Alliance Member, Jonathan Fleece, testifies before Congress on the value of care at home 
National Alliance for Care at Home, Washington, DC and Alexandria, VA; Press Release; 3/11/25 
The National Alliance for Care at Home (the Alliance) released the following statement at the conclusion of a hearing conducted by the House Ways & Means Subcommittee on Health on After the Hospital: Ensuring Access to Quality Post-Acute Care:
"The Alliance thanks Chairman Vern Buchanan (R-FL), Ranking Member Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), and all members of the Health Subcommittee for convening this important discussion on post-acute care,” said Dr. Steve Landers, CEO of the Alliance. “This hearing provided an opportunity to amplify the voices of home health and hospice providers and reinforce the essential role they play in delivering high-quality, patient-centered care in the setting people prefer—at home. “We are especially grateful to Jonathan Fleece, CEO of Empath Health, for sharing his expertise and for his service on behalf of patients and families. ... As our nation’s population rapidly ages, it is more critical than ever to get these policies right and ensure that home health and hospice remain accessible and protected from harmful cuts and unnecessary administrative burdens. ..." [Click on the link's title for more, including the full committee hearing testimony.]

Walgreens sells to private equity firm Sycamore Partners 
Healthcare Brew - Pharma; by Nicole Ortiz; 3/11/25 
Since December, rumors have floated around that Walgreens was going to be acquired by private equity (PE) firm Sycamore Partners. And while analysts told Healthcare Brew at the time that it was unlikely to happen, the tides appear to have turned in the PE company’s favor. On March 6, Walgreens Boots Alliance announced in a press release that it had signed a definitive purchase agreement with Sycamore for up to $23.7 billion. However, when Walgreens’s debts and assets to be potentially divested are taken out, the total sale price is actually closer to around $10 billion, per the ll Street Journal, turning the retailer into a private entity after nearly a century as a public company.

Children's Respite Homes of America aims to address the severe lack of children's respite and palliative care homes in the U.S. 
Cision PRWeb, Scottsdale, AZ; by Children's Respite Homes of America; 3/11/25 
Twenty years ago, there were no dedicated children's respite and palliative care homes in the United States. Today, there are only a handful. By contrast, the United Kingdom—a country one-fifth the size of the U.S.—has developed a network of 54 children's respite and palliative care homes. Based on population, the U.S. would need over 250 similar homes to provide equitable access. The disparity leaves countless families without essential respite care, and Children's Respite Homes of America aims to change that. ... Cottor, who co-founded Ryan House in Phoenix, Arizona, alongside his wife Holly and with strong community support, established Children's Respite Homes of America with an ambitious but necessary goal: to develop 50 children's respite and palliative care homes in 50 cities within the next five years. ... 

Hospice of the Western Reserve within $5 million of Collinwood facility fundraising goal 
Ideastream Public Media; by Stephen Langel; 3/11/25 
The Hospice of the Western Reserve is on track to open a new 32-bed facility in Cleveland's Collinwood neighborhood in 2026. A recent gift brought the organization within nearly $5 million of its $25 million fundraising goal for the facility. The Elisabeth Severance Prentiss Foundation awarded the Hospice of the Western Reserve $3.6 million toward the new facility in early March. The gift brought fundraising totals to more than $20 million of its $25 million goal, with the campaign now transitioning into its public phase. 

HomeCare & Hospice celebrates successful bouquet sale fundraiser 
Olena Times Herald, Allegany, NY; by Olean Times Herald staff; 3/11/25
The HomeCare & Hospice Foundation is thrilled to announce the overwhelming success of its annual bouquet sale fundraiser, with community members across the region showing their generosity and support. This year’s event saw an impressive 1,150 18-stem bouquets and 276 nine-stem bouquets sold, helping to raise vital funds for hospice services. Sales were strong in both Genesee and Wyoming counties in the northern region and Allegany and Cattaraugus counties to the south. The north accounted for 670 18-stem and 60 nine-stem bouquets, while the south region contributed 480 18-stem and 216 nine-stem bouquets. ... Although this fundraiser supports the foundation, the exposure gained through the hospice bouquet sales far exceeds the funds raised. 
Editor's note: This bouquet fundraiser paired with Valentine's Day, providing meaningful, affordable, timely gifts for anyone (i.e., not just red roses).

Community Hospice & Palliative Care achieves historic milestone, caring for 1,500 patients daily 
JAX Chamber - Jacksonville News, FL; by Community Hospice & Palliative Care; 3/10/25 
Community Hospice & Palliative Care proudly announces a monumental achievement in its 46-year history: surpassing 1,500 patients receiving hospice care in a single day. This makes Community Hospice the largest provider in the local community as well as one of the largest single-site providers in the nation. Nationally, the average hospice provides care to less than 100 patients a day with 63 percent of all hospices with fewer than 50 patients. Beyond this numeric milestone, their focus remains on delivering unparalleled quality, with scores consistently surpassing national benchmarks. 

How Houston Methodist’s ACO reduced its end-of-life spending by nearly 20% 
MedCity News - Hospitals; by Katie Adams; March 10, 2025 
Houston Methodist Coordinate Care is reducing costs through a partnership with Koda Health, a digital platform that guides patients through their end-of-life choices. Preliminary findings show the technology resulted in a 19% reduction in the total cost of care for patients at the end of their life, which equals nearly $9,000 in savings per patient. ... The ACO has been working with Koda Health for more than three years — and it is saving money by getting patients more involved in their end-of-life care plan.

‘Innovative opportunities’ exist in growing need for trauma-informed bereavement care 
Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 3/11/25 
Hospices may be seeing a growing need for trauma-informed bereavement services on the horizon. Shaping their grief support programs with this trend in mind will be pivotal to hospices’ ability to expand the depth and reach of their services. This is according to Chloe Bishop, bereavement and social work supervisor at Maryland-based Frederick Health Hospice. The community-based nonprofit provides hospice and palliative care, as well as grief support and veterans programs.
Editor's note: For expert, professional continuing education, certifications, conferences, resources, and certifications that encompass the wide scope of bereavement care (including trauma), examine ADEC - the international Association for Death Education and Counseling.

OIG Nursing Facility Compliance Program Guidance: Renewed focus on fraud and abuse 
McDermott Will & Emery, Chicago, IL; by Gregory E. Fosheim, Monica Wallace, Dexter Golinghorst, and Brigit Dunne; 3/11/25 
The US Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General’s (OIG’s) release of Nursing Facility Industry Segment-Specific Compliance Program Guidance (ICPG) for the first time since 2008 reemphasizes the importance of billing and coding and fraud and abuse compliance for nursing facilities and skilled nursing facilities (SNFs). This On the Subject is the second in a two-part series summarizing highlights of the Nursing Facility ICPG. This installment focuses on OIG’s recommendation that nursing facilities comply with existing billing rules and analyze referral source arrangements for compliance with fraud and abuse laws. [Click on the title's link for this significant information.]

New Day Healthcare acquires Patient Recovery Home Healthcare Services 
Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 3/12/25 
The Texas-based home-based care provider New Day Healthcare has acquired the home health agency Patient Recovery Home Healthcare Services in Houston. Financial terms were undisclosed. The transaction marks New Day’s 14th successful acquisition to date and comes approximately one month after it acquired Christian Senior Care, also in Houston. Patient Recovery Home Healthcare has been in operation for 15 years and will not rebrand post-acquisition. The company’s current staff will remain in place, according to New Day. 

How hospital merger oversight is shifting deal-making 
Modern Healthcare; by Alex Kacik; 3/12/25 
Health systems are increasingly pursuing mergers and acquisitions in the South, a region where demand for care is growing and there are fewer regulatory barriers. More than a dozen states have passed laws over the past several years designed to increase oversight of healthcare transactions, but Southern states have largely stayed on the sidelines. As a result, deals involving hospitals are expected to pick up in the South, particularly in markets that feature growing populations, a high number of Medicaid patients and less stringent merger reviews, merger and acquisition advisers said. Potential Medicaid cuts could also drive up deal-making in the 16-state region spanning from West Virginia to Texas, as well as Washington, D.C., advisers said. 

Questions to ask when choosing a memory care facility 
The Kansas State Collegian; 3/10/25 
...  Your goal is to find a community where your family member can feel safe, truly cared for, and supported during this next chapter of their life. To help, we’ve put together a list of questions you should ask when touring memory care facilities. These questions will help you cut through the sales pitches and get to the heart of what each community offers. ...

What is Memory Care, and Why Do These Questions Matter?
1. What’s the Staff-to-Resident Ratio? ...
2. What are the Staff’s Qualifications and Training? ...
3. What Safety Measures are in Place? ...
4. What’s Their Approach to Activities and Social Engagement? ...
5. What’s on the Menu? ...
6. How Do They Handle Medical Care and Emergencies? ...
7. What’s the Visiting Policy? ...
8. How Do They Handle Transitions and End-of-Life Care? ...
9. What’s the Cost Structure, and What’s Included? ...
10. Can I Speak With Current Families or Residents? ...
Take a Deep Breath—You’ve Got This ...

Mid-Ohio Valley emergency rooms ask for breathing room as respiratory illnesses flare up 
The Parkersburg News and Sentinel, Marietta, OH; by Staff Reports; 3/11/25 
As flu, COVID and other respiratory illnesses increase, Memorial Health System is advising people to take preventive measures, prioritize rest at home or seek medical attention elsewhere before heading to an emergency department. "When needed, seeking care through a primary care provider or at a Physicians Care Express location can help ensure timely treatment and help keep emergency departments available for those in urgent, life-saving situations,” according to a release from the Health System. ... Emergency care should be sought for respiratory illnesses if people experience the following:

• Difficulty breathing.
• Confusion or disorientation.
• A persistent high fever lasting more than three days, spiking a fever of more than 103 or accompanied by confusion or a rash.

[Multi-cultural] Honouring traditions: Integrating cultural wisdom into palliative care - Saif Mohammed 
ehospice; by Saif Mohammed; 3/10/25
[Personal Story] ... "Reflecting on this experience, I realize that caregiving is deeply embedded in tradition and culture, a natural extension of communal life." Caregiving is as old as humanity itself. One of the earliest known cases of palliative care dates back 45,000 years to Shanidar 1, a Neanderthal male found in present-day Iraq. His skeletal remains indicated severe injuries, yet he had survived for decades, suggesting that his community had cared for him. This example highlights that palliative care is a deeply human and historical practice, far predating modern medicine. Cultures around the world continue to recognize the importance of caregiving, often embedding it in traditions and religious beliefs. ... In some societies, the emphasis on independence can make caregiving more complex, as patients may refuse assistance to maintain self-sufficiency. ... Palliative care workers must be equipped to understand and respect the cultural traditions of the communities they serve. This requires training in cultural competence, which involves:

1. Exploring Cultural Beliefs and Practices ...
2. Respecting Diversity Without Imposing Norms ...
3. Being Mindful of One’s Own Cultural Biases ...
4. Adapting Care Strategies ...

If you want to fly, you have to give up the things that weigh you down. ~ Toni Morrison