Literature Review

The complexity of multi-service organizations Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN); podcast by Christ Comeaux with Rebecca Ramsy and Mark Jarman-Howe; 7/30/25 Rebecca Ramsay and Mark Jarman-Howe, two dynamic leaders who are navigating the evolving world of hospice and multi-service healthcare with vision and heart,  share their experiences in managing diverse service lines, emphasizing the importance of culture, workforce resilience, and community engagement. Rebecca and Mark discuss the challenges of balancing mission and margin while fostering innovation and collaboration. The conversation underscores the importance of strategic planning, mentorship, and understanding regulatory frameworks to navigate the healthcare landscape effectively.  

Estimating the number of services & patients receiving specialized palliative care globally in 2025 Journal of Pain and Symptom Management; by Stephen R Connor, Eduardo Garralda, Vilma A Tripodoro, Carlos Centeno; 7/28/25 online ahead of print ... In 2025, the estimated number of specialized palliative care service delivery teams worldwide reached approximately 33,700 - representing a 32.7% increase from the 25,000 identified in 2017. Service delivery expanded across all WHO regions except Africa. The estimated number of patients served rose from 7 million in 2017 to approximately 10.4 million in 2025. This figure represents roughly 14% of the total global need for palliative care. ... Despite notable growth in service availability, significant disparities persist, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. While over half of the need appears to be met in high-income countries, only 4.4% is addressed by specialist provision in low and middle-income countries. 

Georgia may be next for enhanced hospice oversight, regulatory affairs expert predicts McKnights Home Care; by Adam Healy; 7/29/25 Warning, hospice providers in Georgia. Your state may be the next target for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Provisional Period of Enhanced Oversight (PPEO). “If you are from Georgia, do not be surprised if something like this comes to your town soon,” Katie Wehri, vice president of regulatory affairs, quality and compliance for the National Alliance for Care at Home, said on the closing day of the Alliance’s Financial Management Summit Tuesday. “The reason is that the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission and CMS have both mentioned Georgia as an area where there’s a high number of new hospices.” Four states are currently the subject of PPEO: California, Arizona, Nevada and Texas. California — and specifically Los Angeles County — has been a hotbed of hospice fraud in recent years. 

Montville Township man golfs 100 holes for charity The Gazette, Montville Township, NJ; by Sara Crawford; 7/29/25 While a thick fog may have covered Fox Meadow Country Club on Monday morning, Montville Township resident Pat Spoerndle didn’t let that stop him from starting to golf at 6:30 a.m. as he played 100 holes of golf in one day as part of his annual charity event, “100 for Hospice.” In 2009, Spoerndle decided to host a one-time charitable golf outing. He set a goal of $10,000 and made plans to play 100 holes of golf within a day, all for Hospice of Medina County. “I was going to do it just the one time,” he said. “(I then) decided it would be wrong to do because we were able to raise so much money for a great organization. We just built on it every year.” Since the fundraiser’s start 17 years ago, Spoerndle has raised almost $600,000 for Hospice of Medina County. He expects to raise more than $25,000 this year, but said it’s too early to tell how much they’ve raised.

VITAS® Healthcare announces CEO transition and appointment of new Chief Executive OfficerGlobeNewswire, Miramar, FL; Press Release; 7/30/25VITAS Healthcare, one of the nation’s leading providers of hospice and palliative care, and a subsidiary of Chemed Corporation (NYSE: CHE), today announced that Nicholas M. Westfall will step down as chairman and chief executive officer to pursue other personal and professional opportunities. Joel L. Wherley, president and chief operating officer, was appointed by the Board to succeed Westfall as chief executive officer of VITAS Healthcare. Westfall has served as CEO since 2016, leading VITAS through a period of meaningful growth, operational transformation and reinvestment in its people. “It has been an honor to lead VITAS Healthcare and work alongside such a talented team,” said Westfall. “I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished together and confident that Joel is the right leader to take the company forward.”

Annual Hospice Home & Garden Tour raises more than $29,000 for hospice services Granite VNA, Laconia, NH; Press Release; 7/29/25 Granite VNA’s annual Hospice Home & Garden Tour raised more than $29,000 to support the agency’s hospice services. This year’s tour featured five remarkable properties in Wolfeboro and Tuftonboro including a country Colonial, an antique farmhouse, a lovingly restored Cape Cod-style home, a classic Craftsman-style home, and the Clark House Museum. More than 450 attendees spent a warm July afternoon touring through Lakes Region homes and gardens, enjoying historical builds, elegant interiors, breathtaking gardens and Lakes Region vistas. 

Association releases first-ever guideline on use of blood tests to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease McKnights Long-Term Care News; by Donna Shryer; 7/29/25 The Alzheimer’s Association has issued its first clinical practice guideline on the use of blood tests to help diagnose Alzheimer’s disease in people with cognitive impairment. Released at the 2025 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference this week, the guideline establishes performance thresholds that blood-based biomarker tests must meet before they can be used in specialized memory care settings. ... “This is a pivotal moment in Alzheimer’s care,” said Maria C. Carrillo, PhD, the Association’s chief science officer and a guideline co-author. “For the first time, we have a rigorously evidence-based guideline that empowers clinicians to use blood biomarker tests confidently and consistently.”

National Alliance for Care at Home hosts inaugural Financial Summit National Alliance for Care at Home, Alexandria, VA and Washington, DC; Press Release; 7/30/25 The National Alliance for Care at Home (the Alliance) successfully hosted its inaugural event, the 2025 Alliance Financial Summit, July 27-29 in Chicago, IL. The Summit brought together financial leaders from across the care at home community, with expert-led sessions, peer collaboration, and insights into market shifts and emerging technologies. More than 700 attendees and exhibitors participated in the comprehensive program, which featured keynote presentations, concurrent educational sessions, networking opportunities, awards, and celebration. ... “This first Alliance event exceeded our expectations, bringing together care at home leaders from across the nation to connect, learn, and recommit to our shared vision of an America where everyone has access to the highest quality, person-centered healthcare wherever they call home,” said Alliance CEO Dr. Steve Landers.

System wide goals of care implementation: A podcast with Ira Byock, Chris Dale, and Matt GonzalesGeriPal podcast; by Eric Widera, Alex Smith, Ira Byock, Chris Dale, Matt Gonzales; 7/24/25Most health care providers understand the importance of goals-of-care conversations in aligning treatment plans with patients’ goals, especially for those with serious medical problems. And yet, these discussions often either don’t happen or at least don’t get documented. How can we do better? In today’s podcast, we sit down with Ira Byock, Chris Dale, and Matthew Gonzales to discuss a multi-year healthcare system-wide goals of care implementation project within the Providence Health Care System. Spanning 51 hospitals, this initiative [found] an increase from 7% to 85% in goals of care conversation documentation for patients who were in an ICU for 5 or more days. How did they achieve this? Our guests will share insights into the project’s inception and the strategies that drove its success, including:

Targeted palliative care may cut older adults’ risk of readmissions after elective surgeries: study McKnights Long-Term Care News; by Alicia Lasek; 7/27/25 Older adults with serious illness before elective surgery are at double the risk of extended hospital stays, readmissions, emergency department visits and costs, a new study has found. Targeting four key palliative care needs before surgery may help make the recovery period less burdensome for these patients and the healthcare system, the authors say. The study, published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons, looked at seriously ill older surgical patients to see what palliative care interventions might help reduce the need for excess healthcare use post surgery. Among 2,499 older adults undergoing major elective surgery, [researchers reported] 63% were seriously ill, and 79% had four key palliative care needs:

We could never learn to be brave and patient, if there were only joy in the world.  ~ Helen Keller