Literature Review

Patients with suboptimal discharges – a follow-up (and rescinding hospice billing)RACmonitor; by Ronald Hirsch, MD, FACP, ACPA-C, CHCQM, CHRI; 10//28/26 Let me start with an update on my project to get a way to indicate on a hospital claim that a patient has discharged to a less-than-optimal location. ... [That began] with a push to use the “against medical advice” designation for such patients. But the stigma behind that term led me to adopt the suggestion of Valerie Rinkle, a nationally known revenue integrity expert, who proposed adoption of a condition code instead of using a discharge status code. Last week I once again presented to the National Uniform Billing Committee (NUBC), asking for such a code to be established. During that meeting, one of the members came up with an even better idea: establishing two condition codes, one for when the patient chooses a less-than-optimal location, and a different condition code for when the payer refuses to approve the suggested post-acute care.

BHS partners with local libraries to explore personal choices and palliative care iBerkshires.com, Great Barrington, MA; 10/28/26 Berkshire Health Systems (BHS) will partner with local libraries to launch a community conversation on palliative care, centered on book discussions of Being Mortal by Atul Gawande. Written by a practicing surgeon, the bestseller bridges clinical care and lived experience, making it accessible to readers with no medical background, while resonating with the palliative care team leading the conversations. This community-based reading event is being offered as part of BHS's new Palliative Care program, a pilot initiative designed to expand this care across the Berkshires through widespread provider education, community awareness, and clinical expertise.

Models of palliative care for malignant disease in rural settings: systematic review Journal of Pain and SYmptom Management; by Kirsten Arnold, Amy Pascoe, Patrick Steele, Venise Hon, Lisa Mounsey, Natasha Smallwood, Rebecca Disler; 10/28/26 Background: Access to palliative care for people with advanced cancer in rural settings remains inequitable due to workforce shortages, geographic isolation, and limited formalised care structures. This review synthesised evidence on rural palliative care models for people with malignant disease. Method: Systematic review of rural palliative care models for malignant disease published since January 2000; ...

Are you an organ donor? Here are some rule changes you may want to know WLIS-FM, Public Broadcasting System | National Public Radio, New York, NY; by Rob Stein; 10/28/26 The U.S. organ transplant system is making a controversial change to a long-standing rule that was designed to protect potential donors. The revision aims to boost donations and reduce errors. But critics worry that the move may endanger patient care. Under the change, the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network, which runs the transplant system, will relax a strict firewall between the doctors and nurses trying to save patients in the hospital and the transplantation team standing by to procure patients’ organs. 

Community Hospice & Palliative Care highlights the importance of choice during National Hospice and Palliative Care Month Jax Chamber, Jacksonville, FL; Press Release; 10/28/26 November is National Hospice and Palliative Care Month, and Community Hospice & Palliative Care is encouraging individuals and families across Northeast and North Central Florida to learn more about their care options and make informed decisions when facing serious illness.

CMS COO: hospice, home health moratoria a successful approach Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 10/29/26 The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) temporary moratoria on hospice and home health provider enrollment in Medicare has been working, according to Kimberly Brandt, the agency’s deputy administrator and COO. To date, during the six-month enrollment freeze, CMS has denied 50 hospice and 250 home health applications. Also, CMS has seen “huge drops” in billing, particularly in geographic areas known to be rife with fraud. This includes states like California, Texas, Nevada, Ohio, Georgia and Arizona.

BetterRX launches BetterVisit to cut mileage and labor costs for hospice and home health agenciesHJ News, Salt Lake City; by BetterRX; 10/28/26 BetterRX today announced the launch of BetterVisit™, which helps hospice and home health agencies reduce mileage and labor costs by replacing the patchwork of caseload planning, patient assignment, and mileage reporting tools with one GPS-verified field operations system. In pre-launch field tests, BetterVisit cut mileage by an average of about 19% with optimized routes, and its Smart Patient Assignment saved an average of approximately 20 minutes on every new admission. For a busy agency, that time adds up to hours back every week.

3 hospices reveal leadership changes Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 10/28/26 Two hospices have unveiled new operational and community engagement leadership roles. Meanwhile, one organization has promoted a clinical executive. ...

At Meridian Senior Living,  Kacy Kang is reshaping care through family engagement, data, and experience-driven operations American Healthcare Leader; 10/27/26 The senior living industry is experiencing significant change. Today’s residents arrive with new expectations compared to earlier generations. Families now play a bigger part in choosing communities. ... Few leaders have witnessed this evolution as closely as Kacy Kang. As Co-founder, Principal, and Board Member of Meridian Senior Living, Kacy has spent more than 36 years in senior housing, skilled nursing, hospice, and post-acute care. Today, he guides one of the nation’s leading senior living operators, with communities from Vermont to Florida and as far west as California. For Kacy, one of the industry’s biggest blind spots is how operators view the people they serve. ...

Work requirements put new pressure on Medicaid member retention MedCity News; by John Marchisin; 10/28/26 According to a recent report by the JAMA Network, one in five adults covered under Medicaid could lose their benefits due to new work requirements taking effect in January 2027. The community engagement (work) requirements apply to the able-bodied, non-pregnant Medicaid expansion population and affect 41 states plus Washington, D.C. These members will be required to participate in at least 80 hours per month of qualifying activities, which can include work programs, community service or at least half-time enrollment in an educational program. Although 64% of Medicaid members are currently working either part time or full time, inconsistent work hours could prevent many members from completing the 80 hours a month required to remain eligible. 

Luke’s Wings Hospice Foundation of America; 10/28/26 Luke’s Wings’ Veterans in Hospice Transportation Assistance Program (H.T.A.P.) provides free flights for the loved ones of Veterans in hospice care. Through H.T.A.P., Luke’s Wings is honored to provide a final salute to these extraordinary men and women and ensure their loved ones have the opportunity to be physically present when it matters most. Join Ms. Yaede who will discuss this impactful program as well as their No Service Member Spends The Holidays Alone campaign, which helps ensure service members, Veterans, and their families can be together during the holiday season. This is a free 30-minute informational session. Continuing education not available.

The debate: vertical integration, payvider, or world-class care—which path forward? | part one Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN); podcast by Chris Comeaux; 10/21/26 What if hospice succeeds at the wrong strategy?  Chris Comeaux explores three paths for the future of hospice and palliative care: vertical integration, the payvider model, and world-class specialty care. In Part One of The Debate: Vertical Integration, Payvider, or World-Class Care—Which Path Forward?, Chris Comeaux confronts a defining question for healthcare leaders: What should our organizations become to best serve patients and families? With competition intensifying, financial pressures mounting, and workforce demands growing, he introduces three possible paths: build an Vertical Integration continuum of care, participate in financing as a Payvider, or make World-Class Hospice and Palliative Care the central strategy.