How Poor Health Literacy Can Diminish Access to Palliative Care

Low health literacy among seriously ill patients can impede access to palliative care and complicate efforts to improve health equity. Health literacy is the degree to which individuals can obtain, process and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions, according to the Institute of Medicine. A health illiterate patient may […]

Asian-American Communities Face ‘Digital Divide’ in Health Equity, Hospice Care

Recent research has dug into the barriers limiting greater telehealth utilization among Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities. The data come at a time when hospices are striving to better understand how to improve those groups’ end-of-life trajectories. Technology utilization has gained momentum in health care, including in hospice care delivery. Though […]

Hospice CARE Act Would Update Medical Reviews, Seek to Reduce Audits

The forthcoming Hospice Care Accountability, Reform and Enforcement (Hospice CARE) Act from U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenaur (D-Oregon), if enacted, would implement a number of changes to medical review processes. Blumenauer announced the bill in June at the Hospice News Elevate conference in Washington D.C. Though the bill language is still in development, it will likely […]

Advance Care Planning a Bridge to Hospice Among Latino Communities

Early access to advance care planning can be a vehicle for greater health equity among underserved Latino communities, recent research has shown. Early advance care planning can help strengthen trust between providers and patients and families, according to a recent report from Compassion & Choices and the National Hispanic Council on Aging. As with other […]