On March 13, the Agency for Healthcare Quality and Research (AHRQ) released Interventions to Improve Care of Bereaved Persons, a systematic review of current literature on evidence-based practice related to grief and bereavement services.

This is a continuation of the work by AHRQ and the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) funded as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, following LeadingAge advocacy to promote a deeper evidence base for grief and bereavement services.

Specifically, LeadingAge advocated funding for an evidence review and technical expert panel to establish consensus-based standards for grief and bereavement care based on feedback from our members about the lack of standards for grief and bereavement care in hospice.

Prior to the release of this review by AHRQ, LeadingAge submitted comments on June 28, 2024 that addressed LeadingAge’s continuum of services.

ASPE then reviewed key points from that literature review and key contributor interviews which can be read here.

We thank Senators Brown and Capito for partnering with us on this funding request in 2023 and will review the work in its entirety to inform next steps.