Literature Review

Survey update during government shutdown - REVISED Guidance, 10/21/2025CHAP blog; 10/21/25CMS posted and update to the memo, Contingency Plans – State Survey & Certification Activities in the Event of Federal Government Shutdown (QSO- 26-01-ALL-Revised) on 10/21/2025 that provides updates to state survey activity during the ongoing federal government shutdown. The revised guidance appears in red text. CMS has instructed CHAP that our survey activity is unaffected, and we will conduct our survey accreditation business as usual.

55% of healthcare executives plan to change roles within 3 years: SurveyBecker's Hospital Review; by Kristin Kuchno; 10/17/25More than half of healthcare executives plan to leave their roles within the next three years, according to a report from LHH, an executive search firm. Here are six more things to know from two 2025 surveys...

Raising the bar in healthcare leadership trainingUConn Today; by Barbara O’Neill; 10/21/25“Clinical leadership training is vital to launching the next generation of our health care workforce,” says Raquel Manley, DMD, faculty and alum of the Urban Service Track/AHEC Scholars (UST/AS) Program, located on the UConn Health campus in Farmington. “Effective health care is based upon clear communication, conflict resolution, and teamwork for the health and well-being of our patients and community members. In my experience as an Urban Health/AHEC Scholar, coach, and faculty, I have found that today’s students are often very brilliant academically and in social settings but need coaching and counseling on leadership skills once they enter the workforce.” So why is this the case?

Providence, Humana partner on data exchange for value-based careBecker's IT Health; by Giles Bruce; 10/20/25Renton, Wash.-based Providence and Humana are collaborating on a new data exchange model to boost value-based care. The 51-hospital system and payer giant say they plan to go live in October with automated member attribution for Humana Medicare Advantage members before expanding into other data exchange functions to reduce administrative burden and elevate clinical decision-making. They hope their efforts will serve as models for providers and payers across the country.Publisher's note: An interesting model for partnering on data exchange. How might hospices pursue similar collaborations?

Why doctors hesitate to say ‘I'm sorry’ after errorsMedscape; by Paolo Spriano; 10/17/25Apologies are commonly defined as “a regretful acknowledgment of an offense or failure; a formal, public statement of regret.” In healthcare, apologies offered with honesty and transparency are an essential part of addressing medical errors. An effective apology acknowledges what happened, accepts responsibility, and expresses sincere regret for the patient’s suffering. When done properly, an apology can have profound healing effects for everyone involved. For clinicians, it can help ease feelings of guilt and shame; for patients, it can foster forgiveness and form the basis for reconciliation.

Patients with advanced cancer often receive treatments that conflict with their goals Healio; by Josh Friedman; 10/20/25 Many patients with advanced cancer who prefer treatment that prioritizes quality of life receive therapies focused on preserving it. A retrospective analysis showed nearly 40% of individuals with advanced cancer who preferred treatment that improved their comfort felt clinicians gave them therapies meant to increase longevity.

How to talk to your loved ones about end of life wishes Those Nerdy Girls; by Rebecca Raskin-Wish; 10/17/25 It’s important to have discussions about what you want the end of your time on earth to look like and have a healthcare proxy and an advance directive in place. When my sister and I were teenagers, my mom sat us down, and in a potentially more dramatic fashion than the moment called for, she said, “Girls, my death could happen any moment, and we need to talk about it.” ...

The power of music, art, and pet therapy in hospice care  607NewsNow, Ithaca, NY; by Maddie Cavataio; 10/10/25 Hospice care isn’t only about easing physical pain, it’s also about nurturing the mind and spirit. Creative and alternative therapies like music, art, and pet therapy are helping patients find comfort, connection, and moments of joy during one of life’s most challenging times. Music therapy can have a profound effect on mood, memory, and relaxation. ... Art therapy provides another outlet for self-expression. ... Pet therapy adds yet another dimension of comfort. ...  Many patients light up when a friendly animal visits, offering unconditional love and a welcome distraction from medical routines. ... These holistic therapies remind us that hospice care is about living fully, right up to the end.

Teaching end-of-life care: Q&A with professor of medicine Medical Xpress; by Mahima Samraik, Yale University, edited by Sadie Harley; 10/20/25 Every year, thousands of families sit in hospital rooms hearing words no one wants to hear: "We have done everything we can." What happens next, whether doctors stay engaged or step away, can transform one of life's most difficult moments for patients and their families. Unfortunately, for too many patients, the shift from curative care to end-of-life care leaves them feeling stranded. ... "But it doesn't have to be this way," says Matthew Ellman, MD, professor of medicine (general medicine) at Yale School of Medicine (YSM) and director of Medical Student Palliative and End-of-Life Care Education. Ellman has spent decades at patients' bedsides and now teaches medical students about death and dying. In his recent essay in Academic Medicine, he draws from his personal experiences as a physician and encourages fellow doctors to embrace difficult conversations around end-of-life care.

Why caring for a parent is hard for doctors MedPage Today's KevinMD.com; by Barbara Sparacino, MD; 10/19/25 I can sit with patients and families and talk about hospice, dementia, or end-of-life care without hesitation. Years of training as a physician and geriatric psychiatrist have prepared me for those conversations. But when my own parent needed care, all that training suddenly felt useless. Medical knowledge didn’t shield me from fear or guilt. It didn’t stop the second-guessing that came with every decision. It didn’t help me navigate the family disagreements about “what Mom would have wanted.” In that moment, I wasn’t the physician. I was the daughter, and that was far more complicated. Why caring for our parents feels different ...

Should an AI copy of you help decide if you live or die? Doctors share top concerns of AI surrogates aiding life-or-death decisions. Ars Technica; by Ashley Belanger; 10/20/25 For more than a decade, researchers have wondered whether artificial intelligence could help predict what incapacitated patients might want when doctors must make life-or-death decisions on their behalf. It remains one of the most high-stakes questions in health care AI today. But as AI improves, some experts increasingly see it as inevitable that digital “clones” of patients could one day aid family members, doctors, and ethics boards in making end-of-life decisions that are aligned with a patient’s values and goals.

Tumor infiltration of major blood vessels, not metastasis, may be primary cause of cancer deathMedical Xpress; UT Southwestern Medical Center; 10/16/25The ultimate cause of death from cancer may not be metastatic disease, as researchers have long surmised, but an infiltration of tumors into major blood vessels that cause blood clots and multiorgan failure, a one-of-a-kind clinical study led by UT Southwestern Medical Center suggests. These findings, published in Nature Medicine, could spur interventions that extend the lives of patients with advanced cancers. "The big question we were trying to answer: What kills cancer patients? Why do they die one specific day rather than six months earlier or later?" said Matteo Ligorio, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Surgery and in the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Don't count the day; make the days count. ~ Muhammad Ali