Literature Review

I don’t think any one person has got the ability to change the world. But I think that if a bunch of people do a little bit, it gets a little bit better. ~Jelly Roll

The treatment of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy: A review of current management options and a potential role for scrambler therapyFrontiers in Pain Research; by Hassan Aboumerhi, Henry Vucetic, Andrew Gruenzel, Bahar Moftakhar, Mona Gupta, Santosh K Rao, Michael D Staudt; 7/25Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) presents a growing medical and financial burden on patients and the healthcare system alike. This has been treated with conservative and interventional care limited by efficacy, side effects, and lack of coverage. As such, there is an unmet treatment need for effective non-invasive or minimally invasive therapies for the treatment of CIPN. Scrambler therapy (ST) is a peripheral, non-invasive neuromodulation technique, which uses transcutaneous electrical stimulation to modulate pain signals. ST has shown mixed results in clinical trials; while some patients report symptom relief, more robust evidence is required before it can be widely recommended.

Expanding the conceptualization of bereavement in the perinatal periodThe Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic & Neonatal Nursing; by Rana Limbo, Natasha Nurse-Clarke; 7/25Contemporary definitions of perinatal loss encompass a range of involuntary and unintended pregnancy outcomes, including miscarriage (loss of pregnancy before 20 weeks gestation; Mayo Clinic, 2023), ectopic pregnancy (fertilized egg implanted outside the uterus), stillbirth (the birth of a fetus who shows no signs of life at or after 20 weeks gestation; Gregory et al., 2022), and neonatal death (the death of a live-born fetus within the first 28 days of life; National Center for Health Statistics, 2024). The loss of a pregnancy or fetus or the death of a newborn is an event, and perinatal bereavement is the emotional response to that event. The need for perinatal palliative care, which refers to care provided to families who receive a life-limiting fetal diagnosis, has also emerged as a critical component in supporting families through these losses (Limbo & Wool, 2016).

Finding the communication sweet spot: Strategies promoting personhood in conversations between individuals with dementia and their family membersJournal of Family Communication; by R. Amanda Cooper, Chizobam Nweke, Hannah Brocksmith; 7/25... this study explored the various ways through which family members promote the personhood of their loved ones with dementia. Personhood was promoted by reminding the people with dementia of their identities, encouraging them to share their thoughts, assessing and adjusting to their conversational needs, and cultivating relational connections with them. Some behaviors were inconsistent with the tenets of person-centered communication and involved underaccommodation or overaccommodation. The findings reveal potential strategies and pitfalls of promoting personhood within the family caregiving context.

Effect of a multi-component palliative care intervention on goals of care discussions for critical patients in the emergency departmentInternal & Emergency Medicine; by Julia Murray, Zacharia Grami, Katherine Benson, Christopher Hritz, Samantha Lawson, Corita Reilley Grudzen, Allison Cuthel, Lauren Talanda-Fath Southerland; 7/25Goals of care (GOC) discussions are vital to understanding patients' values and preferences during serious illness, but they occur infrequently during Emergency Department (ED) care. We report a single site sub-study of a stepped wedge pragmatic trial of a multi-component intervention of primary palliative care in the ED (PRIM-ER), focused on GOC conversations. The intervention did not change the proportion of patients receiving a GOC conversation in the ED ... [however patients] presenting with a cancer-related complaint ... or a respiratory emergency ... were associated with increased odds of a GOC conversation occurring. Of the 60 GOC conversations that occurred, 76.7% ... resulted in a change in code status, patient care plans, hospice, or updated advance care planning documents. While the intervention did not increase this secondary outcome of GOC conversations, the discussions that did occur frequently impacted ED care.Assistant Editor's note: This study concluded that the intervention employed in the ED did not increase the proportion of patients receiving GOC conversations. Yet the study also concluded that almost 77% of the patients who DID receive the conversation had a change in code status, care plan, hospice or advance care planning documents. This study clearly reminds us that GOC conversations, employed even in the ED, can help patients embrace a palliative approach to care when faced with serious illness.

[India] Challenges and ethical considerations of palliative care in Indian prisonsJournal of Pain and Symptom Management; by Swapnil Kumar Barasker, Pankaj Singhai, Maya Nair, Deepali Kumar; 8/25The landscape of palliative care (PC) in India is still nascent, and when applied to the prison setting, it becomes a terrain fraught with unique challenges. There is a dearth of region-specific perspectives on end-of-life care (EOLC) and PC in Indian prisons. In Indian prisons, EOLC is complicated by issues such as overcrowding, inadequate medical facilities, and the societal neglect of incarcerated individuals, yet the need for it remains largely unrecognized... Prison deaths are frequently associated with brutality or neglect, but statistics reveal that most deaths occur due to natural causes such as ischemic heart disease, pneumonia, cancer, and liver and kidney disorders. Despite many prisoners having chronic illnesses, they often lack regular follow-ups and access to appropriate care due to insufficient medical staff and infrastructure.

CMS FY 2026 Hospice Wage Index FINAL Rule posted in Federal Register

Telemedicine special registrations for controlled substancesJAMA Health Forum; by Jacob T. Kannarkat, John Torous, Joseph T. Kannarkat; 7/25Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the requirement for in-person evaluation of patients prior to the prescribing of controlled substances via telehealth, as established by the Ryan Haight Online Pharmacy Consumer Protection Act (Ryan Haight Act), has remained provisionally held. The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) previously proposed rulemaking to reintroduce the in-person patient evaluation requirement, as some unscrupulous clinicians and companies took advantage of this deregulated environment to overprescribe controlled substances. However, these flexibilities were extended through December 31, 2025, after the public voiced concerns over possible care disruptions in a landscape increasingly dependent on telehealth. Now, the DEA aims to compromise on prescribing flexibility with more practical enforcement measures.

Medicare Program; FY 2026 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate Update and Hospice Quality Reporting Program Requirements - FINAL RULECenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS); released 8/1/25, 4:15pm

The ‘accidental’ hospice chaplain The Dallas Weekly (DW), Dallas, TX; by Rev. Dorothy S. Boulware; 7/30/25 “I’m an accidental chaplain,” says Rev. Dr. Missiouri McPhee, an ordained African Methodist Episcopal minister who works with Orlando Health, a nonprofit healthcare company based in Florida. A Florida A&M University graduate, McPhee was working on her theology doctorate in Atlanta when a classmate, a chaplain at a hospital in Orlando, ... [kept saying to me,] "Missiouri, you need to come interview with my hospital." ... Fast forward a few years, and McPhee found herself taking on work as a hospice chaplain, arguably the most challenging and rewarding specialty in ministry. She currently works in the Central Florida area for VITAS Healthcare, a major provider of hospice and palliative care. ...

Welcome to August, where we’re still melting and pretending to enjoy it!

Medicare Advantage growth drives changes in post-acute care Managed Healthcare Executive; by Briana Contreras; 7/28/25 A new report released today by Trella Health revealed major shifts are underway in post-acute care as Medicare Advantage (MA) enrollment grows, care transitions evolve and providers navigate the challenges of value-based care. The Post-Acute Care Industry Trend Report looked at national and state-level trends in home health, hospice and skilled nursing using the latest Medicare claims and enrollment data. One of the most significant shifts is the continued rise of MA enrollment. The report shared that as of February 2025, more than half of Medicare beneficiaries (55.4%) are enrolled in MA plans, with 30 states reporting MA enrollment over 50%. This shift is changing how patients access care—more so in home health.

Agrace: Selected as preferred hospice provider to Crossing Rivers Health WisBusiness; Prairie du Chien, WI; Press Release; 7/30/25 Agrace, Wisconsin’s largest nonprofit hospice, is pleased to announce that after months of discussions with Crossing Rivers Health, it will take over the health system’s hospice program. The two organizations have also entered into a Preferred Partner Agreement to support the local community’s ongoing needs for high quality end of life care. This agreement comes three months after Agrace’s preferred partnership with Oakwood Village Communities and supports Agrace’s rapid growth across the state of Wisconsin. Crossing Rivers Health, based in Prairie du Chien, has decided to close its hospice service line to focus on their core healthcare services. Current Wisconsin Crossing Rivers Health Hospice patients will have the option to transition to Agrace’s care by the end of September.