Literature Review

Millions of car drivers worldwide will now see a hospice message from Capital Caring Health thanks to the app LeadStory Capital Caring Health, Falls Church, VA; Press Release; 7/28/25 Capital Caring Health, a nonprofit hospice for adults and children, includes a special pediatric team called Capital Caring Kids (CCK). CCK is one of the largest dedicated pediatric hospice programs in the nation and is now the first to be recognized around the world through a new AI APP called LeadStory. LeadStory is an interactive personalized news service for car drivers – while the car is in motion, they can voice command any question for all news categories local, national, and international. When the car is stationary video appears on the touch screen. By the end of 2025, LeadStory will be on approximately ten million car touch screens. ... A 30 second video produced by Capital Caring Kids about its special mission of caring for children and their families regardless of ability to pay will appear a minimum of 6 times a week when vehicle touch screens are in video mode.

Language, culture, and trust: Addressing gaps in palliative care for Hispanic patientsCAPC blog; by Rayna Ross, Brittany Chambers; 7/23/25CAPC recently released The Health Care Experience of Hispanic Patients with Serious Illness: A Literature Review. While the review outlines the challenges Hispanic patients face, we’ve also been working behind the scenes to identify ways to improve access to palliative care for this population. This new blog features insights from four community leaders who care for and represent Hispanic patients. They offer actionable recommendations for health care organizations, palliative care teams, and clinicians striving to drive meaningful change and ensure equitable access to high-quality care.

National Alliance CEO Dr. Steve Landers: Hospice reform should mean more care, not less Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 7/28/25 Hospice reform efforts should focus on allowing for “more care, not less,” according to National Alliance for Care at Home CEO Dr. Steve Landers. Key elements of this should include home-based respite care and a payment system for high-acuity palliative services that hospice patients often lose out on due to the costs. ... “It means innovation in care, home-based respite services, better payment models for people that need things like dialysis or palliative radiation,” Landers said at the Alliance’s Financial Summit in Chicago. “That is that reform we’re talking about.” ... Landers also said that attempts at hospice reform should not “carve-in” hospice into Medicare Advantage. Bringing hospice under Medicare Advantage would undermine patient choice, adversely impact timely access to care and leave providers with lower reimbursement rates, according to the Alliance, the National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI) and LeadingAge

There'll be a part of me that goes on.You created something. You made a mark on your time. I don't know why that's so important to me. It just is. But I'm not finished!I'm as lost as everybody else.I'm still looking, I'm still searching.I may not ever figure it all out, but I'm trying.~ Billy Joel, from And So It Goes - Part 2 documentary 

Casting hope: A last wish by the water The Citizen, Fayette County, GA; by Compassus Hospice; 7/27/25 For Compassus hospice patient Gerry Higginbotham of Fayetteville, GA, the simple act of casting a line into the ocean had long been a dream—one that felt just out of reach. But thanks to a compassionate care team and the support of the Angel Foundation, that dream became a reality. ... The Hospice Angel Foundation generously covered the cost of lodging near Tybee Island, GA. But transportation and food expenses remained a challenge. That’s when the Compassus Fayetteville hospice team did something extraordinary: they personally donated funds to cover the remaining trip costs, ensuring Gerry and his daughter could make the journey. ... This wasn’t just a trip—it was a moment of peace, purpose and joy for someone who had given so much of himself to others. 

Nidal Rahal, MD: A quiet force in geriatric and hospice care CEOWorld Magazine; by Anna Papdopoulos; 7/27/25 In a time when healthcare is growing more complex, Dr. Nidal Rahal is staying focused on what matters: his patients. From private hospital rooms to long-term care units, he’s been quietly building a career defined by service, leadership, and long hours. Based in Germantown, Tennessee, Dr. Rahal now runs his own practice—Geriatrics and Palliative Care PLLC ... “I’ve always believed in showing up where I’m most needed,” he says. “For me, that’s meant working with the elderly, with families, and with people facing end-of-life decisions.” ... His practice is now a central hub for hospitalized patient follow-up, inpatient rehab, and palliative consults. He remains active at St. Francis Bartlett, where he’s part of the Medical Executive Committee and serves as an admitting rehab physician. Despite the move, Dr. Rahal still works closely with Hope Hospice and Unity Hospice, continuing a leadership role that spans over a decade.

Decades-old SLO County hospice nonprofit suddenly collapsed. What happened? The Tribune, San Luis Obispo, CA; by Chloe Shrager; 7/27/25 A beloved San Luis Obispo-based home health and hospice care nonprofit suddenly closed its doors last month after nearly 80 years of service, leaving many in the community wondering what went wrong. For decades, Wilshire Health and Community Services offered clinical hospice care, home health and other vital community services to SLO County’s ill and aging. Just over a month before its permanent closure, Wilshire had a booth set up at the California Association For Health Services At Home Annual Conference and Expo in Rancho Mirage on May 19 to 22. The organization had started making plans for its annual fundraiser held at the Hearst Ranch Dairy Barn in August and was still accepting donations. Business appeared to be booming. Now, Wilshire’s offices are emptied out, its website has been taken down, its Hospice Hope Chest thrift store has shut down for good and the once-thriving organization is in the process of filing for bankruptcy. So, how did things turn south so quickly? ... 

By the Bay Health CEO on stretching home health dollar, surviving proposed rate cuts Home Health Care News; by Joyce Famakinwa; 7/25/25 ... By the Bay Health CEO Skelly Wingard aims to improve the quality and accessibility of the company’s home health care line by enhancing the company’s clinical informatics and collaborating across service lines and managed care. These initiatives emerge amid regulatory uncertainty, as proposed Medicare home health rate cuts have raised alarms across the industry. Wingard warned that such cuts could force many providers out of business.By the Bay Health is an affiliate of the University of California San Francisco Health. The organization’s service lines include hospice, palliative, pediatric and skilled home health care. The company serves the entire Bay Area.

Hospice | CMS.gov/Fraud Fast FactsCMS.gov/Fraud; by CMS; July 2025 ... Medicare hospice utilization has increased in recent years. In Fiscal Year 2024, Medicare payments for hospice reached over $27 billion, with approximately 1.8 million Medicare beneficiaries receiving hospice care. CMS has taken significant action to address likely fraudulent behavior occurring in Medicare-enrolled hospices, including long lengths of stay, co-located hospices, and high rates of beneficiaries discharged alive. [This Fast Facts one-page sheet includes:]

51 health systems with strong finances Becker's Hospital Review; by Andrew Cass; 7/21/25 Here are 51 health systems with strong operational metrics and solid financial positions, according to reports from credit rating agencies Fitch Ratings and Moody’s Investors Service released in 2025. This is not an exhaustive list. Health systems were compiled from credit rating reports [and are listed alphabetically.]

He prayed - it wasn't my religion; She ate - it wasn't what I ate; He spoke - it wasn't my language; She dressed - it wasn't what I wore; He took my hand - it wasn't the colour of mine. But when she laughed - it was how I laughed, and when he cried - it was how I cried. Amy Maddox, 16 years old, “Underneath We’re All the Same”

Dignity at risk: hospice care faces critical worker shortage amidst policy challenges ABC WCIV-4 News, Charleston, SC; by Webb Wright; 7/23/25 Officials are giving dire predictions for the future of palliative care and hospice care. There's a rapidly growing need for nurses and healthcare workers in those areas, including home healthcare and nursing home workers. Educators and facilitators in those areas of care are working to prevent a crisis that's expected to peak in less than a decade. By 2033, the number of new projected jobs in this area of healthcare is expected to be more than 820,000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. With a median starting salary of under $35,000, recruiters and workers are scrambling to fill the void sooner rather than later.