Literature Review

El Paso doctor pays close to $500K to settle allegations of hospice healthcare fraud CBS 4 News, El Paso, TX; by David Ibave; 3/10/25 A doctor in El Paso agreed to pay almost half a million dollars on Monday to settle allegations that he was paid off by a hospice center to commit healthcare fraud back in 2021. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, John Patterson M.D. has agreed to pay the United States $468,626 to resolve allegations that he received kickback payments from Nursemind Home Care Inc. to certify patients for hospice care when they were not eligible for these services, submitting false claims to federal healthcare programs.

[Ukraine] 'Support to the end’: Religious sister brings palliative care to unborn babies in Ukraine The Catholic World; by Hannah Brockhaus; 3/10/25 Since 2020, a pandemic and then an active war have caused untold tragedy for Ukrainians, but these circumstances have also allowed the country to confront death and grief in a way it never did before, according to a religious sister who offers palliative care to unborn children and their families. In Ukraine, “one couldn’t and wouldn’t talk about death before the COVID pandemic,” Sister Giustina Olha Holubets, SSMI, told CNA earlier this month. The more open a society is about death and loss and grief, she said, the easier it is to know how to respond to a family going through the pain of losing a child in the womb or shortly after birth. A Byzantine Catholic and member of the Sister Servants of Mary Immaculate, Holubets has degrees in bioethics, psychology, biology, and genetics. In 2017, she founded the nonprofit organization “Perinatal Hospice – Imprint of Life” in Lyiv, Ukraine, which she currently leads. ...

Intervention increases palliative cancer care consultations/lowers EOL care CancerNetwork.com; by Roman Fabbricatore; 3/11/25A palliative care (PC) intervention combining algorithm-based automated identification of patients eligible for PC led to an increase in PC visits and a decrease in end-of-life systemic therapy among patients with cancer, according to a randomized clinical study (NCT05590962) published in JAMA Network Open. ... "...  Prior efficacy trials in oncology have tested early PC in controlled, primarily academic settings.2To our knowledge, this is the first effectiveness randomized clinical trial of algorithm-driven default specialty PC in community oncology.”

‘The weekend effect’: If you’re planning surgery, doctors say you should think twice about Fridays DailyDot.com; by Ilana Gordon; 3/7/25 Everybody’s working for the weekend, which, according to a new study, is incidentally the worst time of the week to undergo surgery. A paper published in the JAMA Network on March 4, 2025, concludes that patients experience worse outcomes during the weekends, as compared to weekdays. This phenomenon is known as the “weekend effect” and the study, which examined 429,691 patients in Ontario, Canada, determined that people whose surgeries began directly before the weekend “experienced a statistically significant increase in the composite outcome of death, complications, and readmissions at 30 days, 90 days, and 1 year.” 

East End Hospice building Saved in LI fires: 'Angels watching over us' Patch, Westhampton-Hampton Bays, NY; by Lisa Finn; 3/10/25 From the ashes of the raging brush fires in the Westhampton area this weekend, a miracle emerged: Despite just being located feet from the spot where charred trees bear testament to the blaze, a structure still stands — the East End Hospice building survived the fire. "Here is our headquarters," East End Hospice President and CEO Mary Crosby wrote on social media. "... inside this building we coordinate the care of hundreds of patients each day. We answer more than 1,000 phone calls a week from families, hospitals, physicians and field staff. Without the dedicated people who work here, there would be no East End Hospice." On Sunday [3/9], she wrote: "Just 24 hours ago, flames roared around this building, damaging our storage structure and spilling into the parking lot. People have said it’s a miracle the building didn’t burn. We know the truth. It was the dedication and skill of our local fire departments that kept our headquarters standing. In the early hours of the fire. We received very little information until a text came through from a firefighter on the ground: 'We saved Hospice.'"

The staging of 'The Story of My Life' at Asbury Memorial filled with serendipitous moments Savannah Morning News, Savannah, GA; by Amy Paige Condon; 3/6/25 ... [Ray] Ellis, a retired music and drama teacher who works now as a caregiver, and fellow church member Dottie Kluttz, a retired hospice nurse, were hanging decorations in Asbury Memorial’s Social Hall. Ellis shared how his dream of producing “The Story of My Life” was back on his mind … A former hospice nurse, Kluttz founded Savannah Hospice’s Story Keeping program in 2001 as a way for people near the end of their lives to share the story of their lives. …  [Click on the title’s link to read the serendipitous, synergistic encounters that unfolded, resulting in shows March 28, 29, 30.] [Upon underwriting for production costs,] Ellis proposed that ticket sales for the musical could serve as a fundraiser for Savannah Hospice’s Story Keeping program and the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research—a nonprofit near and dear to Ellis, who was diagnosed about three years ago with the progressive brain disease that causes tremors, stiffness and balance problems. … Stage and film actor Mark Rand, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s around the same time as Ellis, agreed to portray Thomas to Ellis’s Alvin—even after Rand thought he would never perform again. …

Poised for growth, Missouri’s largest aging services nonprofit changes name: Lutheran Senior Services is now EverTrue St. Louis Business Journal; by Jackie Hamilton, VP of Advancement, EverTrue; 3/7/25 One of the oldest nonprofit agencies in the St. Louis region is changing its name to reflect a dynamic change and growth in desired services and offerings for those 60 plus. Beginning this week, the 165-year-old Lutheran Senior Services (LSS) organization, which also is the 11th largest nonprofit senior living provider in the country, will be known as EverTrue. “It’s a transformative moment for the organization,” said Adam Marles, president and CEO of EverTrue. “From right here in St. Louis, we’re leading the country in aging services. In this next chapter, we needed a name and a brand that positioned us for future growth and opportunities, while still being true to our mission.” 

Hallucinogens may elevate death risk by more than twofold Medscape; by Liz Scherer; 3/5/25 Hallucinogens are associated with a 2.6-fold increased risk for premature death in some individuals seeking emergency care, according to a recent study. The risks are especially substantial in vulnerable patients who are suicidal, who are susceptible to severe mental illness, or have comorbid conditions such as respiratory disease or cancer. The findings come at a time of renewed interest in the therapeutic potential of substances like psilocybin, lysergic acid diethylamide, methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), and ketamine for mood and substance use disorders. In 2023, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research allocated roughly $3 million to three clinical trials examining psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy in the treatment of alcohol use disorder, treatment-resistant depression, and end-of-life psychological distress in patients with advanced cancer.

How to start the hospice conversation: Judy Bartel Cleveland.com, Cleveland, OH; by Guest columnist Judy Bartel, chief clinical officer for Hospice of the Western Reserve; 3/9/25 Discussing hospice care with a loved one is one of life’s most delicate and emotional conversations. For many, the word “hospice” evokes fear -- fear of finality, of giving up, of losing hope. But the truth is, hospice isn’t about giving up; it’s about focusing on what matters most -- comfort, dignity and quality of life. ...

Here’s to Laura Ptucha-Skoog, hospice nurse YubaNet.com; by Timothy May; 3/10/25 “I’m not sure I’d say much at all, not at first. I would just try to listen.” This in response to the question of how a hospice nurse should respond if patients or family members make demands that seem unreasonable, unwise, or downright impossible. ... Laura Ptucha-Skoog should know; she has been an R.N. for decades and a nurse at Hospice of the Foothills for the last nine years. She loves her job, including the challenge of facilitating communication. Her ability to talk frankly with terminally ill hospital patients and families drew her to a career in hospice. “Often,” Laura explains, “the human elements are as challenging as the medical ones. Things like asking the right questions and listening to responses; making sure your patient and their caregivers understand what you are doing and why; verifying that everyone understands where you are in the process; listening to their responses with patience and empathy.” ... 

NPHI CEO Tom Koutsoumpas: Modernize hospice benefit for value-based future Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 3/10/25 The health care realm is changing, and hospices must change with it. This is the central thesis that underlies the National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation, which is currently celebrating the 10th anniversary of its founding. NPHI seeks to put nonprofit hospice organizations at the forefront of innovation, the development of new care and payment models and collective action to expand access and prepare for a value-based future. The organization currently has more than 120 members, all nonprofits, who collectively care for more than 580,000 patients.The health care realm is changing, and hospices must change with it. This is the central thesis that underlies the National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation, which is currently celebrating the 10th anniversary of its founding. ... [Click on the title's link to continue reading.]

VA in IM marks 75th anniversary as a mainstay for veterans’ care The Daily News, Iron Mountain, MI; by Betsy Bloom; 3/6/25 A winter storm didn’t stop the Oscar G. Johnson VA Medical Center from celebrating its 75th anniversary with an open house Wednesday. The facility opened on March 5, 1950 — it then was the largest construction project done in the Upper Peninsula — as strictly an inpatient hospital with 264 beds, primarily for treating World War II veterans ... [and much has] changed in 75 years. The medical center now serves about 22,000 veterans in the U.P.’s 15 counties, along with nine Wisconsin counties — more than 26,000 square miles, giving it the most rural patient base in the VA system. ...  Its hospice area now has a semi-private patio that allows even a full bed to be taken outside so those in end-of-life care can still enjoy some fresh air, said Mary Oman, [a] tour guide.Editor's note: Congratulations and thank you to the Oscar G. Johnson VA Medical Center for your history of innovating care for veterans--especially your rural care system and hospice care.