Literature Review

Dozens of CarePartners patients in Asheville transferred to other facilities after HCA temporarily shuts down rehab, hospice center Asheville Watchdog; by Andrew R. Jones; 10/14/24 Hundreds of employees uncertain about their jobs after facility is closed to ease pressure on Mission Hospital. Mission Health’s CarePartners Health Services is temporarily closed following the pressures Hurricane Helene put on Asheville’s health care system, disrupting rehabilitative care for more than 50 patients and forcing more than 250 employees to take temporary jobs elsewhere in the system, according to employees and internal emails obtained by Asheville Watchdog.  ... The closing affected nearly 50 inpatient rehab patients, several long-term acute care patients, and eight hospice patients, all of whom were sent to home caregivers, skilled nursing facilities, other inpatient rehab programs, and UNC Health Caldwell in Lenoir, more than an hour’s drive to the east, according to one employee.

Researchers raise concerns about the financial sector's rising role in US illness care Medical Xpress; by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc; 10/16/24 The authors of a new article in Journal of Palliative Medicine state that the "growing role of the financial sector in home health and hospice, a reflection of larger trends in U.S. health care, is concerning and has major implications for care quality unless reforms are undertaken." Co-authors Lauren Hunt, Ph.D., RN, FN, with the University of California, San Francisco, and R. Sean Morrison, MD, with the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, observe that home health and hospice began as nonprofit organizations with close ties to their communities. However, the overwhelming majority are now for-profit entities, many of which have become targets for private equity buyouts. The authors note that "big business's emphasis on maximizing profit can be at odds with patient welfare. Indeed, a substantial body of evidence now demonstrates that care quality is consistently worse in for-profits as compared to nonprofits," they state. The authors further express concern that "pressure to achieve high returns on very short-term time horizons may conflict with the need for longer-term investments in quality, training, and staffing, thus reducing care quality.

Big Bend Hospice opens new community-built field office in Jefferson County Business Wire, Tallahassee, FL; by Big Bend Hospice; 10/15/24 Big Bend Hospice has opened a new field office in Jefferson County, located in the heart of Monticello’s historic district, replacing its previous location at 187 Walnut St. The new office, made possible by the Big Bend Hospice Jefferson County Advisory Council and the community’s dedicated fundraising efforts, will serve as the hub for Big Bend Hospice’s clinical staff and volunteers, who provide in-home patient care throughout Jefferson County. Built entirely through local donations over the past nine years, the project is a testament to the strength and commitment of the community. “This field office reflects the deep support Jefferson County has for hospice care,” said Michael Eurich, senior director of strategy, policy, and innovation at Big Bend Hospice.

New CMS Medicaid, CHIP Guidance could help clarify pediatric palliative care payment Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 10/15/24 The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released new guidelines intended to better support state-based pediatric reimbursement systems and help improve equitable health access among youth populations. The new guidance includes best practices for state Medicaid programs and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to implement and comply with early and periodic screening, diagnostic and treatment (EPSDT) coverage requirements. One of the most significant challenges confronting children living with serious illness and their families is the heterogeneity of policies and programs across the country, said Allison Silvers, chief health care transformation officer at the Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC). ...

AI and change management: Navigating the human side of AI Method; by Jaon Rome; 10/14/24 ... An effective AI change management strategy must consider multiple employee groups — including front-, middle-, and back-office workers — whom AI implementation most affects. How you talk about AI and introduce AI tools to your employees influences how your people perceive AI, which affects their acceptance and adoption of it. ... Your AI investments’ success depends on your people. They must buy into AI’s value, see themselves as innovating with AI rather than training their replacements, and use the AI tools you’ve built in their day-to-day work.

From bedside to mountaintop, she advocates for meaningful palliative care UCLA Health; by Jennifer Karmarker; 10/14/24 In a society that places a premium on prolonging life, celebrating the end of life is sometimes overlooked. Lindsay Brant, BSN, RN, CCRN, EOLD, MFA, is on a mission to change that. Brant started her work as a critical care nurse in the cardiothoracic ICU at UCLA Health in 2013. Since then, her journey has taken her from the bedside of the critically ill to a mountain retreat in New Mexico to remote high-altitude villages in the Himalayas and back again. Along the way, she’s discovered something she is passionate about sharing: Death can be a beautiful experience, if we let it. “It’s that constant question of how can end of life be as peaceful and meaningful as possible for the patient and their loved ones,” Brant says. 

Death cafes: Demystifying the inevitable over tea and cookies MD edge - Internal Medicine News; by Megan Brooks; 10/15/24 “Death cafes” — where people gather to discuss death and dying over tea and cookies — have gained momentum in recent years offering a unique way for people to come together and discuss a topic that is often shrouded in discomfort and avoidance. It’s estimated that there are now about 18,900 death cafes in 90 countries, with the United States hosting more than 9300 on a regular basis. This trend reflects a growing desire to break the taboo surrounding discussions of death and dying. But these casual get-togethers may not be for everyone, and their potential benefits and harms may depend on who attends and who facilitates the discussion. ... [Click on the title's link to continue reading these significant cautions.]

The Alliance is leading efforts to urge Congress to extend telehealth flexibilities it says have improved access to home health and hospice care by allowing virtual face-to-face recertification visits Respiratory Therapy - Home Care; by The National Alliance for Care at Home (The Alliance); 10/15/24 RT’s Three Key Takeaways:

Minnesota-based Saint Therese to acquire St. Mary of the Woods Senior Community in Avon, Ohio AP; by Barb Hemberger; 10/15/24 Continuing to build its footprint in the Midwest, Saint Therese, an aging care and services leader based in the Twin Cities, today announced it will acquire St. Mary of the Woods in Avon, Ohio, near Cleveland. The transition of ownership is expected to occur on December 1, 2024. This is the second acquisition for Saint Therese in two years and the second in the region, following the purchase last year of IHM Senior Living Community in Monroe, Michigan. ... Saint Therese at St. Odilia in Shoreview specializes in hospice and palliative care. Saint Therese is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) senior care organization. 

Managing the hospice payment cap by balancing Length of Stay Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 10/15/24 Careful management of the hospice aggregate cap is key to providers’ sustainability as regulatory scrutiny continues to heat up. The cap is designed to prevent overuse of hospice, put controls on Medicare spending and foster greater access to care among patients. For Fiscal Year 2024, the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services set the cap at $33,394. In 2025, this will rise to $34,465. “While the cap is a beneficiary driven cap, meaning the reimbursement allowed per Medicare beneficiary, it is not assessed at the beneficiary level, but rather in the aggregate at the agency provider number level for all beneficiaries served by the agency in the cap,” Rochelle Salinas, vice president of operations for CommonSpirit Health at Home, said. “This allows for greater flexibility in providing care to those in need.” ... [Click on the title's link to continue reading.]

Hospice fraud casts lengthening shadow over future of industryHospice News; by Holly Vossel; 10/11/24Fraudulent operators in the hospice space have misspent millions of Medicare dollars in recent years. This problem has become so severe that it is one of the defining issues facing the hospice industry, with providers and other industry stakeholders expressing concern about significant impacts to future payment, access, sustainability and utilization. This is the first of a two-part Hospice News series that examines the financial and operational pressures weighing on the minds of hospice providers amid instances of fraud, waste and abuse occurring in the industry.Notable mentions: Patrick Harrison, Senator Elizabeth Warren, MedPAC, Lauren Hunt.

[Podcast] Ethics teaching and learning: How can dying be healthy?AMA Journal of Ethics; by Helen Stanton Chapple; recorded 9/28/22Dr Helen Stanton Chapple joins Ethics Talk to talk about teaching health professions students and trainees about acknowledging and realizing dying in a healthy way.

Healey Brothers’ Foundation donates $50K to area hospice The Chronicle, Goshen, NY; 10/13/24 Healey Brothers’ Driven to Give Foundation has donated $50,000 to Hudson Valley Hospice and Hospice of Orange & Sullivan, with each nonprofit organization receiving $25,000. The funds will be used to provide care and comfort to patients with a short life expectancy in the region. According to the company, the money was raised through the Third Annual Driven to Give Foundation Golf Outing held Oct. 4 at the Osiris Country Club in Walden. ... Jason Healey, chief marketing officer at Healey Brothers [said],“These Hospice organizations offer essential, thoughtful support for patients in the final stages of life and their families, with a focus on care and comfort. They are well-respected organizations that safeguard the efficient use of donor dollars while partnering with families when it matters most. ..."