Literature Review

20 leadership skills that are still relevant in the AI age Forbes; by Forbes Expert Panel / Business Development Council; 9/6/24 Artificial intelligence has the power to automate and streamline countless business processes and improve efficiency across just about every sector. However, AI tools (and the humans using them) need guidance and training to perform to their full potential, which makes strong leadership more important than ever. Members of Forbes Business Development Council discuss the leadership skills that are still relevant in the age of AI. From strong critical thinking skills to communication and empathy, these traits are crucial to leading any organization through the transitions that come with new technology. [ These leadership skills include the following:] 1. Emotional Intelligence ... 2. Empathy ... 3. Transparency ... 4. The Ability to Identify Areas for Improvement ... 5. A Commitment to Continuous Learning ... 6. Adaptability ... 7. High-Level Communication Skills ... 8. Humility ... 9. Mental Agility ... 10. Knowledge of When to Apply AI ... 11. Prioritization Skills ... 12. Authenticity ... 13. Compassion and Understanding ... 14. An Understanding of How AI Can Complement Human Skills ... 15. Timely, Action-Oriented Decision-Making ... 16. Relationship Building ... 17. Resiliency ... Editor's note: Especially when recruiting and hiring AI leadership and setting up AI strategies for hospice and palliative care, use these qualities (1) within yourself in how you approach AI and (2) leadership skills you seek out from AI high-tech candidates. 

The changing role of chief privacy officers Becker's Health IT; by Giles Bruce; 9/6/24 Chief privacy officers are expanding their roles to take on artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, according to the International Association of Privacy Professionals. Whereas chief privacy officers traditionally focused on being compliant with privacy laws, 69% now have responsibility for AI or data governance, 37% cover cybersecurity regulatory compliance, and 20% have platform liability duties, according to the IAPP survey of 671 professionals released Sept. 6. Some health systems have standalone chief privacy officers, but the hospital industry is more likely to have chief information security officers with privacy duties or a combined role. 

When rounding sparked improvements, per 4 chief nursing officers Becker's Hospital Review; by Erica Carbajal; 9/5/24 Rounding the floor with front-line nurses and staff is more than just a management practice for leaders to show face — it is a vital tool for connecting with employees and driving meaningful change. In conversations with hospital leaders, they often echo the sentiment of how routinely spending time with front-line staff uncovers opportunities to address pain points in their daily workflow. With nurses often pointing to lack of resources and support as drivers of job dissatisfaction and burnout, rounding represents a key strategy to positively affect staff engagement and retention, and thus, patient care. Becker's recently asked four chief nursing officers to share a recent example of a time when rounding sparked a process change or improvement at their hospital. Here are their responses: ... Editor's note: "Rounding" best practices and outcomes apply to hospice and palliative care multidisciplinary teams. 

Fundraiser raise $30k for hospice services The Meadville Tribune, Meadville, PA; by Chloe Forbes; 9/7/24 There’s no place like home, and at the end of life, familiarity can make all the difference. Not everyone can just click their heels, but a donation to Hospice of Crawford County might help get them close. Following the kayaking fundraiser “Tammy’s Yellow Brick Row,” over $30,000 is going toward the hospice organization to create an endowment fund for individuals who need support the most — those at the end of life and who cannot afford it. The fundraiser and endowment fund are in the name of the late Tammy Young-Eckenrode, who was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2014 and survived just short of two years.

To fly, we have to have resistance. ~ Maya Lin

Prepping for the hospice HOPE tool: Starting the journeyCHAP email; by Jennifer Kennedy; 9/6/24The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently finalized the implementation date of the hospice HOPE assessment tool in the FY 2025 Hospice Payment Update final rule. This quality requirement signals a new beginning for hospice providers related to quality measurement and future payment reform. Implementation is scheduled for October 1, 2025, so the clock is ticking, and the interval is short for provider and software vendor preparation for compliance.Publisher's note: Excellent article with helpful resource links.

Time to say a final goodbye, and thanks [from a journalist entering hospice care] Originally posted in the San Francisco Chronicle; by Kevin Fisher-Paulson ("He wrote this column shortly before he died" on September 5, 2024); 9/7/24 ... you readers came to embrace us. Moms wrote to tell us that their daughters had found new lives across the desert, grandsons had become granddaughters, sons had chosen recovery over the mountains and siblings had chosen forgiveness. If each of us has the courage to change, we all have the courage to hope. Back in May of 2023, I told you that I had been diagnosed with Stage 4 kidney cancer. ... In July, it all caught up. ... At last, on a recent Tuesday, my oncologist called with the results of my spinal tap and bone marrow analysis. The cancer had won the race, suffused throughout my body. It was, he concluded, time for home hospice. A few weeks to go. This, therefore, is my final column. Having said that, I would like to thank the family and friends who have made me the person I am, ... But it is my husband of 40 years and my sons who have made this life so worth living. ... And also you, the readers. We have become friends over the years, sharing a cup of coffee every Wednesday morning. ... I hope I have brought you wonder, and I hope you now bring wonder to others. Teach your grandson to bake chocolate chip cookies. Take your niece to high tea at the Sheraton. I stand on that baseball diamond, and I salute life. My journey is now over, and yours must continue. Years ago, I asked you to believe in my family. And you did. You lit candles. ... I am humbled. I am grateful. And now I tell you that I believe in you. So go out there. And be kind.Editor's note: This must-read article and please-share article will inspire you, with insights into the depth and breadth of dying well.

Enhabit foresees smooth sailing on near-term hospice growth Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 9/5/24 Enhabit Inc. expects consistent hospice growth even as it contends with payer and reimbursement headwinds for its home health business. The home health and hospice provider recently terminated its home health contract with the Medicare Advantage payer UnitedHealthcare, a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group, citing nine months of unsuccessful negotiations. In addition, Enhabit and the rest of the home health industry are facing a potential 1.7% rate cut from the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation’s proposed 2025 payment rule. Meanwhile, Enhabit’s hospice segment continues to grow sequentially.

The biggest threat in health IT and RCM Becker's Hospital Review; by Randi Haseman; 9/6/24 Are organizations adopting AI technology too quickly or too slowly? And what's the future of payer relationships? ... As part of an ongoing series, Becker's is talking to healthcare leaders who will speak at our conference. ... Question: What is the biggest threat in health IT and RCM right now? [Responses from 47 executives featured in this article address the following and more: payer programs; modernizing legacy systems while ensuring data security and compliance; cyber-crime / cybersecurity; relieving provider and staff burden thgouth clinical workflows; state and federal legislation; human error; Gen AI 'mission-creep'; extended systems downtimes; the velocity of technical disruption; more ...]

Changes in nursing home ownership may depress care and staffing, report findsMcKnight's Long-Term Care News; by John Roszkowski; 9/4/24Changes in nursing home ownership may have a small, but statistically significant, negative impact on staffing levels and the overall quality of patient care at nursing homes, according to new research. Investigators from the University of Pennsylvania and the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Philadelphia conducted a retrospective study of changes in nursing home ownership between 2016-2022 and how they impacted nursing home quality of care. Findings appeared in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. The researchers used data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services from 2016-2022 of nearly 3,600 nursing homes that changed ownership to determine if there were noticeable shifts in quality ratings after the properties changed hands.Publisher's note: This study might have interesting implications in the hospice field.

Hospice of the Valley student volunteers gain insight into dementiaCity Sun Times [AZ]; by Lin Sue Flood; 9/4/24... Hospice of the Valley [has a] College Partners Program, an innovative collaboration with Maricopa Community Colleges, Arizona State University and other schools to provide socialization to people living with dementia and a much-needed break to family caregivers... Hospice of the Valley’s dementia and volunteer departments spearheaded this intergenerational program to help inspire careers in dementia care. Incentives include scholarship opportunities, monthly education and letters of recommendation. To date, 106 students have been trained and paired with 123 patients since College Partners launched in 2021 with a grant from Community Care Corps. Now, the program is funded by Hospice of the Valley and community donations.

Bittersweet bouquet: Hospice worker transforms her grief into a garden of memories ABC 13, Grand Rapids, MI; by Matt Gard; 9/5/24For the most part, Kaitlyn Dawson’s desk at the Emmanuel Hospice office is exactly what you’d expect it to be. On her left, she has office supplies, ... but it’s what’s on the wall over her left shoulder that really gives this workspace character. Inside three separate picture frames are hundreds of flowers. Kaitlyn was an art major at Grand Valley State University before she switched to social work, and she still has a passion for creativity. Every one of those flowers – whether red, purple or orange - was her creation. ... “These flowers represent patients that I have been able to be a part of their journey at end of life,” said Kaitlyn, who has worked in hospice for about four years. “I had one particular case that was really difficult, and I remember leaving that visit and thinking ‘I'm going to start doing this process in honor of her.’ And I went to the store and I bought pencils and a notebook and decided I was going to do flowers. It was easy. It was simple. It was something I could sit down and do in the evening, and if I lost a couple of people that day, I could draw a couple of flowers.” Before Kaitlyn knew it, she had a "bittersweet bouquet."