Literature Review

WHO strengthens palliative care across the eastern Mediterranean to improve quality of life fundsforNGOs; Press Release; 10/29/25 The Seventy-second session of the WHO Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean marked a historic step forward for health systems in the Region, as Member States endorsed resolution EM/RC72/R.4 on palliative care. The decision represents a transformative commitment to support individuals living with life-limiting illnesses, chronic conditions, and frailty, ensuring that care extends beyond treatment to dignity and compassion. ... [While] 2.4 million people in the Region need palliative care each year, less than 1% currently receive it. ... The resolution calls for countries to integrate palliative care into national health strategies, guarantee access to essential medicines such as oral opioids, and incorporate palliative care education into health professional training.

Uruguay's legislature votes to legalize euthanasia, a first for South America CBS News; by Associated Press; 10/16/25 Uruguay's senate passed a law decriminalizing euthanasia on Wednesday, putting the South American nation among a handful of other countries where seriously ill patients can legally obtain help to end their lives. It makes Uruguay the first country in predominantly Catholic Latin America to allow euthanasia via legislation. Colombia and Ecuador have decriminalized the practice through Supreme Court decisions. ... Fierce debates and spirited activism around the practice has gripped the region in recent years. ... The law, which moved forward in fits and starts over the last five years, cleared its final hurdle on Wednesday as 20 out of 31 senators voted in favor. 

Size of the financial incentives in Medicare’s Skilled Nursing Facility Value-Based Purchasing ProgramJAMA Network Open; Robert E. Burke, Franya Hutchins, Jonathan Heintz, Syama R. Patel, Scott Appel, Julie Norman, Atul Gupta, Liam Rose, Rachel M. Werner; 9/25The Skilled Nursing Facility Value-Based Purchasing (SNF VBP) program seeks to reduce all-cause 30-day readmissions from SNF for traditional Medicare beneficiaries recently discharged from the hospital. Under SNF VBP, most SNFs receive a financial bonus or penalty up to 2% of their total traditional Medicare revenues each year, on the basis of their performance on 30-day readmission rates compared with other SNFs, or their own improvement in readmission rates over time. In this cohort study, we found that the size of the financial incentives at the SNF level are relatively small in terms of dollars and as a proportion of net operating income, and that most SNFs experienced substantial variability from year to year in their incentive payments. These 2 factors may have contributed to the relative lack of effectiveness of the SNF VBP program. First, if the level of the penalty is not sufficient to hire additional staff, purchase equipment (such as an x-ray machine or laboratory testing), or invest in new care processes, then SNFs will not be able to improve their ability to manage changes in patient condition. 

The government shutdown’s impact on Medicare Advantage: As clear as mud? JD Supra; by Jeffrey Davis and Lynn Nonnemaker; 10/16/25 Over the last couple of weeks, stakeholders have raised many questions about how the government shutdown will affect different healthcare initiatives and programs, and Medicare Advantage (MA) is no exception. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has provided guidance related to Medicare claims processing, telehealth services, and other operations, but most of that has pertained to Medicare fee-for-service (traditional Medicare). MA plans have been largely responsible for figuring out how the information applies to them. About half of Medicare beneficiaries are in MA, meaning more than 35 million Medicare beneficiaries and the providers who care for them rely on MA plans to communicate how benefits and coverage have, or have not, changed. As the shutdown drags on, CMS’s work to establish future MA policies and payment rates through rulemaking and notices also could be impeded. To discuss some of the ways that the shutdown has impacted MA and may continue to do so, I’m bringing in my colleague Lynn Nonnemaker. ...

Home health & hospice's top advocacy priorities TIMSHME.com; by Steve Landers; 10/5/25 The National Alliance for Care at Home (the Alliance) is the largest organization representing, advocating for and convening providers of home-based care, representing over 1,500 organizations and more than 10,000 agencies serving millions of people nationwide. ... Last month, the Alliance convened more than 230 frontline providers and leaders in Washington to advocate for these priorities.  ... Advocates shared the key issues impacting care, why it matters and what Congress should do about it.

Wisconsin rarely grants compassionate release as aging, ailing prisoners stress systems Wisconsin Watch; by Mario Koran and Sreejita Patra; 10/7/25 Increased use of compassionate release could ease costs and crowding with minimal risks to public safety, experts say. But it remains off limits to many prisoners. ... Wisconsin grants few applicants compassionate release, leaving many severely ill inmates in short-staffed prisons that often struggle to meet health care needs. Wisconsin courts approved just 53, or 11%, of 489 compassionate release petitions they received between January 2019 and June 2025 — about eight petitions a year, Corrections data show. Courts approved just five of 63 petitions filed in all of 2024. 

Connecticut legislature expands employee safety requirements for home health and hospice agencies Pullman & Comley - Connecticut Health Law; 10/3/25In 2024, the Connecticut state legislature passed Public Act 24-19 to enhance protections for home health workers after a patient murdered a home health nurse. During its 2025 legislative session, the legislature passed Public Act 25-168 which, in Sections 184-186, amends the original law to require hospice agencies to comply with some of the provisions and to make other changes. These amendments went into effect on October 1, 2025. The 2024 Act Among other provisions in Public Act 24-19 are those codified at Sections 19a-491f, 19a-491g and 19a-491h, described below. [Continue reading.]

Shutdown places brakes on hospital-at-home, sending hundreds back to strained hospitals McKnights Home Care; by Adam Healy and Liza Berger; 10/1/25The shutdown of the federal government Wednesday has brought the hospital-at-home program to a screeching halt, resulting in hundreds of patients being discharged from the program or sent to hospitals for continuation of care, stressing an already-taxed healthcare system, providers disclosed to McKnight’s Home Care Daily Pulse. ... Several weeks ago, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services instructed hospital-at-home programs to discharge or return patients to the hospital as of Tuesday. CMS also said it no longer would accept waiver requests for participation in the AHCaH initiative after Sept. 1, 2025. Late Wednesday, CMS announced that it will allow up to 60 days of noncompliance with the AHCaH waiver. 

[Portugal] End-of-life care in the prison environment (supplement #22) ehospice, republished from by Portual Plus; 9/25/25 “Inmates who are dependent on assistance have a significant need for help from fellow prisoners,” stated Manuel Almeida dos Santos, secretary-general of the Obra Vicentina de Auxílio aos Reclusos (OVAR) [i.e., St. Vincent de Paul Work to Aid Prisoners], citing the lack of nursing aides and other professionals within prisons. “The shortage of human resources is not limited to prison guards. The deficiencies in prisons are even greater in other areas,” he argued. This concern was echoed by Vítor Ilharco, president of the Associação Portuguesa de Apoio ao Recluso [i.e., Portuguese Association for Prisoner Support], who mentioned cases of sick or elderly inmates who are bedridden, with their families paying “fixed amounts” to other inmates for assistance. Editor's Note: Log in to your newsletter account, type "prison" in the "Search" field, and compare this with many articles we've published on this topic; notably, "IL law calls for annual report on prison hospice, palliative care" and "Death and redemption in an American prison."

Telehealth services on the brink again – Is a 7-week stopgap the only fix? The National Law Review; by Danielle H. Tangorre, Conor O. Duffy of Robinson & Cole LLP; 9/26/25 Healthcare providers are again confronted with the potential termination of telehealth services unless Congress acts to extend the Medicare flexibilities implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic. If no legislative action is taken before September 30, 2025, those providers and patients who have depended on expanded telehealth options will encounter substantial limitations in access beginning October 1, 2025. ... A summary of the existing telehealth waivers and their newly proposed expiration dates is included below. ...

UnitedHealth Group in the headlines: 10 updates Becker's Payer Issues; by Andrew Cass; 9/19/25 From a judge denying a bid to limit discovery in an AI denial case to boosting lobbying efforts, here are 10 headlines about UnitedHealth Group and its subsidiaries that Becker’s has reported on since Sept. 5: ...

Federal long-term care advisory commission proposed McKnights Long-Term Care News; by Kimberly Marselas; 9/14/25 A National Advisory Commission on long-term care would be created under a bill introduced Thursday [9/11] that is intended to provide recommendations to Congress over the next decade. US Sens. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and John Boozman (R-AR) said the commission would address a growing number of issues for seniors and others in need of long-term help with activities of daily living. The bipartisan Supporting Our Seniors Act directs a 12-member commission to assess and provide recommendations to Congress on improving service delivery, financing, workforce adequacy, and other issues related to access and affordability.

Perspectives of hospice medical directors on challenges and solutions for improving care for persons living with dementias (PLWD) and their caregiversAmerican Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care; by Taeyoung Park, Abhay Tiwari, Elizabeth Luth, Yongkang Zhang, Simone Prather, Micah Toliver, Giancarlo Chuquitarco, Veerawat Phongtankuel; 8/25A larger proportion of PLWD [persons living with dementia] outlive the 6-month hospice eligibility requirement compared to other terminally ill patients, which leads to high rates of hospice live discharge. Hospice medical directors (HMDs) are physicians with unique insights into both the clinical aspects of care and the administrative and regulatory guidelines of hospice care delivery. To address these challenges, HMDs suggested (1) establishing a dementia-specific hospice program, (2) extending hospice benefit availability for PLWD, and (3) creating a step-down service for families experiencing live discharge from hospice. HMD participants suggested providing additional supports and/or reforming the current Medicare hospice benefits to better address end-of-life care for PLWD, who may require prolonged and intensive end-of-life support.