BREAKING NEWS 10/1/2024, 12:30pm - Medicare Program; FY 2025 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate Update, Hospice Conditions of Participation Updates, and Hospice Quality Reporting Program Requirements; Correction 
Federal Register - The Daily Journal of the United States Government; Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services  (CMS), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS); 10/1/24 
This document corrects technical and typographical errors in the final rule that appeared in the August 6, 2024 Federal Register titled “Medicare Program; FY 2025 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate Update, Hospice Conditions of Participation Updates, and Hospice Quality Reporting Program Requirements”.
I. Background: In FR Doc. 2024-16910 of August 6, 2024 (89 FR 64202), there were a number of technical and typographical errors that are identified and corrected in this correcting document. The provisions in this correction document are effective as if they had been included in the final rule that appeared in the August 6, 2024 Federal Register . Accordingly, the corrections are effective October 1, 2024.
II. Summary of Errors: ...
Given these errors, we are republishing the FY 2025 Hospice Wage Index file accordingly on the CMS website at: https://www.cms.gov/​medicare/​payment/​fee-for-service-providers/​hospice/​hospice-wage-index effective October 1, 2024.

[Hurricane/Storm Helene] Workforce emergency support 
National Hospice Foundation; website; retrieved 9/30/24 
Mission of the Hospice Workforce Emergency Support fund is to support hospice workforce needs in the wake of an emergency event. Examples of support could include post-event funding for a hospice staff member’s childcare, shelter, groceries, etc., or assistance with purchasing of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). WHO CAN APPLY?

• NHPCO provider members
• Individual hospice staff may apply for support through their organization
• Hospice providers may apply for funds to support their hospice workforce
• Legacy-NHPCO Council of States members and Legacy-NAHC Forum of States members
• (Optional) State associations assesses needs on the ground and provides feedback to NHPCO.

FUND AWARDS: Funds are distributed to the provider member. Individual award – up to $1,000. Provider award – up to $5,000. Levels of award will be determined by the NHPCO Emergency Response Team on a case-by-case basis.

How to help those impacted by Hurricane Helene: Charities, organizations to support relief efforts 
ABC News, Good Morning America; by Kelly McCarthy; 9/30/24 
Hurricane Helene hit Florida's Big Bend region as a Category 4 storm with catastrophic sustained winds up to 140 mph on Thursday and traveled north, leaving widespread destruction across the Southeast. As Americans in storm-battered states of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia begin to climb out of the damage from last week's storm that killed at least 120 people with hundreds more unaccounted for, charity organizations have started to rally support efforts. See below for a full list of ways to donate. After more than 4 million customers lost power across the South on Friday, more than 2 million were still without power as of Monday's publication. [Click on the title's link for the list and links.]

• Red Cross ...
• All Hands and Hearts ...
• Americares ...
• Direct Relief ...
• Mutual Aid Disaster Relief ...
• World Central Kitchen ...

Community Crisis and Grief: Public service video for communities, healthcare orgs, and persons whose "normal" hospice bereavement can be amplified and/or disenfranchised 
Composing Life Out of Loss; by Joy Berger; originally 5/30/22 in response to Uvalde's shootings, updated 9/29/24 in response to Hurricane/Storm Helene 
September 29, 2024 – We send support to the many communities, families, and individuals affected by Hurricane/Tropical Storm Helene’s devastation and loss. This public service education video defines different kinds of community crises; different groups of persons impacted with basic roles and tasks before and during a community crisis; community grief; and potential effects of community crisis/grief for persons who are already experiencing the “normal” bereavement of a loved one. Additionally, a list is provided of "Key National Organizations for Community Crisis Preparation, Relief, and Recovery." 
[Click here to view.]
Editor's note: Disclosure, I am the author/producer of this video and owner of its site; Composing Life Out of Loss is a sponsor for this newsletter. To immediately share this free, public service video, click here for the link. To embed this video on your website (and thus distribute it via your website instead of Composing Life's), click here and complete this contact form.  

Brookdale Senior Living to acquire 41 communities for $610 million
McKnight's Senior Living; by Lois A. Bowers; 9/30/24
Brentwood, TN-based Brookdale Senior Living will acquire 41 communities for $610 million, the company announced Monday morning. The transactions, involving a total of 2,789 units, were privately negotiated and occurred off-market, Brookdale said. After the deals close, Brookdale will own 66% of its consolidated units, aligning with its goal of increasing its owned real estate portfolio.

10 vital skills to future-proof healthcare leaders 
Becker's Hospital Review; by Laura Dyrda; 9/30/24 
The most successful healthcare leaders in the next two years will leave the traditional organizational structures and models in the past in favor of extreme nimbleness, stronger soft skills and optimization of digital technology. Becker's Healthcare connected with 77 leaders from hospitals and health systems across the U.S. who shared the qualities and skill sets that will become more important in the next few years. Here are 10 areas of focus:

1. AI and data analytics ...
2. Change management and innovation ...
3. Value-based care ...
4. Communication across generations ...
5. Health equity ...
6. Extreme nimbleness ...
7. Empathy ...
8. Transparency ...
9. Bucking tradition ...
10. Partnership oriented ...

Hospice provider to relocate HQ on Milwaukee’s far northwest side 
BizTimes - Milwaukee, WI; by Hunter Turpin; 9/26/24 
Milwaukee-based Horizon Home Care & Hospice will move its headquarters to occupy about 31,500 square feet at Park Place Business Park on Milwaukee’s far northwest side.

Podcast: Melissa Aldridge on Private Equity Acquisitions of hospices
Health Affairs; 9/24/24
Health Affairs' Editor-in-Chief Alan Weil interviews Melissa Aldridge of Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and James J. Peters Bronx Veterans Affairs Medical Center about her recent paper exploring the increasing trend of private equity acquisitions of hospices and how ownership structures still remain complex and opaque.

New coalition launches to advance palliative cancer care 
Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 9/30/24 
A new organization, Together for Supportive Cancer Care, launched Monday with a mission to expand access to palliative care among cancer patients. A charitable group, The Sheri and Les Biller Family Foundation, convened more than 40 member organizations, including health care providers, pharmaceutical companies, patient advocacy groups, public policy experts, employers and insurers, among others. “For decades, leaders around our country have worked to show the promise and impact of supportive care programs for people living with cancer, their caregivers and their loved ones,” said Audrey Haberman, the foundation’s CEO, in a statement. “The launch of Together for Supportive Cancer Care builds on this work and is an important step toward creating a health care system where early and ongoing access to supportive care is not a privilege, but a fundamental part of the cancer journey for everyone.” 

Dementia treatments frequently conflict with residents’ care goals: study 
McKnights Long-Term Care News; by Jessica R. Towhey; 9/30/24 
New research into nursing home care for residents with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias found that they frequently experience costly and burdensome treatments that do not align with their own care goals. Overall, though, researchers found that residents who had comfort-focused orders in their treatment plans did receive goal-concordant care but said that improvements — especially in collecting data — are needed. The study examined the electronic health records for 4,285 long-stay nursing home residents who were diagnosed with moderate to advanced ADRD. The researchers analyzed care records and treatment plans to find comfort-focused orders and other indicators that treatments aligned with residents’ own goals as their health declined. Their results were published this month in the Journal of Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medical Association.

I asked my dad to write my wedding speech after he was given 6 months to live. I'm holding on to it for my special day. 
AOL.com - Insider; by Lara Rodwell; 9/29/24 
... I remember the moment my dad told me he had six months to live like it was yesterday. ... "Lar, we need to have a chat," he said, hovering beside the edge of the bed. "I've received some news. It's not good." ... Wrapped in the comforting arms of my dad, I blurted, "Dad, you're not going to walk me down the aisle one day." ... During one sleepless night, it hit me. I wanted to create a keepsake where my dad and I could write letters, share memories and process our feelings, together. I found a tatty old notebook and wrote my first letter to him. ... The very first thing I asked him at the end of the letter, ink smudged with tears, was if he could write his wedding speech for me. ... It was a hot summer's morning, the day my dad died in the care of our local hospice. He'd been there for three weeks — in a lot of pain, stabilized by a lot of morphine — surrounded by his family. .... Later that day, ... amongst pages of financial practicalities and funeral wishes, there was a folder of white envelopes addressed to each of us - his wife and four children. On the front of mine read "Lar...". On the back: "Your wedding speech." To this day, the envelope remains sealed, tucked away at the bottom of my "dad box" — along with the notebook we shared, photo albums of memories, and a collection of swimming medals he wanted me to show his grandkids one day. ...

How 300 terminally ill couples had their ‘perfect’ weddings thanks to this nonprofit (Exclusive) 
People Magazine; by Johnny Dodd; 9/28/24 
"We're in the business of hope," says Wish Upon a Wedding's executive director, Lacey Wicksall. On any given day, Lacey Wicksall can be found fielding phone calls from couples across the nation who are deeply in love but are running out of time. And that’s exactly why Wicksall is talking to them. As the executive director with the Chicago-based nonprofit Wish Upon a Wedding, the 43-year-old mother of two helps provide free weddings and vow renewals to couples who are facing a terminal illness or a life-altering health circumstance. “I just got off the phone with a couple a few hours ago and I still have tears in my eyes,” says Wicksall of a recent phone call, vetting a couple who were in the process of applying for one of the nonprofit’s weddings. “We were all in tears. It’s hard.” ... Since 2009, the organization has provided nearly 300 ceremonies by working with wedding industry professionals who donate everything from catered food and wedding attire to a venue, videographers and DJs. ... Before being selected for an interview by Wicksall and “wish coordinator” Megan Biehl, they verify the applicant’s health status through their physician or hospice worker, then go to work learning more about the couple and what they envision for their special day. ...

Polk County home health aide accused of sleeping on the job arrested in man’s death: ‘He was old anyway' 
Fox 13, Winter Haven, FL; by Fox 13 News Staff; 9/30/24 
A home health aide in Polk County is being held without bond after investigators say she fell asleep, and an 86-year-old man died in her care. ... The Polk County Sheriff’s Office says the victim’s family hired around the clock care from Assisting Hands, which consisted of two 12-hour shifts during the day and night. The victim had recently been hospitalized and was diagnosed with congestive heart failure. He was also receiving services from Good Shepherd Hospice. ... After the day shift nurse left, investigators say Taylor fell asleep on the couch in the living room, which is against company policy that states she should not have been sleeping. Deputies say Taylor woke up around 1 a.m. on August 16 and heard a thump coming from the victim’s bedroom. According to PCSO, Taylor went into the bedroom and saw the victim lying on his right side, on the floor, with his head wedged in between the nightstand and the bed. She told detectives that she tried to help him back into bed but that he told her not to touch him, so she left him on the floor and did not call anyone, including 911 or her employer, which is against company policy. ... According to the Medical Examiner, had Taylor called 911 when she first found the victim, as required by her own company’s policy, the victim would not have died. The Medical Examiner ruled the victim’s cause of death positional asphyxia with a contributory cause of pre-existing health issues.

Palliative care in kidney cancer more than just relieving symptoms 
Cure; by Ashley Chan; 9/26/24 
Patients with kidney cancer who want more support during treatment can consider palliative care, whether it’s for symptoms or discussing goals and values. ... For patients with kidney cancer, understanding how palliative care can help is essential throughout the treatment process. Palliative care, according to the Mayo Clinic, is medical care that specializes in relieving pain and symptoms associated with an illness. This type of care can also help patients cope with treatment-related side effects. However, there’s more to palliative care than just relieving symptoms. It also “aims to help patients and families in one of three major categories,” Dr. Pallavi Kumar explained during an interview with CURE®. Kumar is the director of Oncology Palliative Care and assistant professor of Clinical Medicine in the hematology-oncology division at the University of Pennsylvania. She noted that the three categories of palliative care include:

• Complex symptom management, such as pain, nausea or fatigue
• Palliative care support via counseling or coping support from social workers
• Planning for the future to best provide for patients’ goals and values

City of Hope’s horizon: City of Hope gets $20M for pancreatic disease breakthroughs 
The Clinical Trial Vanguard; by Ferry Darma; 9/26/24 
City of Hope, a leading cancer research and treatment institution, has received a $20 million donation from philanthropists Norman and Melinda Payson. This significant gift will establish a dedicated pancreas center to accelerate groundbreaking research and treatments for pancreatic cancer and diabetes. Inspired by the personal impact of pancreatic cancer on his mother, Norman Payson, a noted healthcare executive and City of Hope board director, expressed confidence in the organization’s capabilities. “City of Hope possesses the unique expertise to drive innovative cures for pancreatic cancer and diabetes,” he stated. “We are committed to advancing this research and bringing hope to countless individuals.”  ... The Paysons’ gift follows a historic $150 million donation from A. Emmet Stephenson Jr. and Tessa Stephenson Brand to fund pancreatic cancer research.

[Florida] 12,200 miles of roads cleared as thousands contribute to recovery efforts after Hurricane Helene 
CBS-10 Tampa Bay, FL; by Haley Williams; 9/28/24 
As damage assessments continued after Hurricane Helene slammed the Florida coast, thousands of state officials and law enforcement officers quickly began working to clear roads and check in with storm victims in rural areas. More than 12,000 miles of roads have been cleared by more than 800 Florida Department of Transportation crews. ... The Agency for Health Care Administration reports more than a hundred healthcare facilities have been evacuated or are running solely on generator power. Saturday morning, 55 healthcare facilities reported evacuations, which included:

• 27 assisted living facilities
• 18 nursing homes
• 4 hospitals
• 2 residential treatment facilities
• 1 residential treatment center for children and adolescents
• 2 adult family care homes, and 3 intermediate care facilities for developmentally disabled
• 100% of operating long-term care facilities have a generator on-site. The Generator Status Map for long-term care facilities is available here.

Editor's note: This article about healthcare facilities' evacuations was Saturday 9/28/24. For Florida updates, visit FloridaDisaster.org - Division of Emergency Management.

Comfort home in Scottsville reopens after four-year hiatus 
NBC News 10, Rochester, NY; by Eriketa Cost; 9/27/24 
A local hospice home in Scottsville re-opened, after four years of rebuilding from the inside out. You may recall how much of an effect COVID-19 had on these services. The home, Patrick Place, was unable to hold fundraisers. Dozens of volunteers stepped down out of fear for the virus, and it took time to bring them back. The emails and phone calls didn’t stop during the downtime, though, said Cissy Leblanc, secretary on the board for Patrick Place. Organizers were eager to open again, but it took hard work. Along the way, the team built a new deck and furnished the basement, adding a conference room and special area for training volunteers. These, are all projects that couldn’t have happened with someone living there, said chairman Patrick Hanley. The home opened in early September with 55 volunteers. The goal is to reach 75. ...