Literature Review

Vitas Healthcare introduces premier hospice care in Bakersfield and Fresno GlobeNewswire; by Vitas Healthcare; 10/1/24 To meet the growing need for quality end-of-life care in California’s Central Valley, Vitas Healthcare hospice services are now available for residents of Bakersfield and Fresno. With local interdisciplinary teams based in each city, Vitas now offers expert clinical, emotional and spiritual care for seriously ill patients in their homes, nursing homes, assisted living communities and inpatient care settings. 

BREAKING NEWS 10/1/2024, 12:30pm - Medicare Program; FY 2025 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate Update, Hospice Conditions of Participation Updates, and Hospice Quality Reporting Program Requirements; Correction Federal Register - The Daily Journal of the United States Government; Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services  (CMS), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS); 10/1/24 This document corrects technical and typographical errors in the final rule that appeared in the August 6, 2024 Federal Register titled “Medicare Program; FY 2025 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate Update, Hospice Conditions of Participation Updates, and Hospice Quality Reporting Program Requirements”.I. Background: In FR Doc. 2024-16910 of August 6, 2024 (89 FR 64202), there were a number of technical and typographical errors that are identified and corrected in this correcting document. The provisions in this correction document are effective as if they had been included in the final rule that appeared in the August 6, 2024 Federal Register . Accordingly, the corrections are effective October 1, 2024.II. Summary of Errors: ...Given these errors, we are republishing the FY 2025 Hospice Wage Index file accordingly on the CMS website at: https://www.cms.gov/​medicare/​payment/​fee-for-service-providers/​hospice/​hospice-wage-index effective October 1, 2024.

Brookdale Senior Living to acquire 41 communities for $610 millionMcKnight's Senior Living; by Lois A. Bowers; 9/30/24Brentwood, TN-based Brookdale Senior Living will acquire 41 communities for $610 million, the company announced Monday morning. The transactions, involving a total of 2,789 units, were privately negotiated and occurred off-market, Brookdale said. After the deals close, Brookdale will own 66% of its consolidated units, aligning with its goal of increasing its owned real estate portfolio.

BREAKING NEWS 10/1/2024, 12:30pm - Medicare Program; FY 2025 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate Update, Hospice Conditions of Participation Updates, and Hospice Quality Reporting Program Requirements; Correction Federal Register - The Daily Journal of the United States Government; Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services  (CMS), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS); 10/1/24 This document corrects technical and typographical errors in the final rule that appeared in the August 6, 2024 Federal Register titled “Medicare Program; FY 2025 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate Update, Hospice Conditions of Participation Updates, and Hospice Quality Reporting Program Requirements”.I. Background: In FR Doc. 2024-16910 of August 6, 2024 (89 FR 64202), there were a number of technical and typographical errors that are identified and corrected in this correcting document. The provisions in this correction document are effective as if they had been included in the final rule that appeared in the August 6, 2024 Federal Register . Accordingly, the corrections are effective October 1, 2024.II. Summary of Errors: ...Given these errors, we are republishing the FY 2025 Hospice Wage Index file accordingly on the CMS website at: https://www.cms.gov/​medicare/​payment/​fee-for-service-providers/​hospice/​hospice-wage-index effective October 1, 2024.

I asked my dad to write my wedding speech after he was given 6 months to live. I'm holding on to it for my special day. AOL.com - Insider; by Lara Rodwell; 9/29/24 ... I remember the moment my dad told me he had six months to live like it was yesterday. ... "Lar, we need to have a chat," he said, hovering beside the edge of the bed. "I've received some news. It's not good." ... Wrapped in the comforting arms of my dad, I blurted, "Dad, you're not going to walk me down the aisle one day." ... During one sleepless night, it hit me. I wanted to create a keepsake where my dad and I could write letters, share memories and process our feelings, together. I found a tatty old notebook and wrote my first letter to him. ... The very first thing I asked him at the end of the letter, ink smudged with tears, was if he could write his wedding speech for me. ... It was a hot summer's morning, the day my dad died in the care of our local hospice. He'd been there for three weeks — in a lot of pain, stabilized by a lot of morphine — surrounded by his family. .... Later that day, ... amongst pages of financial practicalities and funeral wishes, there was a folder of white envelopes addressed to each of us - his wife and four children. On the front of mine read "Lar...". On the back: "Your wedding speech." To this day, the envelope remains sealed, tucked away at the bottom of my "dad box" — along with the notebook we shared, photo albums of memories, and a collection of swimming medals he wanted me to show his grandkids one day. ...

10 vital skills to future-proof healthcare leaders Becker's Hospital Review; by Laura Dyrda; 9/30/24 The most successful healthcare leaders in the next two years will leave the traditional organizational structures and models in the past in favor of extreme nimbleness, stronger soft skills and optimization of digital technology. Becker's Healthcare connected with 77 leaders from hospitals and health systems across the U.S. who shared the qualities and skill sets that will become more important in the next few years. Here are 10 areas of focus:

Community Crisis and Grief: Public service video for communities, healthcare orgs, and persons whose "normal" hospice bereavement can be amplified and/or disenfranchised Composing Life Out of Loss; by Joy Berger; originally 5/30/22 in response to Uvalde's shootings, updated 9/29/24 in response to Hurricane/Storm Helene September 29, 2024 – We send support to the many communities, families, and individuals affected by Hurricane/Tropical Storm Helene’s devastation and loss. This public service education video defines different kinds of community crises; different groups of persons impacted with basic roles and tasks before and during a community crisis; community grief; and potential effects of community crisis/grief for persons who are already experiencing the “normal” bereavement of a loved one. Editor's note: Disclosure, I am the author/producer of this video; Composing Life Out of Loss is a sponsor for this newsletter. To immediately share with this free, public service video, click here for the link. To embed this video on your website (and thus eliminate any Composing Life branding), click here and complete this contact form. Be sure to leave a phone number for faster turnaround. 

[Florida] 12,200 miles of roads cleared as thousands contribute to recovery efforts after Hurricane Helene CBS-10 Tampa Bay, FL; by Haley Williams; 9/28/24 As damage assessments continued after Hurricane Helene slammed the Florida coast, thousands of state officials and law enforcement officers quickly began working to clear roads and check in with storm victims in rural areas. More than 12,000 miles of roads have been cleared by more than 800 Florida Department of Transportation crews. ... The Agency for Health Care Administration reports more than a hundred healthcare facilities have been evacuated or are running solely on generator power. Saturday morning, 55 healthcare facilities reported evacuations, which included:

How 300 terminally ill couples had their ‘perfect’ weddings thanks to this nonprofit (Exclusive) People Magazine; by Johnny Dodd; 9/28/24 "We're in the business of hope," says Wish Upon a Wedding's executive director, Lacey Wicksall. On any given day, Lacey Wicksall can be found fielding phone calls from couples across the nation who are deeply in love but are running out of time. And that’s exactly why Wicksall is talking to them. As the executive director with the Chicago-based nonprofit Wish Upon a Wedding, the 43-year-old mother of two helps provide free weddings and vow renewals to couples who are facing a terminal illness or a life-altering health circumstance. “I just got off the phone with a couple a few hours ago and I still have tears in my eyes,” says Wicksall of a recent phone call, vetting a couple who were in the process of applying for one of the nonprofit’s weddings. “We were all in tears. It’s hard.” ... Since 2009, the organization has provided nearly 300 ceremonies by working with wedding industry professionals who donate everything from catered food and wedding attire to a venue, videographers and DJs. ... Before being selected for an interview by Wicksall and “wish coordinator” Megan Biehl, they verify the applicant’s health status through their physician or hospice worker, then go to work learning more about the couple and what they envision for their special day. ...

Polk County home health aide accused of sleeping on the job arrested in man’s death: ‘He was old anyway' Fox 13, Winter Haven, FL; by Fox 13 News Staff; 9/30/24 A home health aide in Polk County is being held without bond after investigators say she fell asleep, and an 86-year-old man died in her care. ... The Polk County Sheriff’s Office says the victim’s family hired around the clock care from Assisting Hands, which consisted of two 12-hour shifts during the day and night. The victim had recently been hospitalized and was diagnosed with congestive heart failure. He was also receiving services from Good Shepherd Hospice. ... After the day shift nurse left, investigators say Taylor fell asleep on the couch in the living room, which is against company policy that states she should not have been sleeping. Deputies say Taylor woke up around 1 a.m. on August 16 and heard a thump coming from the victim’s bedroom. According to PCSO, Taylor went into the bedroom and saw the victim lying on his right side, on the floor, with his head wedged in between the nightstand and the bed. She told detectives that she tried to help him back into bed but that he told her not to touch him, so she left him on the floor and did not call anyone, including 911 or her employer, which is against company policy. ... According to the Medical Examiner, had Taylor called 911 when she first found the victim, as required by her own company’s policy, the victim would not have died. The Medical Examiner ruled the victim’s cause of death positional asphyxia with a contributory cause of pre-existing health issues.

How to help those impacted by Hurricane Helene: Charities, organizations to support relief efforts ABC News, Good Morning America; by Kelly McCarthy; 9/30/24 Hurricane Helene hit Florida's Big Bend region as a Category 4 storm with catastrophic sustained winds up to 140 mph on Thursday and traveled north, leaving widespread destruction across the Southeast. As Americans in storm-battered states of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia begin to climb out of the damage from last week's storm that killed at least 120 people with hundreds more unaccounted for, charity organizations have started to rally support efforts. See below for a full list of ways to donate. After more than 4 million customers lost power across the South on Friday, more than 2 million were still without power as of Monday's publication. [Click on the title's link for the list and links.]

CIOs must understand change management theories, frameworks and practices Health IT News; by Bill Siwicki; 9/27/24 [Part 2 of 2] Change management is a very important subject today in health IT as more and more new and amazing technologies make their way into the delivery of healthcare. (Hello, artificial intelligence.) Robert Slepin knows quite a bit about change management. He is an emeritus CIO advisor at EHR kingpin Epic. There, he constantly is helping CIOs across the country change their health IT setups. ... Question: What would you say are the important components of a change management initiative? What must CIOs be doing? Answer: There are several key areas to consider, starting with: