Literature Review

6 healthcare layoffs in 1 weekBecker's Hospital Review; by Madeline Ashley; 6/26/25 Amid ongoing industry shifts, many hospitals and health systems are experiencing significant financial strain, prompting them to make difficult decisions such as laying off employees. Here are the six healthcare instances of layoffs that Becker’s has reported on since June 19:

Local scrap metal company collects cans to raise money for pediatric cancer patients in hospice[OK] FOX 23 News; 6/23/25A local scrap metal company is collecting cans to help raise money for pediatric cancer patients in hospice. In a Facebook post, Johnny's Junk & Scrap Metal Removal LLC asked people in Tulsa and surrounding areas to start saving their cans. "Tulsa and surrounding areas, start saving your cans!" the Facebook post said. "We are collecting and recycling cans for pediatric cancer patients who have entered hospice." Johnny's Junk and Scrap Metal Removal can collect the cans either daily, weekly or monthly, but they say they are doing it once a week for their current customers. Once the cans are collected and turned in, all the money goes directly to the family of the child.

[Italy] Last signs of life: What to expect in final hoursMedscape; by Mirko Riolfi, 6/13/25 (Medscape ran 6/25/25)Caregivers of terminally ill patients often turn to health professionals to learn what to expect in the final weeks, days, and hours of life. Regardless of the underlying cause, many signs and symptoms are similar during this period. Addressing families’ concerns proactively can ease discomfort and anxiety and help prevent crises during hospital stay. Below are the key topics to discuss with caregivers as death approaches a patient.

How Empath Health integrates end-of-life care into PACEHospice News; by Jim Parker; 6/26/25Under the Programs for All-Inclusive Care of the Elderly (PACE) model, patients generally do not transition to the Medicare Hospice Benefit as they near death. Consequently, Empath Health has taken pains to ensure quality end-of-life care is integrated into its program. Empath considers these services to be a key component of its “Full Life Care” model, that seeks to longitudinally support patients over the course of their serious or terminal illness, according to Dr. Nick Joseph, senior vice president of Empath’s Complete Care Division. The organization provides end-of-life care in the home, with services that mirror its hospice program.

'Very shocking' | Warner Robins neighbors in shock after elderly couple found dead at their home[GA] 13WMAZ; by Jasamine Lee; 6/26/25A quiet Warner Robins neighborhood is reeling after police say an elderly couple was found dead in what investigators believe was a murder-suicide. According to Warner Robins Police, officers responded to a home on Hillcrest Avenue around 6 p.m. Wednesday for a welfare check. When they arrived, they discovered 88-year-old Robert Moll dead in the backyard from a gunshot wound. Inside the home, his wife, 80-year-old Judy Moll, was also found dead from an apparent gunshot wound... Neighbors said the Molls had been facing serious health issues and that hospice nurses visited the home frequently. Captain Paula Blevins with the Salvation Army said that cases of intimate partner violence often remain hidden. “Intimate partner violence is very heartbreaking, always very heartbreaking,” Blevins said. “It affects more than 12 million people in the United States every year.”Publisher's note: How does your hospice evaluate possible partner violence? How can your hospice prepare - before the fact - to handle such a situation after the fact?

Tending to sexuality and intimacy in hospice and palliative medicineAAHPM Summer Quarterly; by Danielle Chammas, Teddy Scheel, Mike Rabow; 6/27/25Sexuality and intimacy are often absent from the list of concerns routinely addressed in hospice and palliative medicine (HPM), despite being central to quality of life for many patients. This is rarely an intentional omission and often reflects deep barriers that exist on multiple levels, including our own discomfort as clinicians. Building our capacity to tend to patients’ experiences with sex and intimacy is supported by clinician preparation in the domains of (1) personal reflection to understand the impact of our own attitudes, identities, and biases; (2) skill development to inclusively and nonjudgmentally open and hold space for these conversations; and (3) utilization of biopsychosocial assessment to guide treatment planning.

Bioethicists must push back against assaults on diversity, equity, and inclusionThe American Journal of Bioethics; by Nancy S. Jecker, Arthur Caplan, Vardit Ravitsky, Patrick Smith, Kayhan Parsi, Sandra Soo-Jin Lee, Faith Fletcher, Mildred Cho, Keisha Ray; 6/25Nine leading bioethicists, including Hastings Center President Vardit Ravitsky, call for bioethics to affirm its core commitment to justice and act against the dismantling of diversity, equity, and inclusion. In an editorial published in the American Journal of Bioethics, they highlight the current administration’s broadside attack against diversity, equity, and inclusion in higher education, the federal government, and the private sector. “Years of research and data gathering have shown that removing barriers facing marginalized groups improves population health and promotes health justice,” they write.

If you feel pain, you are alive. If you feel other people's pain, you are a human being. ~Leo Tolstoy

Inside the Archives: How George Soros Changed End-of-Life Care in AmericaOpen Society Foundations; by Elizabeth Rubin; 6/27/25The Project on Death in America (PDIA) ran from 1994 to 2003, with an ambitious goal: to transform the experience of dying in the U.S. Journalist Elizabeth Rubin spoke with Dr. Kathy Foley, the physician George Soros chose to lead it, to reflect on its impact... Soros’s fundamental belief was simple: Death deserves the same careful attention we give to life... [Dr. Kathy Foley commented] “We had to educate people that palliative care isn’t just about dying, but about supporting patients with serious illnesses and improving their quality of life.”Notable mentions: Kathy Foley, Susan D. Block, Robert ("Bo") A. Burt, Andy Billings, Robert N. Butler, David J. Rothman, Joanne Lynn, Patricia Prem, Ana Dumois, William Zabel, James Tulsky, Tony Back, Bob Arnold, Diane E. Meyer, Center to Advance Palliative Care, R. Sean Morrison, National Palliative Care Research Center, Richard Payne, Angola Prison Project, Lewis Cohen, Judy Nelson, Steve Pantalat, Tammy Quest, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Kornfeld Foundation, Bill Moyers, and On Our Own Terms: Moyers on Dying.

National Alliance for Care at Home responds to Kennedy and Dr. Oz announcement on health insurance reform pledgeNational Alliance for Care at Home press release; 6/23/25“The Alliance welcomes today’s announcement made by Secretary Kennedy and CMS Administrator Dr. Oz regarding commitments from major health insurers to streamline prior authorization practices, including implementing enhanced digital interoperability standards and reducing administrative barriers,” said Dr. Steve Landers, CEO for the Alliance. “If these promises are fully kept, this could be a meaningful step toward addressing longstanding barriers that have delayed access to critical care at home for patients who need it.”

A pregnant brain-dead woman in Georgia was kept on life support. Experts say it raises ethical, legal questionsABC News; by Mary Kekatos; 6/19/25Adriana Smith, a brain-dead woman in Georgia, was kept on life support until her fetus was viable. Experts say it raises ethical and legal questions. Adriana Smith, a 31-year-old Georgia nurse and mother, was just eight weeks pregnant when she was declared brain dead in February after suffering a medical condition. However, the family claims the hospital told them legally she had to be kept on life support to allow the fetus to grow. The family claims doctors told them they were not legally allowed to consider other options, according to local Atlanta station 11Alive. Last week, Smith's baby was born by emergency Caesarean section, weighing under 2 pounds and needing care in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), reported 11Alive.Publisher's note: This situation raises numerous ethical end-of-life questions - highlighting the importance of hospices having or connecting with local ethics experts.

National Alliance for Care at Home champions bipartisan legislation to transform access to quality in-home skilled nursingNational Alliance for Care at Home press release; by Elyssa Katz; 6/20/25The National Alliance for Care at Home (the Alliance) is pleased to support the introduction of the Continuous Skilled Nursing Quality Improvement Act of 2025. This bipartisan legislation, Senate Bill 1920, introduced by Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) aims to improve the quality and accessibility of skilled nursing care by modernizing Medicaid’s approach to private duty nursing.