Hospice & Palliative Care Today exceeds over half a million source-connections!
Announcement; 9/4/24 
We glean the news for you for timely relevance. Much of the news you read in Hospice & Palliative Care Today is in byte-sized summaries, keeping you aware of important information and trends across the continuum of palliative and hospice care. One of our goals is to connect you to the primary source of information. This gives you access to the full article, its publisher and author, follow-up, and best practices for applying its information to your context. We are proud to report that in these first 8 months as Hospice & Palliative Care Today, we have connected you--our readers--to the source articles over half a million times! (529,000+) Help us continue to grow by inviting your colleagues to register for free at https://hospicepalliativecaretoday.com/registration.

BrightSpring Health Services announces definitive agreement to acquire Haven Hospice, expanding hospice services into Florida 
Business Insider, Louisville, KY; by Globe Newswire Press Release; 9/3/24
BrightSpring Health Service ... announced that it completed the acquisition of the assets of North Central Florida Hospice, Inc. and Haven Medical Group, LLC (collectively “Haven Hospice”), a Florida-based company holding a Certificate of Need (CON) for comprehensive hospice care services in 18 counties in north central Florida, effective September 1, 2024. “We are excited to welcome Haven Hospice into BrightSpring, expanding our existing hospice services into the CON state of Florida,” said BrightSpring’s President and CEO Jon Rousseau.
Publisher's note: This story reports the acquisition completion that was originally announced 6/26/24: BrightSpring Health Services announces definitive agreement to acquire Haven Hospice, expanding its hospice services into the CON state of Florida.

Hospice & Community Care Labor Day Auction raises record $1.1 million 
NBC WGAL-8, Quarryville, PA; by Anne Shannon; 9/2/24 
The 40th Hospice & Community Care Labor Day Auction raised a record-breaking $1.1 million during its two-day event in Lancaster County. The money helps provide services for those facing end-of-life decisions and their families. More than 400 volunteers help make it happen, including Rick Findley. He's been volunteering at the auction every Labor Day for nearly a decade. He looks forward to it, and he's not alone."Over the years, I've talked to many, many people, and there's people saving up all year just to come to this auction to support the hospice – whether it be they had a family member involved or they just know about the organization and what a great organization it is," he said.

Hospice leaders: Culture the key to sustaining the workforce
Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 8/30/24
In a time of workforce shortages, hospices are seeking the “secret sauce” that will help keep employees on board and bring new people into their fold. To find the right mix, hospice providers that have achieved national recognition for employer best practices point to a particular secret ingredient — a supportive culture with open lines of communication, a career path with room to grow and competitive compensation. For the California-based YoloCares, culture is critical, according to the nonprofit’s CEO Craig Dresang.
Notable mentions: YoloCares, Vitas, Jennifer Blades of Haven Hospice.

Indoor hospice concert attracts nearly 2,000 people at fieldhouse 
The Republic, Columbus, IN; by Brian Blair; 9/1/24 
The Indianapolis-based Woomblies Rock Orchestra led off with The Who’s classic “Love Reign O’er Me” before an audience estimated at nearly 2,000 people at Circle K Fieldhouse at NexusPark at 2224 25th St. in Columbus. ... Stephanie Cain, Our Hospice of South Central Indiana president, looked at the latest crowd halfway through the night of three pop-rock acts and smiled. “I feel like my heart is totally overflowing,” she said. Others felt the same vibe. Attendee Sheila Coy knows hospice’s work, currently with nearly 300 patients with life-limiting illnesses, firsthand.

Patients are everyday heroes 
The Andalusia Star News, Andalusia, AL; by Vickie C. Waster; 9/2/24 
One of my favorite songs is by Mariah Carey. The communication of the chorus speaks to what we in hospice and other areas of healthcare experience every day. This song always invokes empathy in my heart, and I believe many of you can truly resonate with the lyrics, as we share a common experience in our roles in healthcare. ... The heroes we encounter are our patients, families, and their caregivers. They show heroism in their resilience, their ability to find hope in difficult circumstances, and their unwavering support for each other. As hospice professionals, we acknowledge that we are entrusted to provide medical, spiritual, and emotional support to those in our care. We do this with a deep sense of humility and humbleness, always mindful of the respect our heroes deserve.  “A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure despite overwhelming obstacles.” Christopher Reeve

The art of asking: How effective questioning transforms leadership
Forbes; by Keli Frazier-Cox; 8/29/24
As a leader, it can be tempting to fall into the trap of thinking you have all the answers. After all, successful problem-solving and making quick decisions were a big part of getting to where you are in the first place—right? But that’s not the whole story. Seeking input from people around you is important no matter what your position. This is especially true as we rise in seniority and the problems we face become more complex. Asking questions is a crucial but often overlooked leadership skill that moves us into a space of co-creation—finding the best solution, not just your solution. Engaging your teams, peers and other colleagues builds trust, loyalty and enthusiasm, helping guide everyone toward mutual success.

Hospice workers help patients with last wishes 
St. Joseph News-Press, MO; by Charles Christian; 9/1/24 
While expressing last wishes is not always the first priority for hospice patients, caregivers say it can be a helpful and meaningful step in the grief process. Registered nurse Kathy Lewis, a hospice care manager at Freudenthal Home-Based Healthcare, said that although asking about last wishes is part of the intake process for many hospice organizations, it is not always something that patients and families share right away. "I typically don't ask about last wishes during an admission," Lewis said. "But once I get to know them, and they feel comfortable with me ... that's when they tend to disclose things like that, because it is a very personal thing." Once disclosed, social workers, nurses, chaplains and other members of a treatment team do what they can to fulfill these wishes. Licensed social worker Jenny Dryburgh said that for bigger wishes, creativity becomes a key factor. ...

Doctors use problematic race-based algorithms to guide care every day. Why are they so hard to change?
Stat email and article; by Katie Palmer, Usha Lee McFarling; 9/3/24
Doctors use clinical algorithms every day to make decisions about the care they provide to patients. This math determines things like our surgical risk or likelihood of disease using factors such as blood pressure, age, weight, surgical history, and, often, our race. But one of these is not quite like the others — for years, clinicians have pushed back against the use of race in clinical algorithms.
Publisher's note: Interesting article, although accessing full article may require subscription.

Why one health system thinks its new PBM can disrupt the market
Modern Healthcare; by Lauren Berryman; 8/23/24
The University of North Carolina-affiliated health system announced a plan this month to launch UNC Health Pharmacy Solutions, a "transparent" PBM for employers seeking an alternative to CVS Health subsidiary CVS Caremark, Cigna division Express Scripts and UnitedHealth Group unit OptumRx, which dominate the market... “Our costs were skyrocketing,” DeFalco said. UNC Health has since in-sourced key PBM functions and customized its formulary to focus on lower net cost drugs. UNC Health Pharmacy Solutions is similar to others that market themselves as transparent. UNC Health will charge clients administrative fees and pass through all rebates to plan sponsors. The health system has saved 32% on employee pharmacy costs and expects to deliver similar results to employers in North Carolina and South Carolina, DeFalco said. The health system may consider partnering with businesses in bordering states down the line, she said... The landscape comprises around 70 players, but CVS Caremark, Express Scripts and OptumRx have a combined market share of about 80%, and the top six PBMs control 90%. Larger PBMs generally can use scale to extract better rebates from drugmakers, which at face value could look attractive to benefits brokers even though it may not mean lower overall savings.

How to get people to do what you want and still like you in 3 steps, from a leadership expert 
CNBS - Make It - Leadership; by Tom Huddleston, Jr.; 9/2/24 
One of the biggest challenges for any leader is figuring out how to hold people accountable for their mistakes without creating bad blood. In those situations, playing the blame game is always a losing strategy, according to leadership expert and bestselling author Michael Timms. The secret to calling out poor performance while maintaining a positive relationship with employees is to own up to your own mistakes first so you can inspire others to do the same, Timms said in a TED Talk in January. It’s a strategy called “modeling accountability.” Timms ... noted that he and other leaders often fall into the same trap: “blaming other people for a problem without considering my part in it.” ″[This is] something I teach management teams: You can’t inspire accountability in others until you model it yourself,” he said. 

Hospice workers help patients with last wishes
[St. Joseph, MO] News-Press Now; by Charles Christian; 9/1/24
While expressing last wishes is not always the first priority for hospice patients, caregivers say it can be a helpful and meaningful step in the grief process. Registered nurse Kathy Lewis, a hospice care manager at Freudenthal Home-Based Healthcare, said that although asking about last wishes is part of the intake process for many hospice organizations, it is not always something that patients and families share right away.

In hospice, Lehigh Valley man doesn’t let terminal cancer stop him from becoming ordained
[PA] The Morning Call; by Anthony Salamone; 9/1/24
Diocese of Allentown Bishop Alfred A. Schlert places his hands on Von George's hands during an ordination service Aug. 10 at the Cathedral of St. Catharine of Siena in Allentown for George to become a lay permanent deacon. George, of South Whitehall Township, became a deacon despite learning about one year ago that he has pancreatic cancer.
Publisher's note: Accessing full article may require subscription.

Crisis in care for dying people says Marie Curie as survey shows suffering 
Jersey Evening Post, UK News, United Kingdom; by UK News; 9/3/24 
A third of dying people in England and Wales were severely or overwhelmingly affected by pain in the last week of life, according to a major survey said to show how “patchy and inconsistent” care for this group has become. End-of-life charity Marie Curie said its study of 1,179 bereaved people means it is the largest nationally representative post-bereavement survey in the UK in almost 10 years. Almost half of survey respondents (49%) said they were unhappy with at least one aspect of the care the dying person received and, of those, one in eight made a formal complaint. The research, in collaboration with King’s College London (KCL), Hull York Medical School and the University of Cambridge, also found that one in five dying people had no contact with their GP in the last three months of life. 
Editor's note: This disturbing data reflects the financial struggles for end-of-life care in the United Kingdom. 

Seven-year-old finishes 145-mile charity challenge 
BBC News, Northamptonshire, United Kingdom; by Brian Farmer; 9/2/24 
A seven-year-old boy has raised more than £600 for charity after walking, cycling and scooting 145 miles over four months. Isaac Yates, from King's Cliffe, Northamptonshire, got into the habit of exercising on 1 May and completed his 145-mile (233km) challenge, in aid of the Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice in Peterborough, on 1 September. He has helped walk family dogs Poppy and Summer, ridden his bike, and scooted his scooter until the mileage totted up to his 145 target. The youngster added to the fun by logging his trips on an online Lord of the Rings game - which enabled him to take a virtual 145-mile journey through writer J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional Middle Earth with two Hobbits.
Editor's note: Pair this inspirational fundraising story with today's article from the UK, Crisis in care for dying people says Marie Curie as survey shows suffering. 

If you always do what you always did, you will always get what you always got. ~ Jackie "Moms" Mabley