Literature Review

The keys to building solid disease-specific hospice programs Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 9/8/25 Understanding the most prevalent medical conditions among aging patient populations is a significant part of developing disease-specific programs that better address physical, emotional and practical needs. ... Community needs assessments play a large role in steering the direction of a disease-specific program, said Evan Dressel, director of strategy, program development and innovation at Lower Cape Fear LifeCare.  ... Navigating service needs, strategic execution and establishing successful care collaborations are crucial components to consider when building a disease-specific program, according to Kelly Gadison, vice president of clinical practice, strategy and programs at Amedisys. ... 

When I go, I'm going green KFF Health News; by Paula Span; 9/8/25 More Americans are choosing burials in which everything is biodegradable. ... “Do you see a lot of interest in green burials?” I asked the friendly town cemetery commissioner who was showing me around. “I don’t think we’ve had a traditional burial in two years,” he said. “It’s all green.”

Palliative care researchers use qualitative data to understand the full picture of patients' lives St. Jude Research; by Heather Johnson; 8/26/25 The central goal of palliative care is to provide comfort, relieve suffering and improve the quality of life for those dealing with serious illnesses. That care is interdisciplinary. It must be. Quality of life relates to physical, social, emotional, spiritual and psychological needs. Addressing those needs requires teamwork from physicians and clinicians in a range of disciplines. ... Palliative care studies often use mixed methods approaches to capture the full picture of what can be subjective outcomes. For example, scales and surveys may provide a foundation for assessing symptom relief, while qualitative research, such as patient interviews and focus groups, helps researchers understand the meaning behind the numbers.  Editor's Note: Yes. Measures for hospice and palliative success and growth are more than dollar amounts and the number of locations. Pairing qualitative research with quantitative data, researchers and leaders must seek to "understand the meaning behind the numbers." Ongoing, be sure to explore our newsletter's Saturday issues for relevant, timely evidence-based research articles--quantitive and qualitive data--to improve the care of persons who needing hospice and palliative care.

Golden Age Manor’s new hospice suite aims to give families comfort in final days Amery Free Press, Amery, WI; by Justin Runberg; 8/28/25 With a ribbon cutting set for Sept. 4, Golden Age Manor’s newly completed hospice suite will soon open its doors, offering families a more home-like space to spend time with loved ones during end-of-life care. In partnership with Adoray Home Health & Hospice, the project has been completed, and an open house will be held for the community to view the new addition. 

Social workers’ role in improving hospice live discharge processes Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 8/26/25 A lack of standardized care coordination is challenging the ability for patients and families to receive support following a live discharge from hospice. Deeper integration of social work services may help address the issue. This is according to findings from a recent study published in the Journal of Gerontological Social Work, which examined different methodologies for preparing patients, family caregivers and providers for hospice-initiated live discharges from social worker perspectives. 

Advocate Health investing $3B across rural footprint: 8 things to know Becker's Hospital Review; by Alan Condon; 8/15/25 Charlotte, N.C.-based Advocate Health is investing more than $3 billion across its rural operations to preserve care access, expand services and build a sustainable pipeline of providers for the future. The investment comes at a time when nearly half of rural hospitals are operating at a loss and 800 are at risk of closure, according to an analysis by the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform. Twenty-one of Advocate Health’s nearly 70 hospitals are located in rural counties across six states, along with more than 320 rural clinics and a network of mobile and virtual programs [including hospice care]. 

Chicago woman wounded in mass shooting at her 25th birthday party is going to hospice care CBS News; by Sara Machi; 8/17/25 After being critically wounded in a mass shooting in Chicago's Portage Park neighborhood that killed her father and two others, Mariah Vera's body has held on for two and a half years. But her family says that time is running out, and they need help from the public. Vera's family is preparing to move her to hospice care at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center ... Family members said Vera was shot while trying to protect her father after an uninvited partygoer caused trouble at her 25th birthday party.

Black and white older adults’ end-of-life experiences: Does hospice use mitigate racial disparities? The Journals of Gerontology; by Clifford Ross, Brina Ratangee, Emily Schuler, Zheng Lian, Benmun Damul, Deborah Carr, Lucie Kalousová; 7/25Racial disparities in end-of-life care are well documented, but less is known about how these inequalities shape assessments of death quality. Proxies for Black decedents reported higher perceived death quality than those for White decedents, despite evidence of greater structural disadvantage. However, perceived care concordance was significantly lower among Black decedents. Hospice care was associated with improved perceived death quality for Black decedents but not for Whites. When accounting for socioeconomic and death experience controls, hospice care did not moderate perceived care concordance.

[United Kingdom] Rethinking palliative care for people affected by homelessness Nursing in Practice; by Karita Razzell; 8/5/25 Well-timed palliative intervention can be a game-changer for people affected by homelessness facing advanced ill health, says Karita Razzell, palliative care manager at the charity St Mungo’s. ... There are various reasons behind the stark health disparities faced by people experiencing homelessness. ... Many individuals are living with serious mental health conditions, substance use issues, undiagnosed neurodiversity, and chronic physical illnesses – all of which can make clinical environments like hospitals particularly challenging for them. ... There are also digital hurdles: appointment systems and prescription services are increasingly online, yet many people without stable housing lack access to mobile phones or the internet. ... As a result, treatable conditions in people affected by homelessness often go undiagnosed until they reach an advanced stage.Editor's Note: People experiencing homelessness in the U.S. face similar challenges. Organizations such as The Hildegard House in Louisville, KY, and others in the national Omega Home Network of “comfort care homes” quietly provide palliative and hospice care for them. Click here to see a national map of these homes.

2 factors fueling disparities in home-based deaths Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 8/11/25 Having a limited understanding about end-of-life care options can hinder patients’ ability to die in the home, recent research has found. This trend is fueling disparities in home-based hospice care. Access to respite care more than doubles the odds of patients having a home death, a recent study found, which was published in the BMC Palliative Care journal. ... Additional significant factors included timely access to community-based nursing services, home health and hospice, as well as the integration of a palliative care approach, the study found.

The state of pediatric concurrent hospice care in the United States American Academy of Pediatrics; by Meaghann S. Weaver, MD, PhD, MPH, HEC-CCorresponding Author; Steven M. Smith, MD; Christy Torkildson, PhD, RN, PHN; Deborah Fisher, PhD, RN, PPCNP; Betsy Hawley, MA; Alix Ware, JD, MPH; Holly Davis, MS, APRN; Conrad S. P. Williams, MD; Lisa C. Lindley, PhD, RN, FPCN, FAAN; 8/1/25 The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) required all state Medicaid programs to pay for both curative and hospice services for children and adolescents. The purpose of this Special Article report is to quantify and describe the use of concurrent care for children, including a depiction of the barriers and benefits according to community-based hospice organizations in the United States. A total of 295 hospice organizations from 50 states and Washington, DC responded to the National Alliance for Care at Home call for engagement.

Sex and racial/ethnic differences in end-of-life care in decedents with lung cancer in TexasJournal of Palliative Medicine; by Myrna Katalina Serna, Efstathia Polychronopoulou, Aimee Rodriguez, Anjali Ramachandran, Margaret Goodrich, Sean O'Mahoney, Mukaila Raji, Yong-Fang Kuo; 7/25The lung cancer five-year survival rate is lower for Texans compared with the national average. We assessed sex and racial/ethnic differences in end-of-life care among decedents with lung cancer in Texas [and found that] ... males had more health care utilization and less hospice enrollment. Non-Hispanic Blacks and Hispanics had more health care utilization and less hospice enrollment ... Billed ACP [advance care planning] was low across all groups.

Closing the gap: Addressing social determinants of health and racial disparities in hospice care Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN); by Alyson Cutshall; 8/4/25... While Americans’ health trajectories are inevitable at the time they become eligible for hospice services, SDOH (Social Determinants of Health) still play a major role for the patients and families our field is privileged to serve. ... [To] fully impact health equity, we must be cognizant of other examples of SDOH, such as racism and implicit bias.  Unfortunately, our collective field has not been as successful in addressing access to hospice care across differing racial and ethnic groups. ... Certainly, there are some pockets of improved access.  One Teleios member organization, Ancora Compassionate Care, recognized the alarming disparities within its community and set about to create change. Ancora leaders recognized that the Black community in their service area typically placed high trust in their religious leaders. To better understand their needs and preferences regarding end-of-life care and services, Ancora embarked on a "listening tour" to gather feedback and insights from these religious leaders. Using the wisdom imparted, Ancora adapted their care delivery to be more inclusive to the Black community.  As such, the organization is making incremental improvements in lessening the racial divide in access to hospice care.