[West Virginia] House HHR Committee holds hearing on CON 
Wrap Up - Official Blog of the West Virginia Legislature; by Cheyenne DeBolt; 2/20/25 
The [West Virginia] House Health and Human Resources Committee met [Thursday Feb. 20] for a lengthy committee hearing on certificate of need repeal. Several people showed up to speak about CON and questions about patient choice, patient access, and affordability came up. House Bill 2007 repeals the certificate of need (CON) process on January 1, 2026. The bill also terminates the WV Health Care Authority, transferring its assets and powers to the Secretary of the Department of Health. The bill was advanced to markup. ... Every state around West Virginia except Pennsylvania and Ohio has CON meaning WV could only go into two other states but all the states around us could come into WV. There are seven hospice houses in West Virginia which are all nonprofit. There are 18 hospice providers throughout the state, which are divided based on the CON processes.

• Favoring of Repealing CON ...
• Opposing to Repealing CON ...

Saad Healthcare agrees to pay $3M to settle False Claims Act allegations that it billed Medicare for ineligible hospice patients
U.S. Department of Justice - Office of Public Affairs; Press Release; 2/21/25
Saad Enterprises Inc., doing business as Saad Healthcare, has agreed to pay $3 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by knowingly submitting false claims for the care of hospice patients in Alabama who were ineligible for the Medicare hospice benefit because they were not terminally ill. ... The settlement resolves allegations that between 2013 and 2020 Saad submitted, or caused the submission of, false claims to Medicare for 21 patients who did not meet the eligibility requirements for the Medicare hospice benefit as defined by statute and regulation, despite Saad knowing the patients were ineligible for the Medicare hospice benefit.

Caroline’s Thrift holds annual gifting ceremony 
The Pajaronian, Santa Cruz, CA; by Todd Guild; 2/20/25
It has been 15 years since Caroline’s Thrift opened, and since that time owner Christine Licker has donated tens of thousands of dollars to local nonprofits. On Feb. 9, Licker held her annual gifting ceremony, during which she handed out checks to 37 organizations totaling $575,500. That brings the total she has given out to more than $4.5 million. She says her inspiration in opening the store was her daughter Caroline, who died at 16 after receiving support from four nonprofits. In her first year, she gave away $40,000, a number that grew to $120,000 the next year. The gifts, she says, are both a way to say 'thank you' and to help the organizations with their mission. ... [This year's list of recipients includes: ...]

• Hospice of Santa Cruz County – $30,000 Total: $402,500

New ACS research finds low uptake of supportive care at the end-of-life for patients with advanced cancer 
EurekAlert! - American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS); Peer-Reviewed Publication by American Cancer Society; 2/21/25  
Despite considerable efforts to improve the quality of end-of-life care in the United States, a new retrospective study led by American Cancer Society (ACS) researchers revealed that close to half of patients with advanced cancer received potentially aggressive care at the end-of-life at the expense of supportive care. The findings are out today in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Health Forum. ... Study results showed only one-quarter of patients diagnosed with advanced cancer received any palliative care in the last 6 months of life, and those who received it did so mainly in the month of death. Overall, 45% of decedents experienced any indicator of potentially aggressive care. There was an increase in the mean number of acute care visits (from 14.0 to 46.2 per 100 person-months), hospice use (from 6.6 to 73.9 per 100 person-months), palliative care (from 2.6 to 26.1 per 100 person-months), and advanced care planning (from 1.7 to 12.8 per 100 person-months) over the last 6 months of life. ... 
Editor's note: Click here for the research article, "Contemporary Patterns of End-of-Life Care Among Medicare Beneficiaries With Advanced Cancer."

Hospice of the Chesapeake Advanced Cardiac Care Program seeks to reduce hospital visits 
Southern Maryland News Net; Press Release; 2/20/25
Hospice of the Chesapeake, in collaboration with the American Heart Association (AHA) and the National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI) announces the Advanced Cardiac Care Program to address one of the nation’s largest killers of Americans – heart disease. Each year, more Americans die from heart disease than any other condition, including cancer. Heart disease is also a leading cause of hospitalization: patients with congestive heart failure alone account for more than one million inpatient admissions annually. "By offering heart disease patients the right educational resources, we empower them to take control of their health,” Hospice of the Chesapeake Vice President of Medical Affairs & Hospice Medical Director Dr. Sonja Richmond said. “The resources available through the Advanced Cardiac Care Program can help patients and caregivers better manage their condition, reducing the likelihood of hospital visits and improving their quality of life.” ... Carole Fisher, President of NPHI [said,] “Far too many die alone in a hospital or nursing facility, when instead our hospice teams could care for them wherever they reside and they could enjoy a far higher quality of life surrounded by loved ones.”
Editor's note: Links to Hospice of the Chesapeake; AHA'sHospice Care" webpage; NPHI's Advanced Cardiac Care Program.   

Improving knowledge, confidence, and skills in perinatal bereavement care through simulation in baccalaureate nursing students
State Nurses Associations - Kansas State Nurses Association; by Shelby True, MSN, RN; Libby Rosen, PhD, RN, IBCLC; Ashley Seematter MSN, RN; Jeri Harvey & Karly Lauer, MSN, RN; 2/20/25
... Perinatal loss can have a profound impact on parents and their loved ones, leading to emotional, psychological, physical, and spiritual trauma that deeply affects the lives of those involved. The nursing care each parent receives at the time of the loss may be remembered for years to come and is crucial to determining the nature of the grieving process (Sorce & Chamberlain, 2019). ... To improve the knowledge, confidence, and skill level of nurses providing perinatal bereavement care, a role-play perinatal bereavement simulation was developed and implemented in two Midwestern universities’ baccalaureate nursing programs in the maternal/newborn courses. 
Editor's note: While serving our hospice's Pediatrics Team for four years, the deep grief of parents, grandparents, siblings carved a cavern within. I remember a young mom--days after her baby's birth and hours after his death--struggling to leave her infant's body with the hospital's nurse. Gently, she and I held her baby together. Over the course of about 15 minutes, the mother gradually shifted the weight of holding her baby over to me, before the hardest task of her life--leaving the hospital without her child. (It was Christmas week. I bawled when I got home.) Visiting them at the funeral home and later in her home, I experienced horrible, disenfranchised comments from others (especially a local preacher). Leaders: tune into your pediatric hospice and palliative team members. What specialized support and education do they need? And, we never know what personal stories of perinatal loss those around us continue to carry. 

Who cares for the caregivers? The push for laws to protect nurses’ mental health 
Medscape; by Jodi Helmer; 2/5/25 
... More than 67% of nurses reported feeling depressed or anxious, and two thirds said they were not receiving mental health support. Nurses cite lack of time and financial resources among the reasons for not seeking treatment, but fears about losing their jobs and the impact on their nursing licenses were also top issues. ... Registered nurses (RN) and advanced practice RN (APRNs) can be required to answer invasive questions about their mental health as part of their state licensure and advanced credentialing applications. The questions can be stigmatizing and could require nurses to submit letters from their healthcare providers addressing their mental health status. ... There is a movement to urge licensing and credentialing organizations to remove invasive and stigmatizing mental health questions from their applications. The National Council of State Boards of Nursing is working on national recommendations ...

Hospices traverse the ‘new twists’ in increasingly complex auditing processes 
Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 2/20/25 
Auditors are raising new questions around two common issues in hospices’ Medicare claims — documentation supporting patient eligibility and the physician narrative. Program integrity issues and quality concerns have raised the bar of regulatory oversight in recent years, with auditing activity ramping up as more providers undergo multiple audits simultaneously each year. ... Claim denials most frequently occur due to insufficiently documented evidence that demonstrates a patient’s eligibility within the physician narrative explanation, Nowicki stated. Auditors have increasingly required more details to support a patient’s six month terminal illness prognosis, potentially stretching the boundaries of hospice requirements stipulated by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), he indicated. [Click on the title's link to continue reading.]

House budget resolution draft includes massive cuts to Medicaid spending 
McKnights Home Care; by Foster Stubbs and Liza Berger; 2/12/25
As Republicans on Wednesday put forth a draft House budget resolution that includes reductions of at least $880 billion over 10 years to Medicaid, healthcare providers and advocates cried foul.  “This budget resolution is a five-alarm fire alert for our healthcare,” Families USA said in a statement. ... Katie Smith Sloan, the CEO and president of LeadingAge, issued in a statement earlier in the day about the need to protect services for older adults in maneuvering over budget reconciliation. She warned about the effects of trimming the federal government’s Medicaid share.  

Judge sets trial date for DOJ’s challenge to UnitedHealth takeover of Amedisys 
McKnights Home Care; by Adam Healy; 2/20/25 
A judge reportedly has set a date for the Department of Justice’s challenge of UnitedHealth Group’s (UHG’s) acquisition of home health and hospice provider Amedisys. US District Judge James K. Bredar set the trial for Oct. 27. However, the trial may have to be rescheduled to Feb. 9, 2026, Bredar said in an order, according to MLex, which provides news and analysis on legal developments.

13 hospitals, health systems cutting jobs 
Becker's Hospital CFO Report; by Kelly Gooch; updated 2/22/25
A number of hospitals and health systems are reducing their workforces or jobs amid financial and operational challenges. [Click on this title's link for] workforce reduction efforts or job eliminations announced in 2025. 

• United Medical Center, based in Washington, DC ...
• Kindred Hospital, based in Louisville, KY ...
• Corewell Heatlh, based in Grand Rapids and Southfiled, MI ...
• Mass General Brigham, based in Somerville, MA ...
• The Queen's Health Systems, in Honolulu, HI ...
• Baystate Health, based in Springfield, MS ...
• [Click on the title's link for more, having occurred in January]

[Cyberattack:] Ascension recoups $1B in advance payments 
Becker's Hospital CFO Report; by Alan Condon; 2/19/25 
St. Louis-based Ascension has recouped about $1 billion in advance payments from Medicare and certain commercial payers related to disruptions from the May ransomware attack that affected the health system as well as the February 2024 Change Healthcare cyberattack. "The advance payments helped to mitigate the unfavorable cash flow impacts associated with the aforementioned cyber incidents as revenue cycle processes continue to ramp towards recovery," the health system said in financial documents published Feb. 17. "In accordance with the terms and conditions of the programs, recoupments began in FY24 with all payments being fully recouped at Dec. 31, 2024." 

Hospice workers in Tampa experience what it feels like to live with dementia
Fox 13 Tampa Bay, FL; by Kailey Tracy; 2/19/25 
Keosha Simmons says her father, who died in 2018, was a hard worker and an amazing man. ... "He did live with dementia. It was an early onset of dementia. He ended up with cancer, and it was a later stage when we found out about it, and that's when he came under the care of Empath Health Suncoast Hospice," Simmons said. Simmons is now the Director of Empath’s Community Engagement team. On Wednesday, Simmons and her team did a different kind of training. It was a hands-on simulation to experience what someone with dementia feels. [From this article's "The Brief" Summary.]

• Tampa’s Empath Health Suncoast Hospice staff members received hands-on training to help them better understand what it feels like living with dementia.
• Through glasses and headphones, the staff members saw and heard what people with dementia see and hear.
• The staff, including the Director of Empath’s Community Engagement team, say the experience was eye-opening.
• [Click on the title's link for descriptions of this insightful education.]
  

Editor's note: This easy-to-replicate education is rich for all IDG members, patient care volunteers, and your leadership.(Yes, especially your non-clinical leadership.) Click here for the Alzheimer's Assocation public education.

[UK - St. Christopher's Hospice] Woman with rare brain disease dances with husband for first time in years
Reposted in Daily Journal from Talker News, Tupelo, MS; by Isobel Williams; 2/20/25 
This is the touching moment an elderly woman living with a rare brain disease slow danced with her husband - for the first time in years. Constance Bartholomew, 69, has progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), a neurological condition which has left her struggling to walk. The disorder - which is estimated to affect around 4,000 people in the UK - can cause problems with balance, movement, vision, speech and swallowing. Constance began physiotherapy at St. Christopher's Hospice in Sydenham, south-east London in September last year - at which point husband Dennis, 72, joked he would pay a million pounds to dance with her again. Upon hearing the remark, rehab assistant Ralitsa Angelova ... made it her mission to make it happen.  ... “She is unable to walk, to articulate, her eyesight has failed. It’s a terrible condition. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. But she is fully aware. There is absolutely nothing wrong with her memory or comprehension. ..." The video has been released as hospices in London come together to change perceptions of hospice care and highlight the vital importance of gifts in wills to their holistic palliative care services for adults and children in their communities. The hospices are taking part in the This is Hospice Care campaign, a national collaboration of 143 hospices across England, Scotland and Wales, brought together by Hospice UK.
Editor's note: St. Christopher's Hospice--founded by Dame Cicely Saunders--is the home for modern day hospice care.  Click here for a YouTube video of Constance and Dennis. Click here for the article we posted on 2/21 about the UK's "This Is Hospice Care" initiative.

The desire to reach for the stars is ambitious. The desire to reach hearts is wise. ~ Maya Angelou
Honoring Black History Month 2025