Literature Review

Elder abuse is unreported. City employees will now be trained to recognize it. San Antonio Report, TX; by Iris Dimmick; 8/21/24 City of San Antonio employees will soon be trained on how to identify and report elder abuse thanks to a collaborative effort to increase awareness of the underreported “crisis” gripping the community. City Council’s Public Safety Committee greenlit the policy Tuesday, which directs the city’s Department of Human Services and Texas Adult Protective Services (APS) to develop training curricula for staff. ... The largest share of elderly abuse cases in Bexar County is reported by medical personnel, followed by relatives, community agencies and the victims themselves. In 2022, a woman died in a local hospital after her three adult children allegedly neglected her hospice care. In 2018, a caretaker in San Antonio was charged with several felonies after police found an elderly, disabled woman was languishing in soiled clothes for months at a time.Editor's Note: What elder neglect and abuse training do you require for your hospice and palliative care interdisciplinary team members and volunteers? What incident reporting and follow-up systems do you have in place? The CMS Hospice Conditions of Participation requires the patient's comprehensive assessment to include "a thorough evaluation of the caregiver's and family's willingness and capability to care for the patient." Subpart A, § 418.3 

17 ways nonprofits can bolster their DEI efforts Forbes; by Dr. Ara J. Baghdasarian; 8/20/24 Nonprofits that hope to make a meaningful, lasting and widespread impact must take an intentional approach to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). Doing so can help organizations better support the communities they serve while allowing diverse viewpoints to be heard and implemented. To that end, 17 members of Forbes Nonprofit Council share their top strategies for nonprofits looking to transform their DEI efforts. From understanding your target audience to emphasizing accountability, these approaches can ensure your organization's programs are accessible, inclusive and culturally sensitive.

BoldAge CMO Glenn Meyers: PACE is palliative care Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 8/19/24 Palliative care is integral to Programs for All-Inclusive Care of the Elderly (PACE) programs, according to Dr. Glenn Meyers, who was recently promoted to chief medical officer of BoldAge PACE. New Jersey-headquartered BoldAge emerged last year, established by a group of former hospice and home health leaders. The company currently operates four PACE centers located in the Northwest and the Midwest, with two more slated to open before the end of the year. Ultimately, BoldAge PACE plans to build a national footprint.

Virtual reality tech takes hospice patients to faraway places Yuma Sun; by Alex Ebrahimi; 8/18/24 Hospice patients take trips to those faraway places they never got to visit or simply see the faces of family again no matter where in the world they are. These "trips" are made possible with the use of free virtual reality headsets offered by Southwestern Palliative Care and Hospice. The first patient to wear the VR headset had worked all his life out in San Diego as a crane operator. The paychecks didn't go beyond the roof over his family's head. Now he's able to see some of the places he never got to see in real life.Editor's Note: To read more examples, click on the title's link.

​​Bioethicists scrutinize Pontifical Academy for Life’s new guidance on withdrawing food, water The Catholic World Report; by Jonah McKeown; 8/16/24 After the Pontifical Academy for Life (PAFL) last month issued a booklet summarizing the Church’s teaching on a number of bioethical issues, the section on “artificial nutrition and hydration” (ANH) has some observers concerned about what they see as a departure from previous Church teaching. ... The Church’s teaching on this issue was recently in the news in the United States because of the ongoing case of Margo Naranjo, a disabled Texas woman whose parents, who are Catholic, announced last month that they had decided to allow Margo to die by starvation in hospice. They were prevented from doing so after a judge intervened. ... What does the Pontifical Academy's new document say? ... “[T]he doctor is required to respect the will of the patient who refuses them with a conscious and informed decision, also expressed in advance in anticipation of the possible loss of the ability to express himself and choose,” the PAFL wrote. he PAFL noted that Pope Francis has emphasized the importance of considering the whole person, not just individual bodily functions, when making medical decisions.Editor's Note: This "guidance" and discussion is much more complex than the summarized information above. Click on the title's link to read more.

AI's no-fly zones: 5 executives weigh in Becker's Health IT; by Kelly Gooch; 8/16/24 It is clear that healthcare leaders are engaged in the artificial intelligence space. ... Below, five executives answer the question: What specific parts of healthcare delivery, operations and decision-making are best left to human judgment? ...

Nationwide home healthcare and hospice provider to pay $3.85M to resolve False Claims Act allegationsDepartment of Justice press release; 8/20/24Intrepid U.S.A. Inc., headquartered in Dallas, and various wholly-owned subsidiaries (Intrepid) have agreed to pay $3,850,000 to resolve allegations that Intrepid violated the False Claims Act in connection with two lines of its business: first, that Intrepid knowingly submitted claims to Medicare for home healthcare services for patients who did not qualify for the Medicare home healthcare benefit or where services otherwise did not qualify for Medicare reimbursement; and second, that Intrepid knowingly submitted claims to Medicare for patients who did not qualify for the hospice benefit. The settlement is based on Intrepid’s ability to pay.

Nationwide home healthcare and hospice provider to pay $3.85M to resolve False Claims Act allegations U.S. Department of Justice Office of Public Affairs; Press Release; 8/20/24 Intrepid U.S.A. Inc., headquartered in Dallas, and various wholly-owned subsidiaries (Intrepid) have agreed to pay $3,850,000 to resolve allegations that Intrepid violated the False Claims Act in connection with two lines of its business: first, that Intrepid knowingly submitted claims to Medicare for home healthcare services for patients who did not qualify for the Medicare home healthcare benefit or where services otherwise did not qualify for Medicare reimbursement; and second, that Intrepid knowingly submitted claims to Medicare for patients who did not qualify for the hospice benefit. The settlement is based on Intrepid’s ability to pay.

New York State Department of Health Launches Center for Hospice and Palliative Care New York State Department of Health; Press Release; 8/19/24 The New York State Department of Health today announced the new Center for Hospice and Palliative Care, which will be under the Department's Office for Aging and Long Term Care (OALTC). The new Center, established under the leadership of Governor Kathy Hochul, will be led by Kara Travis, a health care executive who most recently served as Chief Executive Officer of Mountain Valley Hospice and Palliative Care in Gloversville, New York. "This new center will help us remove barriers that impact access to the profound comfort, support and dignity that palliative and hospice services can provide for individuals and families facing the end of life," State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said. "Launching the Center for Hospice and Palliative Care was a top priority for this Department and highlights Governor Hochul's ongoing commitment to eliminating healthcare disparities for all New Yorkers."

John Oliver on US for-profit hospice care: ‘too important to just hope the free market fixes it' The Guardian; by Adrian Horton; 8/19/24 On the latest Last Week Tonight, John Oliver delved into the many issues with hospice care in the US. Doing so is “an almost offensive parody of this show”, he acknowledged. “If somebody else did that, it would genuinely be hurtful. But I promise this is worth talking about.” There are “lots of dedicated people work with hospices, providing huge relief for dying patients and their families, particularly those who want to remain at home”, such as the 1.8 million Americans who received end-of-life care at home last year. But like anything, hospice is subject to fraud, mismanagement and abuse. One government report estimated that hospice’s inappropriate billing costs Medicare hundreds of millions per year. ... “Hospice care, when done well, is hugely beneficial to those that are dying and their families. It is too important to just hope the free market fixes it,” Oliver concluded. “This industry badly needs reform. That’s clear.” [Click on links below for hospice responses to this "Hospice" episode of Last Week Tonight.] 

Honest conversations and cherishing the day: Leadership advice from oncology leaders Becker's Hospital Review; by Elizabeth Gregerson; 8/16/24 Leaders from two of the top five cancer centers, as ranked by U.S. News & World Report, shared with Becker's the best leadership advice they have received. ...

Hospice’s post-VBID value-based outlook Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 8/15/24 The post-Medicare Advantage hospice carve-in landscape could include wider value-based reimbursement avenues in the hospice space, leading providers to pivot into MA payer relationships. The forthcoming end of the hospice component of the value-based insurance design (VBID) demonstrative takes effect Dec. 31. Launched in 2021, the carve-in was designed to test coverage of hospice care through Medicare Advantage, as well as coverage of palliative and transitional care. Hospices will need a strong value-based payment negotiation strategy to prepare for the unknowns that lie ahead, according to Melinda Gaboury, co-owner and CEO of Healthcare Provider Solutions Inc., a hospice and home care consulting company. 

Humana will pay $90 million in Medicare drug fraud settlement Bloomberg Law; by Daniel Seiden; 8/16/24 Humana Inc. agreed to pay $90 million to the federal government to settle a whistleblower’s False Claims Act suit alleging that the company submitted fraudulent bids for Medicare Part D prescription drug contracts. Whistleblower Steven Scott alleged that, since 2011, Humana began offering its Medicare Part D prescription drug plan, known as the basic Walmart Plan, and “knowingly provided benefits under that plan that have been significantly less valuable than Humana promised in its bids,” according to Scott’s suit filed in 2016 in the US District Court for the Central District of California. ... This suit was among several in 2016, including suits against Humana, United Health, Cigna Corp., and Optum RX Inc., accusing health insurers of secretly overcharging for prescription drugs.