Literature Review

Oncologists overtreat patients at end of life: “There’s a real deficit in our training”Oncology News Central; by Nathan I. Cherny, Robert A. Figlin; 1/29/25When it comes to end-of-life care for patients with cancer, “I think that there is a real deficit in our training,” says Nathan I. Cherny, MD, director of the Cancer Pain and Palliative Medicine Unit at Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem, Israel. Dr. Cherney and colleagues recently examined factors contributing to oncologists overtreating patients at the end of life. He discusses key findings and ways to address this continued problem with Robert A. Figlin, MD, the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology at the Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles. “When one reads practice guidelines, they never include a section of when further treatment is more likely to be harmful than helpful,” Dr. Cherny notes. “Unless it appears in every illness guideline, the message does not necessarily get through that this is something that is really important.”

How to build a company culture that sticks HR Brew; by Mikaela Cohen; 1/30/25 Figuring out how to craft a company culture can sometimes feel like figuring out what to eat for dinner. What you have isn’t working ...,  creating something from scratch is a lot of work ..., so you end up going with the quick-and-easy fix ... Perhaps there’s a better solution for HR pros trying to build a company culture that sticks with employees ... HR leaders from SiriusXM, Fanatics, Aveanna Healthcare, and DailyPay shared their strategies for creating a strong company culture, especially during times of change and uncertainty.

Carolina Caring receives a $975,000 grant from The Duke Endowment Carolina Caring; Press Release; 1/29/25 We are excited to announce that Carolina Caring, through the work of Carolina Caring Foundation, has received a $975,000 grant from The Duke Endowment to fund a palliative care pilot program developed in partnership with CaroNova, a nonprofit health transformation catalyst serving North and South Carolina. Combining strategy and solutions to accelerate the future of an affordable, equitable, and effective system of health for all Carolinians, CaroNova works with partners across the Carolinas to drive reforms. The Endowment grant is one of the highest grant amounts Carolina Caring has received in organizational history. The grant will be distributed over two years:  $375,000 in 2025 and $600,000 in 2026. 

How to diversify services within the Medicare Hospice BenefitHospice News; by Jim Parker; 1/31/25Hospices nationwide have been diversifying their services to include palliative care, PACE, home-based primary care and a host of other business lines. However, some organizations have found success with disease-specific programs reimbursed through the Medicare Hospice Benefit. A growing number of operators have developed programs tailored to patients with specific diagnoses, providing specialized care tailored to their specific needs. Examples include dementia, heart failure and other cardiac conditions, as well as diseases of the lungs. These are essentially hospice programs that are adapted to these particular populations, and they can be paid for via the Medicare benefit.Notible mentions: Robin Stawasz, CHAP; Hospice of the Chesapeake; The Connecticut Hospice; VIA Health.

3 lessons for living well, from the dying DNYUZ; 1/31/25 What if you knew that you were at the end of your life? Would you have done anything differently? A friend of mine volunteers at a hospice, and she hears one regret over and over from patients: letting relationships wither. They wish that they had made more plans with good friends, or they thought about getting back in touch with an old buddy, and talked themselves out of it. ... Dr. Vicki Jackson, president of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine Board of Directors, said that for the same reason, she doesn’t hesitate to tell people that she loves them. “I am not Pollyanna; I’m a big academic,” said Dr. Jackson, who has treated dying patients for a quarter century. “But I tell people I appreciate them a lot. I have a lot of deep gratitude, because I know it is dumb luck that it’s not me in that bed. And I know tomorrow it could be.” I asked Dr. Jackson and other palliative and hospice care experts about what they’ve learned from patients. They offered advice that you can apply to your life, from those at the end of theirs.

Home health operator sentenced to 12 years in prison for $100M fraud schemeHome Health Care News; by Audrie Martin; 1/27/25A Westford, Massachusetts woman was sentenced to 12 years in prison after being convicted of a $100 million home health care fraud. Faith Newton, former operator of Chelmsford, Massachusetts-based Arbor Homecare Services LLC, was sentenced in federal court to 12 years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. She was also ordered to pay a fine of $250,000 and restitution of more than $99.7 million. In July 2024, Newton was convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, one count of health care fraud and three counts of money laundering. The jury found the defendant not guilty on one count of money laundering conspiracy. Newton was arrested and charged along with co-defendant Winnie Waruru in February 2021.

New report details hospice industry outlook for 2025 PR Newswire, Cleveland, OH; by WTWH Media; 1/30/25 Hospice News, a WTWH Media publication, is pleased to announce the results of its annual outlook survey on the state of the hospice and palliative care markets. Conducted in collaboration with home-based care EHR leader Homecare Homebase, the survey compiles the views of more than 100 industry professionals to uncover the key factors defining the hospice landscape in 2025. Responses come from a range of provider representatives, including owners, operators, C-suite executives, managers and staff. In summary, respondents indicated:

Saint Peter the Apostle Catholic School gives back to community ABC WJCL 22 - Savannah, GA; by Dave Williams; 1/30/25 A Wilmington Island Catholic school continued its tradition of giving back to the community. ... It’s part of the school’s annual SOCCKS Day, or Serving Our Community Catholic Kids Style. “It makes you want to help out others more because you like the feeling of makes you feel good when you can help other people," said Parker Ditommaso, a Saint Peter the Apostle Catholic School eighth grader. ... Each grade level at the school chose a certain charity to help. Among those charities, Ronald McDonald House, the Humane Society and Hospice of Savannah.

Arizona couple pleads guilty to $1.2B health care fraud Office of Public Affairs - U.S. Department of Justice; Press Release; 1/31/25 An Arizona couple pleaded guilty for causing over $1.2 billion of false and fraudulent claims to be submitted to Medicare and other health insurance programs for expensive, medically unnecessary wound grafts that were applied to elderly and terminally ill patients. According to court documents, Alexandra Gehrke, 39, and her husband, Jeffrey King, 46, both of Phoenix, conspired with others to orchestrate the massive scheme. Gehrke ran two companies, Apex Medical LLC and Viking Medical Consultants LLC, that contracted with medically untrained “sales representatives” to locate elderly patients, including hospice patients, who had wounds at any stage and order amniotic wound grafts from a specific graft distributor. 

Baptist Health announces joint venture to enhance home health services Lane Report, Louisville, KY; 1/31/25 To further expand the delivery of high-quality care to a growing population, Baptist Health announced a joint venture with national home health leader Alternate Solutions Health Network (ASHN) to enhance services across Kentucky, southern Indiana and southern Illinois. Effective March 3, the joint venture will be owned by Baptist Health and ASHN and will continue operating as Baptist Health Home Care. 

Awards and Recognitions - January 2025

Sons of the American Legion donates $14K to Hospice HouseOwatonna People's Press, Owatonna, MN; 1/29/25 On Saturday, Jan. 18, the Owatonna Sons of the American Legion presented their donation of $14,063 to members of the Homestead Hospice House Board. This generous donation was made possible by raising the proceeds from their 2024 raffle ticket sales and a match in proceeds from the Owatonna Legion Post members. Kasy Kamholz stated that the Homestead Hospice House is nearly ready to open as they have met their fundraising goals. He stated that they are currently negotiating the final details on a contract with Seasons Hospice out of Rochester.