Literature Review

Should an AI copy of you help decide if you live or die? Doctors share top concerns of AI surrogates aiding life-or-death decisions. Ars Technica; by Ashley Belanger; 10/20/25 For more than a decade, researchers have wondered whether artificial intelligence could help predict what incapacitated patients might want when doctors must make life-or-death decisions on their behalf. It remains one of the most high-stakes questions in health care AI today. But as AI improves, some experts increasingly see it as inevitable that digital “clones” of patients could one day aid family members, doctors, and ethics boards in making end-of-life decisions that are aligned with a patient’s values and goals.

Lancaster woman sentenced to home detention for role in hospice fraud MSN, Lancaster, CA; 10/16/25 A Lancaster woman was ordered Wednesday [10/15] to serve 12 months of home detention and pay a $100,000 fine for her role in a hospice fraud scheme that netted more than $3.2 million from Medicare. Callie Jean Black, 66, was convicted in March at the conclusion of a four-day bench trial in Los Angeles federal court of four counts of soliciting and receiving remunerations for patient referrals, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. 

Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been. ~ Mark Twain

Why caring for a parent is hard for doctors MedPage Today's KevinMD.com; by Barbara Sparacino, MD; 10/19/25 I can sit with patients and families and talk about hospice, dementia, or end-of-life care without hesitation. Years of training as a physician and geriatric psychiatrist have prepared me for those conversations. But when my own parent needed care, all that training suddenly felt useless. Medical knowledge didn’t shield me from fear or guilt. It didn’t stop the second-guessing that came with every decision. It didn’t help me navigate the family disagreements about “what Mom would have wanted.” In that moment, I wasn’t the physician. I was the daughter, and that was far more complicated. Why caring for our parents feels different ...

Teaching end-of-life care: Q&A with professor of medicine Medical Xpress; by Mahima Samraik, Yale University, edited by Sadie Harley; 10/20/25 Every year, thousands of families sit in hospital rooms hearing words no one wants to hear: "We have done everything we can." What happens next, whether doctors stay engaged or step away, can transform one of life's most difficult moments for patients and their families. Unfortunately, for too many patients, the shift from curative care to end-of-life care leaves them feeling stranded. ... "But it doesn't have to be this way," says Matthew Ellman, MD, professor of medicine (general medicine) at Yale School of Medicine (YSM) and director of Medical Student Palliative and End-of-Life Care Education. Ellman has spent decades at patients' bedsides and now teaches medical students about death and dying. In his recent essay in Academic Medicine, he draws from his personal experiences as a physician and encourages fellow doctors to embrace difficult conversations around end-of-life care.

GeriPal Live! at CAPC: Karen Bullock, Kim Curseen, Matt GonzalesGeriPal podcast; by Eric Widera, Alex Smith, Karen Bullock, Kim Curseen, Matt Gonzales; 10/9/25Eric and I had the pleasure of doing a GeriPal Live! Podcast as the closing keynote for the recent Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC) National Assembly in Philadelphia PA. For this podcast, we invited 3 guests to each select an article of interest to them, and engage in a discussion about the article, including questions from the CAPC attendees in the audience. Matt Gonzales used AI to select an article by Ravi Parikh on algorithm based nudges to default patients with advanced cancer into a palliative care consult... Kim Curseen selected an article by Harry Han in JPSM that surveyed palliative care fellowships... Karen Bullock selected a letter she first authored in response to Ira Byock’s white paper on a path forward in hospice and palliative care.

Health Data Analytics Institute (HDAI) deploys innovative use of LLMs for summarizing and supporting patient preferences at a leading cancer center Bluegrass Live; by PR Newswire, Boston, MA; 10/20/25 An innovative new protocol called Better Real-time Information on Documentation of Goals of care for Engagement in Serious Illness Communication (BRIDGE-SIC) is being launched today at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. BRIDGE-SIC uses Health Data Analytics Institute (HDAI) large language models (LLMs) to extract and summarize patients' goals of care conversations and their risk stratification tools for patient selection. The AI summaries identify and summarize prior goals of care conversations documented in patients' medical records and share them with inpatient and outpatient clinicians when patients with cancer are admitted to the hospital.

The results are in: Palliative care professionals share how they’re doing in 2025CAPC blog; by Rachael Heitner; 10/8/25CAPC’s second annual Palliative Pulse survey offers insight on how palliative care professionals across the country are feeling this year and what they’re focused on—see how they responded... This year, 854 palliative care professionals participated in the Palliative Pulse survey... Top concerns for the coming year:

Driving sales and admissions success in hospice careTranscend Strategy Group; 10/13/25Behind every referral, every admission and every family supported by hospice care is a story. It is the story of providers working against the clock, of families making overwhelming choices, and of staff navigating the delicate balance between operational realities and the urgent need for compassionate care. Hospice admissions and sales are not merely about numbers or processes – they represent moments when trust, urgency and compassion converge.

HCA rebrands 35-plus sites in South Carolina Becker's Health IT; by Giles Bruce; 10/16/25 Over 35 sites of care in South Carolina have rebranded under the HCA Healthcare name. The Nashville, Tenn.-based health system said the new names will make it easier for patients to understand that the facilities, which have been part of HCA for decades, are connected. “By consolidating under the HCA Healthcare name, we’re reinforcing our collective commitment to the communities we serve,” said Hugh Tappan, president of HCA Healthcare’s Charleston, S.C.-based South Atlantic Division, in an Oct. 14 news release. ... The new hospital names include: ...

Bay County hospice facility Brian’s House temporarily closes its doors mlive.com, Hampton TWP, MI; by Joey Oliver; 10/17/25 Brian’s House Community Group, an end-of-life care facility, has announced its temporary closure after eight years of serving terminally ill patients and their families. The facility at 664 W. Nebobish Road has served more than 1,000 families since opening its doors in June 2017, according to a statement from the board officers and members. The organization cited financial challenges as the primary reason for the closure. ... The facility operated on a sliding scale fee structure that was significantly lower than assisted living residences and often provided free care to families with low or no income.

[England] Ambulance team uses advanced ultrasound to help frail patients avoid hospital trips Emergency Services Times; by James Devonshire; 10/16/25 The East of England Ambulance Service (EEAST) is using cutting-edge medical technology to help elderly and end-of-life care patients receive treatment in their own homes, reducing the need for hospital admissions. The service’s advanced practice (urgent care) team has introduced point of care ultrasound (POCUS)—a portable diagnostic tool previously reserved for critically ill patients—to assess bladder and urinary conditions safely and effectively in community settings. Using the handheld Butterfly ultrasound device, paramedics can perform scans and interpret results via software on iPads, allowing for faster and more accurate diagnoses.