Literature Review

Attorneys general challenge Trump’s deportations, citing impact on home health workforce McKnights Home Care; by Adam Healy; 4/16/25 Nineteen state attorneys general filed an amicus brief Monday challenging President Donald Trump’s deportation policies. Among their arguments, they contended that deportations would have an outsized, negative impact on the home health industry’s ability to deliver care. “From a public health perspective, [states] depend on noncitizen healthcare workers who, like other immigrants, are forced to live in a climate of fear — nationwide over 1 million immigrants work in healt hcare, including 40% of home health aides and 18% of nursing home staff,” the brief said. The brief aims to block the administration’s so-called “ideological deportation policy,” established by executive orders 14161 and 14188. These orders intimidate workers, impair healthcare delivery and harm states’ economies, the attorneys general argued. 

PEMF therapy: A non-invasive approach to enhance cancer treatmentHope 4 Cancer Treatment Centers; by Antonio Jimenez, Subrata Chakravarty; 2/25The Earth’s magnetic field, a constant presence in our environment, has a subtle yet profound impact on human health. Operating at extremely low frequencies and low intensities, it is generated by electric currents in the Earth’s conductive iron-rich core. This magnetic field serves as a protective shield, deflecting solar wind—charged particles from the sun— that could devastate life on Earth. Beyond its protective role, It also helps regulate circadian rhythms and supports cellular function. Our cells exist within this dynamic electromagnetic environment, and by harnessing its properties, we can actively enhance cellular health, physiological balance, and overall well-being.Publisher's note: Hope 4 Cancer is a naturopathic healing center in Mexico exploring innovative cancer treatments. Additional articles readers might be interested in include Treating cancer with sound waves: An overview of sonodynamic therapy and Modulated TRPC1 expression predicts sensitivity of breast cancer to doxorubicin and magnetic field therapy: Segue towards a precision medicine approach.

This weekend: Passover and Easter with hospice patients and familiesHospice & Palliative Care Today; by Joy Berger, DMA, FT, BCC, MT-BC, editor in chief; 4/17/25 This weekend brings a confluence of the Jewish Passover and Christian Easter holy days. Whatever your faith system, understanding at least a bit about the diverse faith systems of those you serve matters. We provide these hospice-specific resources as references:

Top story last year - 4/28/24Examining how improper payments cost taxpayers billions and weaken Medicare and Medicaid HHS-OIG; by Christi A. Grimm, Inspector General, Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; 4/16/24 HHS Inspector General Christi A. Grimm Testifies Before the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations on April 16, 2024. IG Grimm briefs members on HHS-OIG's work to address improper payments in Medicare and Medicaid managed care programs. Click here to watch the testimony.

You carry more weight into the woods than you carry out.

Calibrating AI reliance—A physician’s superhuman dilemmaJAMA Health Forum; Shefali V. Patil, PhD; Christopher G. Myers, PhD; Yemeng Lu-Myers, MD, MPH; 3/25Assistive artificial intelligence (AI) technologies hold significant promise for transforming health care by aiding physicians in diagnosing, managing, and treating patients. Leveraging AI’s superior diagnostic accuracy in certain specialties, these assistive AI systems aim to reduce medical errors, while also promising to address physician fatigue by alleviating cognitive load and time pressures. Because human operators are perceived as having control over the technology’s use, responsibility unduly shifts to the human operator, even when clear evidence shows that the AI system produces erroneous outputs. Consequently, although scholars have proposed recommendations for shaping AI regulations, the reality is that in the absence of clear policies or established legal standards, future liability will largely hinge on societal perceptions of blameworthiness. This regulatory gap imposes an immense, almost superhuman, burden on physicians: they are expected to rely on AI to minimize medical errors, yet bear responsibility for determining when to override or defer to these systems.

Opening the door to wholistic patient care: Results from a nationally representative database on the use of spiritual and religious counselingHealth Services Insights; Peter J. Mallow, Pierson Savarino; 4/25The introduction of the International Classification of Diseases 10th Revision (ICD-10) code Z71.81 in 2015 enabled the systematic documentation of spiritual and religious counseling (SRC) in hospital settings, opening avenues for research into its effect on patient outcomes and healthcare resource utilization. Religion and spirituality are integral to many patients’ lives, influencing their well-being, recovery and health outcomes. SRC is primarily utilized in complex, high-mortality cases, underscoring its role in holistic care for severely ill patients. The disparities observed highlight the need for standardized SRC documentation and equitable access to SRC. Future research should investigate the clinical and economic impacts of SRC to enhance patient-centered care in alignment with value-based care practices.

Assuring the provision of palliative care as an ethical duty for all physiciansJournal of Pain and Symptom Management; Amber R Comer,Daniel Sulmasy; 4/25Although palliative care is an evidence-based, essential component of care for patients with serious or critical illness and at the end-of-life, access to palliative care continues to be limited by inaccurate definitions, misrepresentation, stigma, and neglect. To help physicians and patients to overcome barriers limiting the provision of palliative care, the American Medical Association (AMA) has recently adopted policy and a new opinion in the Code of Medical Ethics which establishes an ethical duty for all physicians, in all specialties, to assure the provision of palliative care to patients who stand to benefit. Additionally, the new policy and Code opinion expand the depth and breadth of what palliative care access and delivery entail and address misconceptions that have resulted in barriers to the delivery of palliative care.

Medical aid in dying in the state of Colorado: Perspectives, data, and lessons learned in the first years of a uniquely centralized programJournal of Palliative Medicine; Melanie Mandell, Katie Sue Van Valkenburg, Skye O’Neil, Genie E. Roosevelt, Kerri Mason; 4/25 In 2016, Colorado voters approved Proposition 106, “Access to Medical Aid in Dying,” which amended Colorado statutes to include the Colorado End-of-life Options Act. In 2018, Denver Health and Hospital Authority, an urban, county safety-net hospital established a program to provide comprehensive medical aid in dying care via a centralized clinic with a dedicated team including a medical director, social worker, and a network of volunteer consultants. As the program has developed and matured, it has grown exponentially. This is due to its ease of accessibility, statewide educational efforts, and the relatively low cost and need-based, free services it provides. In six and a half years, our centralized program assisted over 650 Colorado patients in their quest for accessing medical aid in dying care, providing a wide continuum of services from initial intake and counseling, visits, and financial aid to specific grief counseling for loved ones. We believe our centralized system may function as a model for other hospitals considering the need to improve aid in dying access and care.

Potentially unsafe low-evidence treatmentsGeriPal podcast; by Eric Widera, Alex Smith, Adam Marks, Laura Taylor, Jill Schneiderhan; 4/25/25More and more people are, “doing their own research.” Self-identified experts and influencers on podcasts (podcasts!) and social media endorse treatments that are potentially harmful and have little to no evidence of benefit, or have only been studied in animals... We and our guests have noticed that in our clinical practices, patients and caregivers seem to be asking for such treatments more frequently.

Disparities in end-of-life care: A retrospective study on intensive care utilization and advance care planning in the Colorado all-payer claims databaseAmerican Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine; Darcy Holladay Ford, PsyD, MA, LPC, RDN; Kimberly Landry, MPH; Megha Jha, MPH; Martha Meyer, PhD; 3/25Intensive end-of-life (EOL) care is emotionally and financially burdensome, disproportionally negatively impacting racial and ethnic minorities, rural residents, and lower socioeconomic seniors. ICU Stays: Hispanic/Latino, Asian, and Black members had increased ICU stays compared to Whites ... However, members without ACP [advance care planning] and rural residents had lower ICU stays ... ED Visits: Hispanic/Latino, Asian, Black members, non-dually eligible members (Medicare Fee for Service (MFFS) + Medicaid), and rural residents had increased ED visits ... Meanwhile, members without ACP or hospice care had lower ED visits ... 30-day Readmissions: Asian members and rural residents had increased 30-day readmissions ... In contrast, those on MFFS and not on Medicaid, members without ACP, and those not in hospice care had decreased 30-day readmissions ...

Research study participation: Have you been an unpaid caregiver to a hospice patient?Press release, Northern Illinois University and Seattle University; M. Courtney Hughes, Erin Vernon; 4/23/25You may be eligible to participate in a new survey. Help us understand which services (e.g., meals, transportation) most positively impact hospice patients and their families.