Literature Review

Hillsdale woman celebrates 100th birthday [hospice pioneer, 1970's] HudsonValley360, Hudson, NY; by Tiffany Greenwaldt-Simon; 5/2/25 A Hillsdale resident is celebrating a big milestone - turning 100. Dr. Irma Waldo was born on May 1, 2025, and recently celebrated joining the centenarian club with an openhouse celebration at the Copake Community Center Friday afternoon. ... [Dr. Waldo] opened her own pediatric practice in Hillsdale in 1952 - often making house calls and getting to know the families she was caring for. ... For Waldo, the most rewarding part of her medical career was the hospice service she helped create, Roe Jan Hospice. She received a call in the 1970s from a doctor in New York City who had a 9-year-old patient with a brain tumor. ... The hospice was expanded to cover the all of Columbia County over the course of 18 years, eventually becoming Columbia County Hospice, and then being absorbed into Hudson Valley Hospice. "That was the best thing, most important part of my practice, forming that hospice," Waldo said.Editor's note: Click here for more history.

Hospice of Davidson County’s golf tournament raises over $20,000The Dispatch [NC]; by staff; 4/22/25 Hospice of Davidson County held its 16th annual golf tournament fundraiser on April 17 at Sapona Golf, Swim and Tennis Club and raised more than $20,000 for patients with serious illness and individuals seeking grief and bereavement counseling.

Inside Heart to Heart Hospice’s palliative care growth strategyHospice News; by Holly Vossel; 4/29/25Heart to Heart Hospice’s return on investment in its community-based palliative care service line has come in the form of improved quality and financial outcomes. The Texas-based hospice’s InHome Connect Palliative Care brand has led to significant declines in capitated per member per month (PMPM) costs and positive trends in timely access. The results are a product of the hospice’s recently formed value-based partnership with a leading unnamed Medicare Advantage plan in its home state.

UnitedHealth Group, Amedisys to offload sites to BrightSpring, Pennant GroupMcKnight's Home Care; by Liza Berger; 5/2/25UnitedHealth Group and Amedisys this week entered into agreements to divest certain care, home health and hospice care centers to affiliates of home care firms BrightSpring Health Services and The Pennant Group, according to an 8-K filing dated Thursday. The divestitures are contingent on the completion of UnitedHealth’s acquisition of Amedisys. The acquisition, which has been in the works since 2023, has been beset by federal antitrust scrutiny. Earlier this month, court documents revealed that a lawsuit filed by the United States Justice Department to block the acquisition is set for mediation on Aug. 18.

Safe Harbor Estate Law launches “Dignity Drive” to support Minnesota hospice patients during Elder Law Month The Luverne Journal, PR Underground; 5/1/25 In recognition of May as Elder Law Month, Safe Harbor Estate Law is proud to announce the launch of the Safe Harbor Dignity Drive, a community-wide campaign to collect clean, comfortable clothing and comfort items for hospice patients facing end-of-life care with limited resources. Inspired by conversations with their partners at St. Croix Hospice, Safe Harbor learned that many patients spend their final days without appropriate clothing—often due to significant weight loss, mobility challenges, or a lack of support. Soft, well-fitting clothing can provide warmth, dignity, and peace during an incredibly sacred time. “We believe everyone deserves to feel respected and cared for—especially in their final days,” said Margaret Barrett, founder of Safe Harbor Estate Law. “The Dignity Drive is our way of helping ensure no one spends those moments without the basic comfort of clean, cozy clothing.”

Hospice use by cause of death: A cohort study using Utah population database American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine - Sage Journals; by Rebecca L. Utz, PhD, Michael Hollingshaus, PhD, Attrayee Bandyopadhyay, MS, Kathie Supiano, PhD, Margaret Clayton, PhD, Katherine A. Ornstein, PhD, Djin Tay, PhD, Eli Iacob, Ken Smith, PhD, and Caroline Stephens, PhD; first published online 4/29/25 Illnesses such as cancer often follow a predictable trajectory of decline, while others, such as Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD) and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), follow a more dwindling and protracted decline. ... This study assesses whether hospice use differs by the underlying cause of death and whether current hospice eligibility and practices provide optimal EOL to all causes of death. Major Findings: Non-cancer decedents were more likely to have sub-optimal patterns of hospice care, including minimal use, lasting less than a week, and extended use, lasting more than 6 months. Stroke decedents were the most likely to have minimal-use patterns of hospice, whereas dementia and COPD decedents were most likely to have extended use. Conclusion: New models of hospice-like EOL care that can accommodate both short-term and long-term palliative care needs may help meet the diverse needs of patients and families facing different EOL trajectories associated with common causes of death.Editor's note: Compare this data with your own data of disease-related Length of Stay (LOS), live discharges, disease-related accuity needs, and more. How can we improve disease-related patient care, across the different trajectories of palliative/hospice care?

NPHI opens 10th Annual Summit in Las Vegas, celebrating a decade of impact National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI)m Washington, DC; Press Release; 4/29/25The 10th Annual Summit of the National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI) officially kicks off this morning, April 29, at the Red Rock Resort in Las Vegas. This milestone Summit, themed “A Decade of Impact,” brings together hospice and palliative care leaders from across the nation to celebrate ten years of remarkable achievements and to explore the innovative strategies that will drive the future of high-quality, community-based care. ... Key topics include advancing policy solutions to prevent fraud and abuse in hospice, harnessing artificial intelligence to improve care, exploring international hospice, elevating outreach and communications, and strengthening the quality and consistency of services across the board. During the summit, NPHI will also debut a newly developed Cancer Clinical Provider Guide—designed to help members deliver the highest standards of cancer care. ... “As we mark a decade of impact, this summit is not only a time to reflect on the extraordinary progress we’ve made, but an opportunity to be forward thinking and anticipating what comes next,” said Tom Koutsoumpas, NPHI CEO. [NPHI is a sponsor of our newsletter.]

Serving 'em hot at the Hospice House Crawfish Cook-Off NOLA.com, New Orleans, LA; by Andrew Canulette; 4/28/25 The 20th annual Hospice House Crawfish Cook-Off was as big a hit as it's ever been when thousands of people packed into Slidell's Fritchie Park on April 26 for the all-you-care-to-eat affair.  Turns out, no surprise, that folks in south Louisiana can eat a lot of crawfish. More than 40,000 pounds of mudbugs (that's 20 tons, y'all) were boiled up for the hungry crowds. Several dozen teams did their own boils, and the secrets in the seasoning, the soaking and all manner of surprises made each batch taste unique. Still, this was a down-home crawfish boil — the kind the people of St. Tammany Parish are accustomed to attending and one the teams in the Hospice House cook-off do so well. 

Elliot, Southern New Hampshire health systems say separate is better The New Hampshire Union Leader, Manchester, NH; by Dave Pierce; 4/25/25 Although the Elliot Hospital in Manchester and Southern New Hampshire Medical Center in Nashua are just 20 miles apart and share many similarities and goals, that hasn’t been enough to bridge an unforeseen chasm that’s widened over their seven-year partnership. This week, their parent company, SolutionHealth, which also includes Home Health & Hospice Care in Merrimack, started the separation process, holding public forums for community input. 

Women of the World Club makes $8,500 donation to Hospice of Marion County Foundation ABC WCJB-20, Gainesville, FL; by Daja Clayton; 4/25/25 Hospice of Marion County Foundation has received a generous donation from a club in Marion County to help with their Hope Renovation Project. This project helps educate the public on dementia and its impacts on seniors. The donations comes after the Women of the World Club held their annual fashion show charity event last month -- they made their final donation this month. The interim Executive Director of the Hospice of Marion County Foundation says these funds will also help bring new activities for seniors with dementia.

Evaluation of Medicare Advantage Value-Based Insurance Design (VBID) Model test (2020-2023) - Key takeaways: VBID Hospice Component, 2021–2023CMS press release email; 4/18/25From 2021 through 2024, the voluntary Medicare Advantage (MA) Value-Based Insurance Design (VBID) model allowed MA insurers to offer the Medicare Hospice Benefit within their plans. Outside VBID, hospice care is not included in MA plan benefit packages and is paid through traditional Medicare. The Hospice Benefit component consolidated responsibility and accountability for the cost, quality, and outcomes of MA beneficiaries in hospice with the intent of promoting care coordination and improving quality of care while maintaining budget neutrality or reducing costs.

Providence's push to hand off hospice, home care in Oregon to Tennessee firm gets closer look The Lund Report - Independent health news for Oregon and SW Washington; by Jake Thomas; 4/22/25 Providence Health, Oregon’s biggest provider of home health and hospice services, wants to put a private equity-backed company in charge of those operations. But the plan could negatively affect the care of thousands of Oregonians, according to a new state report. The program that reviews large health care mergers and other deals has launched a six-month review of Providence’s proposed transaction with Tennessee-based Compassus and issued an initial report that analyzed the potential effects. Compassus is partly owned by private equity firm TowerBrook Capital Partners, L.P. ... Under the new 180-day review, the state will conduct a more in-depth evaluation of the deal and its potential effects on costs, care quality, access and workplace conditions. That’s in keeping with the 2021 law creating the program, which is considered the nation’s toughest.