Literature Review

Hospice and Palliative Care Buffalo hosted its 29th annual hospice memorial walk NBC 2 WGRZ, Buffalo, NY; by Sara Russo; 5/4/25 Hospice and Palliative Care Buffalo held its 29th annual hospice memorial walk at the Buffalo Outer Harbor on Sunday. The 5K walk began at Terminal B at the Outer Harbor and was the first year the event took place at that location. The route continued through Buffalo's Waterfront District and also included a shorter, one mile "Fun Walk." The Hospice Memorial Walk is one of the largest fundraisers for the center, raising over $5 million in the past 28 years. Walkers were able to participate in teams or individuals as well as virtually.

Empath Health introduces one hospice model, bringing together Florida’s established not-for-profit hospices under one mission Business Wire, Clearwater, FL; Press Release; 5/5/25 Empath Health, one of the nation’s largest 501(c)(3) integrated care networks, today unveiled its One Hospice Model—a first-of-its-kind framework that preserves community-based hospice while adding the scale, innovation and accountability of a statewide system. "Families deserve hospice that puts mission before margin," said Jonathan D. Fleece, President & CEO of Empath Health. ... The model integrates seven locally known hospice brands—Empath Hospice, Hospice of Marion County, Suncoast Hospice, Suncoast Hospice of Hillsborough, Tidewell Hospice and Trustbridge (Hospice by the Sea and Hospice of Palm Beach County)—which collectively care for one in five hospice patients statewide. Five of these affiliates have served their communities for more than 40 years, delivering generations of compassionate, not-for-profit care.

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.

The Big Bend Hospice linen drive brings comfort to patients in rural communities: Addressing a critical need in underserved areas ABC WTXL-TV 27, Tallahassee/Monticello, FL; by Lentheus Chaney; 4/30/25 In Jefferson County, kindness sometimes comes in the form of cotton. Big Bend Hospice is collecting linens here to help patients face their final days with dignity. Big Bend Hospice just launched a linen drive. It's asking neighbors to donate new Twin XL-sized bed sheets. They'll be used for patients across Jefferson, Madison, and Taylor counties. The drive's goal is to ensure no one spends their final days without the comfort of clean sheets—something most of us take for granted. The  need is especially great in rural areas. According to state data, hospice use in parts of North Florida lags behind the statewide average—just 57%. That's compared to nearly 66% across Florida. That gap means fewer resources in the places that need them most.

How can hospice and palliative care providers address elder abuse?AAHPM Quarterly; by Larry Beresford; Fall 2024In June of [2024], the National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI), a professional member organization representing established nonprofit hospice and palliative care providers, issued a white paper and resource guide called “Breaking the Silence: Addressing Domestic Violence, Elder Abuse and Neglect.” This release launched a campaign aimed at bringing greater attention to the widespread, underappreciated, and underreported epidemic of elder abuse—in all of its forms but for hospice and palliative care patients in particular. The launch was held in conjunction with World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, June 15, created at the United Nations and observed around the world. Collaborating on NPHI’s project is the NO MORE Foundation, which is dedicated to ending domestic and sexual violence through allied organizations, international chapters, and grassroots activities. “Breaking the Silence” includes resources on elder abuse and insights into its prevalence and the various forms it takes while encouraging providers to screen for and respond to suspected abuse.

Trends, patterns, and key comparisons related to new Medicare Hospice Provider Enrollments may indicate the need for further oversight HHS Office of Inspector General; 4/29/25 Federal requirements state that hospices must be certified by CMS and be licensed as required by State and local law. Medicare also requires that hospices meet its Conditions of Participation to receive payment. Our objective is to identify trends, patterns, and key comparisons that indicate potential vulnerabilities related to new Medicare hospice provider enrollments. The data brief may help CMS evaluate the need for additional monitoring and program integrity efforts to ensure that hospices meet all the requirements. ... 

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. 

Hospice celebrated National Volunteer Week 2025

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.

How Lower Cape Fear LifeCare built its Memory Care affiliate Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 4/22/25 Lower Cape Fear LifeCare built from the ground up a program dedicated to serving dementia patients. A growing number of operators have developed programs tailored to patients with specific diagnoses, providing specialized care tailored to their specific needs. Examples include dementia, heart failure and other cardiac conditions, as well as diseases of the lungs. At Lower Cape Fear LifeCare, the program started small and rapidly expanded. The North Carolina-based hospice provider six years ago launched a support group for dementia caregivers, called Memory Partners. This over time bloomed into a full-fledged dementia services subsidiary called LifeCare Memory Partners, Evan Dressel, director of strategy, development and innovation at Lower Cape Fear LifeCare said at the Hospice News ELEVATE conference in Orlando, Florida.

Appropriate deprescribing and payment in hospice dementia careJAMA Internal Medicine; Nathan M. Stall, MD, PhD; Sharon K. Inouye, MD, MPH; Lona Mody, MD, MSc; 3/25People living with dementia are one of the largest growing users of hospice care in the US, with approximately 20% of enrollees having a terminal diagnosis of dementia. In the setting of advanced dementia specifically, guidelines recommend deprescribing cholinesterase inhibitors and memantine as there is insufficient evidence for benefit, and there are risks of adverse events including bradycardia, falls, and gastrointestinal adverse effects. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services specifies that hospices are responsible for covering all medications under the Medicare Part A hospice benefit, but audits have revealed that millions of dollars of prescription drug costs are being inappropriately shifted to Medicare Part D. The study by Hunt et al occurs within a context of growing concerns about shifts in US hospice care where more than 70% of hospice agencies serving patients with terminal illness across all settings now operate on a for-profit basis, with increasing acquisition of hospices by private equity firms and publicly traded corporations. Compared with nonprofit hospices, for-profit hospices have more acute care utilization, provide less direct care, and have poorer caregiver-reported care experiences. For-profit hospices also enroll a higher proportion of persons living with dementia, which may relate to their lower acuity and longer stays, as well as more profitable margins under the per-beneficiary daily payment.

Carolina Caring Foundation’s “Flights & Bites” fundraiser raises over $45,000 for compassionate care Carolina Caring, Hickory, NC; 4/17/25 The Carolina Caring Foundation is celebrating the remarkable success of its 4th annual Flights & Bites fundraiser, which took place on Thursday, April 3rd, 2025, at Moretz Mills in Hickory, NC. This year’s event exceeded expectations, raising over $45,000 to support Carolina Caring’s mission of providing compassionate care to patients and families. Guests at the fundraiser were treated to an exquisite culinary experience titled “Passport to Flavor,” featuring tastes from around the world. “Carolina Caring Foundation expresses heartfelt gratitude to all sponsors and donors for their generous support in making our fundraiser a tremendous success,” stated Tara Bland, CFRE, Executive Director of the Carolina Caring Foundation.