Literature Review

Palliative care or hospice? Flipping the classroom for 1st year pre-clinical medical students with interactive online contentAmerican Journal of Hospice & Palliative Care; by Maxwell Vergo, Charles Wang, Lawrence Myers; 5/26Although palliative care competencies appear on USMLE [United States Medical Licensing Examination] examinations, pre-clinical curricula devote minimal time to end-of-life education. We created a 30-minute interactive online module in Articulate 360™ for first year students covering palliative care definitions, eligibility criteria, and care settings. In-class time was restructured to small group case discussions distinguishing primary palliative care, specialty palliative care, and hospice. Correct responses on a palliative care examination question improved from 57% (2020-2021, virtual lecture) to 66%, 67%, and 80% in subsequent years with the flipped intervention. The pre-work engaged students in learning (79-89% agreement), enabled focus on advanced topics during class (73-77% agreement), and was described as interactive and helpful in teacher evaluations.

Pediatric home-based hospice and palliative care: A scoping reviewBMC Palliative Care; by Ellen Davis, Daniel H Grossoehme, Toluwalase Ajayi, Justin N Baker, Pamela S Hinds, Lisa Humphrey, Jill Ann Jarrell, Rachel Thienprayoon, Sarah Friebert; 5/26Pediatric palliative and/or hospice care is provided across a broad spectrum of settings, ranging from inpatient to outpatient to a child's home. Pediatric home-based hospice and/or palliative care teams offer a specialized, interdisciplinary approach to care, allowing children to stay in the home while offering comprehensive support. Common themes emerged [in this review] including studies analyzing models of care, characterizing the population, end-of-life decision making, clinical outcomes of home-based hospice and/or palliative care, costs and economic impact, family experiences, quality domains, specific treatment modalities, and the use of telehealth. Overall, the available literature supported home-based hospice and/or palliative care as an effective model of care, reducing the burden on families, improving quality of life, and allowing families to stay in their preferred setting for care without sacrificing clinical outcomes.

Nurse perceptions of end-of-life care quality across long-term care, home, and social model hospice home settings: A qualitative descriptive studyAmerican Journal of Hospice & Palliative Care; by Helen Mavis Farrar, Kelley Easterling Scott; 5/26This qualitative descriptive study explored nursing perspectives on end-of-life care quality across 3 distinct community settings: long-term care facilities, patients' homes, and social model hospice homes. Nurses provide most of the direct end-of-life care in these settings, yet their perspectives remain understudied. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 licensed nurses who had provided end-of-life care across all 3 settings. Analysis revealed 4 major themes: (1) setting-based care disparities, (2) nurses as educators and translators, (3) mediation of caregiver burden across settings, and (4) relationship-based care as foundational for peaceful deaths. Care setting profoundly influenced these nurses' ability to deliver quality end-of-life care. 

1776-1786: 250 Years - A History of CareHospice & Palliative Care Today; by Joy Berger; for 6/10/26Continental Congress, Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776

Referral and utilization patterns for home-based palliative care services among older adults BMC Palliative Care; by Joohyun Chung, Aaron Langlois, TylaAnn Burger, David L Chin; 6/11/26 Background: Home-based palliative care (HPC) improves quality of life for individuals with serious illness but remains underutilized in the United States, with persistent disparities in access. HPC is also frequently misconceived as appropriate only at the end of life. ... Results: ... Patients who received HPC were more likely to be older, female, insured through Medicare Part B, and referred from larger hospitals. Conclusion: These findings underscore ongoing structural disparities in access to home-based palliative care and highlight the need for targeted strategies to improve equitable access to HPC services.

National health care fraud takedown results in 455 defendants charged in connection with over $6.5 billion in alleged fraud Office of Public Affairs - U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, DC; Press Release; 6/23/26Record Medicaid Fraud Charges Largest Number of States Participating in Health Care Fraud Takedown History: The Justice Department today announced the 2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown, which resulted in charges against 455 defendants, including 90 doctors and other licensed medical professionals, for their alleged participation in health care fraud and opioid abuse schemes involving over $6.5 billion in false claims and significant patient harm, including death. Today’s Takedown represents a new era in federal, state, and international cooperation to combat health care fraud: cases in 56 federal districts and 45 U.S. states and territories, with 50 state Medicaid Fraud Control Units participating, the most in Department history.

San Antonio woman indicted in $9 million federal Medicare scam WOAI-4 NBC, San Antonio, TX; by Amanda Moreno; 6/24/26 A San Antonio woman has been charged in a federal health care fraud case that involved millions of dollars in improper Medicare claims. Christina Charles, 52, is accused of taking illegal kickbacks in exchange for referring patients to several San Antonio-area hospice companies. According to federal prosecutors, those referrals led to more than $9 million in Medicare claims for hospice services that were not eligible for reimbursement because they were tied to kickbacks. Medicare ultimately paid about $3 million on those claims, according to the indictment.

Hundreds including Iowans implicated in $6.5B health care fraud schemes Ames Tribune, Des Moines, IO; by Natalie Neysa Alund and William Morris, USA TODAY; 6/25/26 Hundreds of people and organizations, including several in Iowa, have been charged in connection with global health care fraud schemes totaling a record $6.5 billion, the U.S. Department of Justice says. ... Three of the cases were in Iowa. The largest involves Mercy Health Network, Genesis Health System and Trinity Health Corp., which operate the MercyOne Genesis system based in Davenport. According to the news release, the partners self-reported overuse and overbilling for a specialty heart pump from 2016 to 2022, and agreed to pay more than $4.6 million to the government. ... And prosecutors are criminally charging Jacob Hughes of Cedar Rapids and Hughes Home Care, which did business as Synergy Homecare.

It’s a wonder I haven’t abandoned all my ideals, they seem so absurd and impractical. Yet I cling to them because I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart. ~ Anne Frank

Northern District of Texas charges 13 health care fraudsters for loss over $360 million United States Attorney's Office | Northern District of Texas; Press Release; 6/23/26 Thirteen defendants were among those charged in the Northern District of Texas as part of the 2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown, announced United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Ryan Raybould, during a press conference held earlier today. The charges announced today ... resulted in charges against 455 defendants, including 90 doctors and other licensed medical professionals, for their alleged participation in health care fraud and opioid abuse schemes involving over $6.5 billion in false claims and significant patient harm, including death. Today’s Takedown represents a new era in federal, state, and international cooperation to combat health care fraud: cases in 56 federal districts and 45 U.S. states and territories, with 50 state Medicaid Fraud Control Units participating, the most in Department history.

1776-1786: 250 Years - A History of CareHospice & Palliative Care Today; by Joy Berger; for 6/10/26Continental Congress, Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776