Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services corrects rule involving 2024 home health prospective payment system rate update
CMS Federal Register; 2/21/24
This document corrects technical errors in the final rule that appeared in the November 13, 2023 Federal Register titled “Medicare Program; Calendar Year (CY) 2024 Home Health (HH) Prospective Payment System Rate Update; HH Quality Reporting Program Requirements; HH Value-Based Purchasing Expanded Model Requirements; Home Intravenous Immune Globulin Items and Services; Hospice Informal Dispute Resolution and Special Focus Program Requirements, Certain Requirements for Durable Medical Equipment Prosthetics and Orthotics Supplies; and Provider and Supplier Enrollment Requirements” (referred to hereafter as the “CY 2024 HH PPS final rule”).

Creative examples of hospice fundraising
Compiled from recent news posts

• Pet Portrait Painting for Hospice: Community Hospice; Jacksonville, FL [Editor's favorite for most fun, meaningful]
• Muddy Dog Dash: Lewis-Manning Hospice Care; Dorset, United Kingdom [Editor's favorite for most creative]
• A Dance Competition With a Heartwarming Purpose: Highland Hospice; Inverness, United Kingdom
• Spring Bouquets: Niagara Hospice; Lockport, NY
• Festival of Trees: Talbot Hospice Foundation; Easton, MD
• Pancake Race: Winchester Hospice; Winchester, United Kingdom
• Swing for Compassion Golf Tournament: Hospice of the Chesapeake; Pasadena, MD
• Winter Blues Bluegrass Festival: Hospice of Crawford County, Meadville, PA
• Heroes for Hospice Race: CMH Hospice; Bolivar, MO
• Car and Truck Show: Avow Foundation; Naples, FL
  

Editor's Notes: These creative examples of hospice fundraising emerged in recent hospice web-based articles. While compiling a master-list is far more massive than the purposes of our newsletter, we hope these stir your hospice's imagination to support our larger hospice movement. Bonus: Check out Today's Encouragement!

Hospice vs. Palliative Care in Tucson: Which One Is Right for You and Your Loved Ones?
AzFoothills.com, 2/20/24  
... Choosing between hospice and palliative care can seem overwhelming, especially when you're trying to make the best decision for someone you love. There are some distinctions between these two types of care. Here, we discuss some of those differences to guide you in choosing the proper care for a loved one. 
Editor's Note: For organizations that provide both palliative and hospice care, are you providing clear, easy-to-understand descriptions for the public and for your employees/volunteers?

Rural-urban disparities and trends in utilization of palliative care services among US patients with metastatic breast cancer
J Rural Health; by Jincong Q Freeman, Adam W Scott, and Ted O Akhiwu; 2/20/24
Purpose: To assess trends and rural-urban disparities in palliative care utilization among patients with metastatic breast cancer.
Conclusions: In this national, racially diverse sample of patients with metastatic breast cancer, the utilization of palliative care services increased over time, though remained suboptimal. Further, our findings highlight rural-urban disparities in palliative care use and suggest the potential need to promote these services while addressing geographic access inequities for this patient population.

Exploring the role of medicinal cannabis in palliative care
Microdose, by Keith Fiveson; 2/19/24
Palliative care is a crucial aspect of healthcare, aiming to enhance the quality of life for patients facing incurable illnesses. Within this context, the use of medicinal cannabis (MC) has emerged as a potential avenue for addressing various symptoms and improving overall well-being. This article delves into a systematic review conducted by Marjan Doppen and colleagues, which examines the current evidence surrounding MC’s effects and potential harms in palliative care settings.

Barriers and facilitators to end-of-life care delivery in ICUs: A qualitative study
Crit Care Med; by Lauren M Janczewski, Adithya Chandrasekaran, Egide Abahuje, Bona Ko, John D Slocum, Kaithlyn Tesorero, My L T Nguyen, Sohae Yang, Erin A Strong, Kunjan Bhakta, Jeffrey P Huml, Jacqueline M Kruser, Julie K Johnson, Anne M Stey; 2/19/24
Objectives: To understand frontline ICU clinician's perceptions of end-of-life care delivery in the ICU.
Setting: Seven ICUs across three hospitals in an integrated academic health system.
Subjects: ICU clinicians (physicians [critical care, palliative care], advanced practice providers, nurses, social workers, chaplains).
Conclusions: Standardized work system communication tasks may improve end-of life discussion processes between clinicians and families.

Studies conducted at University of New Mexico on Hospice and Palliative Medicine recently published (Cultural advocacy for indigenous individuals with serious illness) 
American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, by Jeanna Ford, DNP, APRN, ACNS-BC, ACHPN, FPCN, FCNS, and Constance Dahlin, MSN, ANP-BC, ACHPN, FPCN, FAAN; first published 2/2/24, posted in Health & Medicine Daily 2/20/24
Indigenous American (I.A.) individuals with serious illness and their families have unmet needs. Often, this group is viewed as a minority within a minority. Numerous health challenges exist within the I.A. populations resulting in dire health care situations. Historical trauma and mistrust of the healthcare system impacts access to quality palliative care by this marginalized population. ... The aim is to empower palliative care clinicians the knowledge to provide culturally sensitive and congruent care to I.A. individuals with serious illness and their community.

What are death doulas?
SwiftTelecast, by Shawn Butlere; 2/21/24
... That’s why some people turn to end-of-life doulas. They are among the professionals who can help someone prepare for their death and reflect on their life: their greatest joys and regrets, any fears or worries on their mind, and how they want to be remembered. ... Unlike hospice, the cost of a doula is not covered by Medicare. ... Doulas may charge an hourly rate, from $45 to $100, or on a sliding scale. Or you may be quoted a flat fee from $500 to $5,000. 

How CMS’ rule could tighten accrediting organization oversight
Modern Healthcare, by Mari Devereaux; 2/20/24
Accrediting organizations may have to reduce their fee-based consultation services and prohibit survey participation for employees with ties to health facilities or face penalties for violating conflict-of-interest provisions if the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services sticks with recent oversight proposals.
Editor's Note: Full access to this article requires a subscription.

Top home health & hospice investors of 2023
Levin Associates; 2/20/24
The most active Home Health & Hospice investor during 2023 was The Pennant Group, which completed the year with five deal announcements across the home hospice, home health and multi-service specialties. The company made acquisitions in Arizona, Idaho, Oklahoma, Texas and Colorado. [Click on the title's link for more investors and extensive details.]

'This innovation was a home run!': Top tech projects for 8 systems
Becker's Health IT, by Laura Dyrda; 2/19/24
C-suite executives are taking a critical eye to any technology spend, focusing on applications and partnerships that will support the clinical workforce, automate administrative tasks and expand access to care through virtual platforms. They're also looking upstream at opportunities to use artificial intelligence and machine learning to gather better insights into operational efficiency and patient care. Which investments yielded the best results in the last year? Eight health system leaders shared with Becker's the most needle-moving projects and initiatives from 2023.

AI-generated clinical summaries require more than accuracy
JAMA Network; by Katherine E. Goodman, JD, PhD; Paul H. Yi, MD; and Daniel J. Morgan, MD, MS; Originally published 1/29/24, redistributed 2/20/24 
... Currently, there are no comprehensive standards for LLM-generated [Large Language Model] clinical summaries beyond the general recognition that summaries should be consistently accurate and concise. Yet there are many ways to accurately summarize clinical information. Variations in summary length, organization, and tone could all nudge clinician interpretations and subsequent decisions either intentionally or unintentionally. To illustrate these challenges concretely, we prompted ChatGPT-4 to summarize a small sample of deidentified clinical documents. [Click on the title's link to view the example.]

Vanderbilt latest system to adopt patient code of conduct
Becker's Hospital Review, by Ashleigh Hollowell, 2/16/24
Nashville, TN-based Vanderbilt University Medical Center is the latest system to adopt a patient code of conduct amid a national increase of violence against healthcare workers, the system announced Feb. 16. According to a Feb. 5 report from National Nurses United, 81.6% of nurses reported that they have experienced workplace violence, with half also noting they have seen instances of violence increase in the last year.
Editor's Note: Applying this hospice inpatient units and residential facilities, ask your staff. Examine data from Incident Reports. Yes, incidents from family members and friends can easily erupt of escalated conflicts and potential violence. What Policies and Procedures, safety trainings, security measures, and emergency resources do you have in place? When did you last assess new gaps? Does Vanderbilt's system offer insights for your hospice?

New Jersey system gets historic 'A+' credit rating
Becker's Hospital CFO Report, by Alan Condon; 2/19/24
Camden, N.J.-based Cooper University Health Care has earned an "A+" credit rating from Fitch Ratings after receiving two credit upgrades from S&P Global and Moody's since 2022. ... "Fitch's rating is another indicator that our focus on becoming an exceptional academic health system by managing our finances in a way that allows us to continue to grow to meet increasing demand from patients seeking the higher level of care our experts provide is the correct strategy," Cooper co-CEO Anthony Mazzarelli said.
Editor's Note: Cooper University's Hospice and Palliative Medicine (HPM) Fellowship is an important component of their academic health system.

7 hospitals seeking CEOs 
Becker's Hospital CEOs, by Kelly Gooch; 2/19/24
Here are seven hospitals and health systems that recently posted job listings seeking CEOs. [Click on the title's link.]