Literature Review

How AI is redefining the nurse’s day Becker's Health IT; by Naomi Diaz; 7/3/25 As generative AI continues to make its way into healthcare, chief nursing informatics officers say the technology’s influence is expanding beyond documentation and reshaping the way nurses work. [Examples described include the following:]

Reimagining hospice in an AI world: In a digital age, how should technology & humanity coexist?HomeCare; by Michelle Cone; 6/3/25Technology is transforming home-based care, but not at the expense of the human touch. As the industry embraces tools like telehealth, remote monitoring and artificial intelligence (AI)-powered care planning, the goal isn’t to replace caregivers but to support them. These innovations boost efficiency and communication, but the heart of hospice—real connection, empathy and human presence—still drives care during what is often a deeply emotional time for families.

5 ways to have a ‘good death’ — including one of the biggest mistakes people make New York Post; by Reda Wigle; 7/3/25 No one gets out of life alive — but one expert says we can take steps to make sure we leave the earthly plane riding the high of a “good death.” “While 80% of people want to die at home surrounded by loved ones, only 30% actually do,” End Well founder Dr. Shoshana Ungerleider told The Post. “This massive gap reflects our system’s inability to honor what patients actually value.” As our cultural relationship to mortality has changed, Ungerleider notes that we have become disconnected from the process of death and, in turn, fail to plan appropriately for it. But if you’re not sure where to start, she has a helpful checklist of everything you should be doing to avoid a “bad death.”

Introducing Little Lights Pediatric Hospice Bristol Hospice; Blog; 7/1/25 When a child faces a life-limiting diagnosis, every moment becomes precious—and that’s why Bristol Hospice is shining a new light on pediatric care. On July 1, 2025, we’re proud to launch Little Lights Pediatric Hospice—our first dedicated program designed specifically for young patients and their families, initially available in Hawaii. ... Little Lights Pediatric Hospice is a specialized program under Bristol Hospice dedicated to providing holistic, family-centered care for children with life-limiting conditions. 

Natural disasters, climate change, and the impact on hospice and palliative care teams and their patients American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM) Quarterly; by Larry Beresford; Summer 2025 Edition, 7/3/25 Several recent natural disasters, including highly destructive wildfires in Los Angeles and Maui and flooding in the North Carolina hills caused by rains from Hurricane Helene, have provided vivid reminders that disasters can happen anywhere, anytime. Hospice and palliative care providers, responsible for the care of patients with serious illnesses who live in their homes and in long-term care facilities, could be dealing with disruptions in power or phone service, other communication barriers, staffing shortages, impassible roads, even large-scale evacuations of their patients. ... Are agencies doing what they can to plan, prepare, and practice for managing disasters, which could also include human-caused crises or events like earthquakes that are not subject to weather or climate?

Home Health & Hospice’s 35th Jiggety Jog surpasses goal: Annual fundraiser supports McClure Miller Respite House Vermont Biz (VB), The University of Vermont Health Network - Home Health & Hospice; by Tim; 7/3/25 A rainy forecast couldn’t stop supporters of the McClure Miller Respite House from gathering on May 31 for the University of Vermont Health Network - Home Heath & Hospice’s 35th Jiggety Jog. The annual 5K run/walk raises funds to directly support the care of residents at the Respite House in Colchester. The 2025 Jiggety Jog included 247 participants and secured 530 donations surpassing the event goal of $125,000. Meeting this goal will provide more than 140 days of care at Vermont’s only Medicare-certified inpatient hospice residence. 

Children, grief and flood disaster news about campsCompilation by Hospice & Palliative Care Today; by Joy Berger; 7/6/25Summer can be both a healing and vulnerable time for grieving children, especially those attending bereavement camps. The devastating flooding in Texas, resulting in the deaths of children at summer camps, has undoubtedly shaken many communities, particularly families and professionals involved in grief care. This type of tragedy can retraumatize children already processing loss and create new layers of anxiety and sorrow for parents and counselors. Here’s how families and grief care professionals might be coping, along with some practical and emotional support strategies:

Medicaid provisions threaten home and community-based services for millions of vulnerable Americans National Alliance for Care at Home, Alexandria, VA and Washington, DC; Press Release; 7/3/25The National Alliance for Care at Home (the Alliance) issued the following statement today in response to the House’s passage of the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” also known as the Reconciliation bill, which now heads to President Trump’s desk for his signature. “The Alliance is deeply troubled by the Medicaid provisions within the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which has passed both chambers of Congress and now awaits President Trump’s signature,” said Alliance CEO Dr. Steve Landers. “These provisions—including work requirements, reduced provider taxes, and new cost-sharing mandates—prioritize short-sighted budget savings over the health and wellbeing of our most vulnerable citizens who rely on home and community-based services (HCBS).” The home care community advocated throughout the legislative process for Congress to mitigate these harmful Medicaid provisions.

Case Summarie: 2025 National Health Care Fraud Takedown Criminal Division, U.S. Department of Justice; retrieved from the internet 7/3/25[Gleaned from this lengthy article for "hospice" involvement:] Criminal Division | Case Summaries

CMS launches new model to target wasteful, inappropriate services in original Medicare CMS Newsroom; 6/27/25 The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is announcing a new Innovation Center model aimed at helping ensure people with Original Medicare receive safe, effective, and necessary care. Through the Wasteful and Inappropriate Service Reduction (WISeR) Model, CMS will partner with companies specializing in enhanced technologies to test ways to provide an improved and expedited prior authorization process relative to Original Medicare’s existing processes, helping patients and providers avoid unnecessary or inappropriate care and safeguarding federal taxpayer dollars. This model builds on other changes being made to prior authorization as announced by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and CMS on [6/23].

Gentiva unveils 3 disease-specific hospice programs Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 7/3/25 Gentiva has set in motion three new disease-specific hospice programs branded as Cancer Comfort Care, Dementia Comfort Care and Cardiac Comfort Care. The three new suites of services have launched in select markets with plans for national expansion. They are designed to provide tailored services to serve the unique needs of terminally ill patients suffering from cancer, dementia or cardiac conditions, such as heart failure and other diseases. Those three types of diseases are among the most common diagnoses for hospice patients.

Alliance Statement on House passage of Reconciliation Bill: Medicaid provisions threaten home and community-based services for millions of vulnerable Americans National Alliance for Care at Home, Alexandira, VA and Washington DC; Press Release; 7/3/25 The National Alliance for Care at Home (the Alliance) issued the following statement today in response to the House’s passage of the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” also known as the Reconciliation bill, which now heads to President Trump’s desk for his signature. “The Alliance is deeply troubled by the Medicaid provisions within the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which has passed both chambers of Congress and now awaits President Trump’s signature,” said Alliance CEO Dr. Steve Landers. “These provisions—including work requirements, reduced provider taxes, and new cost-sharing mandates—prioritize short-sighted budget savings over the health and wellbeing of our most vulnerable citizens who rely on home and community-based services (HCBS).”