffalo and Palliative Care Buffalo explains the differences between the two forms of care and why early intervention can improve quality of life for patients living with chronic illness. She also discusses how palliative care helps manage symptoms at any stage of illness, while hospice focuses on comfort and support during the final months of life, including emotional and spiritual care for families.

7 dog breeds that can sense when their owner is about to die Doggodigest; by Gargi Chakravorty; 5/20/26 ... Stories of dogs refusing to leave their owner’s side during their final days or acting strangely before a loved one passes away have fueled curiosity about whether dogs truly possess a sixth sense about death, and scientific research has begun to explore this phenomenon, revealing that dogs’ extraordinary senses may allow them to detect subtle biological and behavioral changes in humans. Science suggests dogs may sense approaching death not through psychic ability but through scent. What follows isn’t mythology. It’s a look at seven dog breeds whose sensitivity, emotional intelligence, and extraordinary olfactory wiring make them especially attuned to the moments most of us can’t yet perceive.

Mass General Brigham claims 1,400 lives saved hoodline, Boston, MA; by Benjamin Cortez; 5/21/26 Mass General Brigham says a two year, systemwide push to standardize safety checks, expand hospice and roll out predictive analytics sharply cut inpatient deaths, tallying more than 1,400 lives saved in two years by the health system’s own math. Several front line physicians inside those hospitals are not buying it. They argue that shifts in hospice placement and clinical documentation, not overnight miracles in bedside care, probably explain much of the improvement. The result is a rare, very public tug of war between executives celebrating quality rankings and clinicians who say the numbers do not line up with what they see on the wards.

Veterans’ Memorial Garden to be dedicated May 25 Carteret County News-Times, Morehead, NC; by Cheryl Burkes; 5/20/26 Among ceremonies that will honor fallen veterans on Memorial Day, which is May 25, is dedication of a new Veterans’ Memorial Garden at the Crystal Coast Hospice House in Newport. ... The garden is behind the Hospice House, adjacent to the Memorial Brick Garden. Kay Coole, Executive Director of the Crystal Coast Hospice House, said, “I wanted to recognize the veterans in our area and we needed a flagpole. ... Memorial Day will be the first time the flag is raised." The garden contains a flagpole, military branch stones and bushes, and flowers.