Literature Review

Los Angeles County Fraud Hotline LACounty.gov | Department of Auditor-Controller, Office of County Investigations; 6/8/26 You may remain anonymous, but having the ability to contact the informant is often critical to the success of an investigation. If you choose to provide your name and contact information, the County will hold your identity in confidence to the extent allowed by law. You can read more about this here.

The ASCENT Consortium to Publish Two Requests for ApplicationsASCENT Consortium press release; 6/4/26The ASCENT Consortium is pleased to announce plans to publish a Request for Applications (RFA) for the ASCENT Research Scholar and Pilot and Exploratory Studies Awards Programs.

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P4s are either unhelpful or unnecessary. Proposing a better AI-powered solution to predict patients' preferencesBioethics; by Beatrice Marchegiani; 5/26The Personalized Patient Preference Predictor (P4) has been proposed as an AI tool to aid surrogate decision-making when incapacitated patients lack advance directives. This paper argues that P4s face a fundamental dilemma: they are either unnecessary or unhelpful. To address  ... [its] limitations, I propose a better AI-powered alternative: the Patient Preference Retriever (PPR). Rather than generating new text, the PPR uses vector search techniques to retrieve relevant statements from a patient's digital footprint, presenting them verbatim alongside metadata such as date, context, and source. This approach offers greater transparency, respects autonomy more reliably, and supports surrogate decision-makers in weighing authentic evidence. I conclude that while advance directives remain the gold standard, retrieval-based approaches like the PPR provide a more reliable and ethically defensible use of AI in surrogate decision-making than generative approaches like P4s.

Stakeholder perspectives on integrating ADEPT into end-of-life care for nursing home residents with dementia: A qualitative descriptive studyInternational Journal of Older People Nursing; by Susanny J Beltran, Latarsha Chisholm, Emily Jaijairam; 5/26Nursing homes care for a significant proportion of individuals with advanced dementia, yet timely hospice referrals remain a challenge. The Advanced Dementia Prognostic Tool (ADEPT) is a mortality risk score instrument that holds promise for improving care planning by providing a standardised, accessible method for identifying residents at risk of death within 6 months. Current processes for identifying hospice-eligible residents rely on regular assessments and interdisciplinary collaboration but reveal significant gaps, including delays in referrals and inconsistent practices. Participants viewed ADEPT as a promising tool to complement goals-of-care conversations and enhance care planning, rather than exclusively triggering hospice initiation. Implementation barriers included the need for electronic system integration, regulatory compliance and staff education, while facilitators encompassed strong leadership support, interdisciplinary coordination and alignment with existing workflows.

The clinical relevance of sleep disturbance ("insomnia") in patients with advanced cancer receiving palliative care: A scoping reviewSupportive Care in Cancer; by Shauna Munir, Eva Jones, Faith Precious Omeokwe, Andrew Neil Davies; 5/26Sleep disturbance ("insomnia") is common in patients with advanced cancer receiving specialist palliative care. The studies highlight that sleep disturbance is associated with a range of physical symptoms (e.g. fatigue, drowsiness), a variety of psychological problems (e.g. anxiety, depression), impaired quality of life, and reduced overall survival. Sleep disturbance is an "orphan" symptom, and the results of this scoping review suggest that it deserves much greater attention. Indeed, healthcare professionals should screen all palliative care patients for the problem and, when identified, perform a thorough assessment and initiate an appropriate treatment.

There is no normal life that is free of pain. It's the very wrestling with our problems that can be the impetus for our growth. ~Fred Rogers

Hospice care provider and compassion fatigue research projectPersonal communication; by Michelle Jackson; 6/10/26Researchers at Missouri State University are conducting a research survey regarding compassion fatigue, resilience, and participation in meaningful activities for hospice care providers. Participation deadline 7/12/26. For additional information and to participate, click here.

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

[Canada] Pallium Canada receives transformational gift from the J & W Murphy Foundation to map palliative care across Atlantic Canada CNW Group, Halifax, Nova Scotia; Press Release; 6/10/26 Pallium Canada is proud to announce a transformational gift of $345,500 from the J & W Murphy Foundation to support the development of four Atlantic Provincial Editions of the Canadian Atlas of Palliative Care — one for each of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador. These first-of-their-kind interactive resources for Atlantic Canada will map palliative care access, services, and gaps within each province.

What a CMS fraud chief learned by caring for her parents in hospice Forbes; by Wes Kilgore; 6/11/26  The realization came to Dara Corrigan in late August, when she and her younger sister had to place both of their parents into hospice care within days of each other. Corrigan was not a typical stressed relative, navigating end-of-life care. She'd worked for decades in senior federal service, serving as the Acting Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and directing the Center for Program Integrity at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Her career was built on protecting Medicare from fraud. Yet, sitting by the bedside as a daughter, the benefit looked entirely different from how it appeared on a regulatory spreadsheet. ...A New Model for Dignity: Corrigan thinks a completely different approach could be the solution: a new, dedicated federal palliative care benefit tailored to the reality of long, slow neurodegenerative declines. She envisions a system built from day one with modern anti-fraud controls. 

Watching the World Cup brings out my inner coach. My inner coach is LOUD and often wrong.