Literature Review

3/14/2025, Editor's note: Upon upgrading our technical system, we are aware that a few readers have not received one or more recent newsletters. If you have experienced this, please let us know, as we are committed to ensuring timely excellence for you.

The 1 truly difficult part about being a caregiver that often gets overlooked HuffPost; by Kimberley Richards; 3/13/25 Emma Heming Willis, wife of actor Bruce Willis, recently talked about the needs of caregivers on social media. Experts share what to know about the vital role. ... Among the different ways society may overlook the various caregiving experiences, there’s one aspect of it that isn’t often talked about: Many times it’s an “invisible” job. ... Hemings Willis’ post sparked conversations online about caregivers and the many struggles that come with it. And experts say perhaps one of the most isolating is the issue of “invisibility. ... She said that caregiving is often seen as a “family duty,” which prevents it from “being recognized as a broader issue requiring systemic attention.” “This view is often compounded by gendered expectations, where women are traditionally expected to take on caregiving roles, leading to feelings of guilt and pressure when they seek assistance,” she said. “The lack of formal policies ... only deepens the invisibility of this vital role, making it even harder for caregivers to balance their responsibilities with their own well-being.”

Hospice Insights Podcast - Psychedelics and end of life care: Understanding the legal landscape Hospice Insight - The Law and Beyond; by Husch Blackwell LLP; 3/12/25 There has been a lot of buzz around psychedelics, and particularly their potential usefulness in treating existential suffering at the end of life. Husch Blackwell was the first law firm in the country to establish a Psychedelics & Emerging Therapies practice group devoted to helping clinicians, researchers, and investors navigate the complex and difficult legal and regulatory issues involved in developing new therapies in this space. In this episode, host Meg Pekarske is joined by the leaders of Husch Blackwell’s Psychedelics & Emerging Therapies practice group, Kimberly Chew, Karen Luong, and Natasha Sumner, who provide an overview of what psychedelics are, their legal status under federal and state laws, and liability considerations for clinicians.

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.Editor's note: For more, click here for the report from the Untied States Attorney's Office - Western District of Texas.

Pulmonary embolism–related mortality in patients with cancerJAMA Network Open; Marco Zuin, MD, MS; Anju Nohria, MD; Stanislav Henkin, MD, MPH; Darsiya Krishnathasan, MS; Alyssa Sato, BA; Gregory Piazza, MD, MS; 2/25This cohort study ... found that despite decreases in cancer-related mortality rates, temporal trends demonstrated an increase in age-adjusted PE [pulmonary embolism]-related mortality from 2011 to 2020 among patients with cancer, with a significantly higher rate of increase observed in younger patients aged 15 to 64 years, Black, Hispanic, and White individuals; and the Southern region of the US. Recognition of such patterns may inform further research into thromboprophylaxis and treatment of PE as a complication of cancer and cancer-directed therapy.

Tracking US health care spending by health condition and countyJAMA; Joseph L. Dieleman, PhD; Meera Beauchamp, BS; Sawyer W. Crosby, BA; Drew DeJarnatt, MS; Emily K. Johnson, MSc; Haley Lescinsky, MPH; Theresa McHugh, PhD; Ian Pollock, MLS; Maitreyi Sahu, MPH; Vivianne Swart, MPH; Kayla V. Taylor, MPH; Azalea Thomson, MPH; Golsum Tsakalos, MS; Maxwell Weil, MS; Lauren B. Wilner, MPH; Anthony L. Bui, MD, MPH; Herbert C. Duber, MD, MPH; Annie Haakenstad, ScD, MA; Bulat Idrisov, MD, MSc; Ali Mokdad, PhD; Mohsen Naghavi, MD, MPH, PhD; Gregory Roth, MD, MPH; John W. Scott, MD, MPH; Tara Templin, PhD, MS; Christopher J. L. Murray, DPhil, MD; 2/25Health care spending in the US totaled $3.8 trillion in 2019 and is projected to reach more than $7 trillion by 2031. Within the US, spending varies dramatically across states, although many key drivers of health care spending, such as access to care, service prices, disease and injury prevalence, and underlying need for health care, vary at more local levels. Broad variation in health care spending was observed across US counties. Understanding this variation by health condition, sex, age, type of care, and payer is valuable for identifying outliers, highlighting inequalities, and assessing health care gaps.

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.

748 hospitals at risk of closure, state by state Becker's Hospital CFO Report; by Molly Gamble; 3/6/25 Nearly 750 rural U.S. hospitals are at risk of closure due to financial problems, with nearly half of those hospitals at immediate risk of closure. The count of 748 at-risk rural hospitals comes from the latest analysis from the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform, which is based on CMS' most recent hospital financial information. The center's analysis reveals two distinct levels of vulnerability among rural healthcare facilities: risk of closure and immediate risk of closure. In the first category, nearly every state has hospitals at risk of closure, measured by financial reserves that can cover losses on patient services for only six to seven years. In over half the states, 25% or more of rural hospitals face this risk, with 11 states having a majority of their rural hospitals in jeopardy. [Click on the title's link for the list.]Editor's note: On July 5, 2024, we posted from the same source (Becker's Hospital CFO Report) that "Since January 2005, 192 rural hospitals have closed or converted ... Of those hospitals, 105 have completely closed, and 87 have converted, meaning the facilities no longer provide inpatient services, but continue to provide some services, such as primary care, skilled nursing care or long-term care. Since 2020, 36 hospitals have closed or converted. Find the list here. This jump in number since July 2024 is both dramatic and traumatic for our rural communities.

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.]

My wrinkles show I laughed,My gray hair shows I cared,My scars show I lived, andMy belly shows I really like snacks.

In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: It goes on. ~Robert Frost

[UK] Exploring the challenges experienced by patients and families using palliative and end-of-life care services: A qualitative focus group studyPalliative and Supportive Care; Gina Kallis, Gary Hodge, Hannah Wheat, Tomasina M Oh, Susie Pearce; 3/25In the UK, access to dignified and compassionate palliative care is increasingly being reported as inadequate. A range of challenges were identified at different stages of the patient and family carer journey near the end-of-life. These included issues related to the delivery of care, such as communication challenges, a lack of out of hours care, and also a lack of personalized care. Patients and families also experienced everyday challenges due to the impact of living with a life-shortening condition and altered family dynamics as family members became carers. There were also some traumatic experiences of death and a sense of abandonment when care could not be accessed. 

Understanding and addressing the US hospital bed shortage—Build, Baby, BuildJAMA Network Open; Alexander T. Janke, MD, MHS, MSc; Arjun K. Venkatesh, MD, MBA, MHS; 2/25In the study by Leuchter et al, they provide simple yet provocative projections for the future of hospital care. They project that national hospital occupancy will exceed 85% by 2032, a critical threshold where basic hospital operations can become dysfunctional and even unsafe. Leuchter et al begin to quantify the story already felt at the bedside in hospitals across the nation—namely, a trajectory toward inadequate supply of hospital care for the anticipated demand of the coming decade. US residents are older and more medically complex than ever. Technologically sophisticated surgical interventions and medical therapies have transformed the long-term survival rates for serious conditions, such as end-stage kidney disease, heart failure, and chronic obstructive lung disease. The US needs greater hospital bed capacity, particularly for critical care and complex care services.