Literature Review

A journey shared: Navigating cancer as a caretaker, nurse, and patient Oncology Nursing News; by Charlotte Goor, BSN, RN, OCN; 7/9/24 An oncology nurse's experience with mother's cancer and her own BRCA2 diagnosis shapes her approach to patient care. “She had a tumor the size of a cantaloupe,” the surgeon said. I felt like the world had caved in on me and I was suffocating in its core. I was 22 years old when my mother developed a mysterious “bulge” in her lower abdomen—stage 4 ovarian cancer, as it turned out. As a bonus, we learned that both she and I carried the BRCA2 gene mutation, which meant that I was at an increased risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer as well." The ensuing journey from caregiver to nurse to patient has profoundly shaped my nursing practice by providing unique insights and deepening my empathy. ...

'Bridal bouquet turned retirement home decor': Virginia friends find ways to repurpose special event flowers WFMZ-TV 69 News, Allentown, PA; by Karin Mallet; 7/10/24 Flowers are just as nice the second time around ... where people are making sure your beautiful blooms don't end up in the trash once your event is over. It just takes a little bit of creativity. Laura Ruth and Rebecca Shelly ... were both navigating motherhood, COVID lockdowns and the loss of their fathers. Creating green spaces gave them both some much needed solace. They realized if flowers had that kind of power for them, they would likely have that kind of power for others so they created "Friendly City Florals." With their team of volunteers, they repurpose flowers from weddings, birthday parties, special events. ...  They spruce them up a bit and then bring them to schools, retirement and nursing homes, hospice and social service centers. It's a great second life for these flowers. The green bridal guide estimates the average wedding produces a staggering 400 pounds of trash.Editor's Note: An adaptation of this--used by several hospices--is to partner with a local florist for them to donate leftover/not-used flowers to the hospice for their inpatient units. A volunteer picks them up and arranges them for hospice rooms. Upon the death, family members are encouraged to take the flowers home with them.

Caregiver charged with abusing dementia patient The Freeman, Waukesha County, WI; by Freeman Staff; 7/9/24 A West Allis woman has been charged after she allegedly struck a dementia patient in her care and put a pillow over the woman’s face out of frustration. Erica Junger, 22, was charged Monday in Waukesha County Circuit Court with a count of intentionally abusing a patient, and faces up to six years in prison if convicted. She made an initial appearance in court Monday, where she was released on a $2,500 signature bond and ordered by Court Commissioner David Herring not to work in any job where she is responsible for the health care and safety of others. ... She said she "snapped" and did things she wasn’t supposed to do, but didn’t mean anything by it. ... The complaint did not identify the facility where the incident took place. But it did identify Junger as an employee of Agrace Hospice, which contracts with the facility.

10 recent healthcare industry lawsuits, settlements Becker's Hospital Review; by Andrew Cass; 7/8/24... Here are 10 healthcare industry lawsuits, settlements and legal developments Becker's reported since June 26:

DOH releases 2023 Our Care, Our Choice Annual Report State of Hawaii, Department of Health, Honolulu, HI; 7/8/24 More patients utilized the Medical Aid in Dying (MAID) program last year than in 2022, according to the 2023 Our Care, Our Choice Act (OCOCA) Annual Report, prepared by the Hawaiʻi Department of Health (DOH) Office of Planning, Policy and Program Development, July 1, 2024. Last year, 91 patients received aid-in-dying prescriptions, which is 31 more than the 2022 total. The Office of Planning, Policy and Program Development said that this is also in line with national data trends and may be due to the increased accessibility that took effect June 1, 2023. The annual report provides statistics for the OCOCA, which was enacted January 1, 2019. The act allows eligible individuals with terminal illnesses to request medicine that will help them control when and how they choose to die. Amendments to the OCOCA went into effect on June 1, 2023, resulting in the following changes: [Click on the title's link to continue reading.]

Health systems oppose new cybersecurity rules Becker's Health IT; by Giles Bruce; 7/8/24 Health systems and industry trade groups are objecting to new cybersecurity reporting requirements proposed by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. The recommended rule under the Cyber Incident Reporting for Critical Infrastructure Act of 2022 would, among other things, require covered entities to report cyberattacks within 72 hours and ransom payments within 24 hours. The proposal, which is estimated to cost the industry $1.4 billion, would exempt small and critical access hospitals.

Judge Realty partners with Hospice Savannah to offer home modification to support aging in placeSavannah Business Journal Staff Report; 7/8/24Judge Realty recently announced a partnership with Hospice Savannah to encourage and support aging in place. Judge Property Management, a division of Judge Realty, is working in conjunction with Hospice Savannah’s CAPABLE+ program to help older adults live independently with strategic support in the privacy of their home environment. ... Hospice Savannah’s CAPABLE program provides a support team, including a Registered Nurse, an Occupational Therapist and a Handyworker who offer home visits and provide limited care for older adults, which can decrease hospitalization and reduce healthcare costs. The standard CAPABLE program is available as a free service for low-income adults age 62 or older in Chatham, Bryan Effingham or Liberty County who are cognitively intact, but experiencing some difficulty bathing, dressing, grooming, eating or walking.

Supporting the grieving child and family: Clinical reportAmerican Academy of Pediatrics; by David J. Schonfeld, MD, FAAP; Thomas Demaria, PhD; Arwa Nasir, MBBS, MSc, MPH, FAAP; Sairam Kumar, MD, FAAP; Committee on Pyschosocial Aspects of Child and Family Health; Council on Children and Disasters; 6/17/24At some point in their childhood, the majority of children will experience the death of a close family member or friend. Approximately 1 in 20 children in the United States experiences the death of a parent by the age of 16. ... The death of someone close to a child often has a profound and lifelong effect on the child and results in a range of both short- and long-term reactions. ... This clinical report offers practical suggestions on how to talk with grieving children to help them better understand what has happened and its implications. An understanding of guilt, shame, and other common reactions as well as an appreciation of the role of secondary losses and the unique challenges facing children in communities characterized by chronic trauma and cumulative loss will help the [healthcare professional] to address factors that may impair children’s adjustment and to identify complicated mourning and situations when professional counseling is indicated. Advice on how to support children’s participation in funerals and other memorial services and to anticipate and address grief triggers and anniversary reactions is provided. ...Editor's Note: This significant article can be downloaded and shared with your organization's clinicians. For additional, ongoing resources, explore the National Alliance for Children's Grief. If your hospice provides specialized children's grief services, are they listed on the NACG's "Find a Support Center or Camp Near You" search engine? Click here to add or update your listing.

Provider of in-home imaging services and 24/7 radiologist access raises $200M Radiology Business; by Marty Stempniak; 7/9/24 HarmonyCares, a provider of in-home X-ray services that spans 15 states, has raised $200 million in new capital, leaders announced Monday. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, the company is focused on physician-led care for vulnerable patients who cannot travel to a traditional healthcare facility. HarmonyCare Diagnostics brings the latest digital X-ray technology to patients’ homes or long-term care facilities, offering rapid results with board certified radiologists “available 24/7.”

[United Kingdom] Hospices on the brink of financial meltdown warn of service cuts and mass redundancies Daily Express, United Kingdom; by Giles Sheldrick; 7/7/24 The growing crisis engulfing the hospice sector has led to another major facility closing beds and warning of widespread redundancies. Hospiscare, which helps those with terminal illnesses in Devon, has been forced to change its end-of-life service in response to “insufficient funding and rising costs.” It  is the latest to act on an emergency that is having a major impact on the families it helps. The hospice has already taken drastic steps, including slashing the number of beds on its ward in Exeter. It is now having to change how it delivers part of its at-home care for patients during the last days of their lives, which is likely to result in staff redundancies. ... Most facilities providing end-of-life care are operating in the red and look set to follow suit in a crisis that would flood the NHS. Toby Porter, chief executive of Hospice UK, said: “We’ve recently seen the worst financial results for the sector in 20 years, with hospices facing a collective deficit of £77million.

The Physician-Focused Payment Model Technical Advisory Committee (PTAC) listening session 2: Complex chronic conditions [including Ira Byock, MD, FAAHPM, and Betty Ferrell, RN, PhD]Press release; 7/4/24PTAC held a 2-day meeting on Addressing the Needs of Patients with Complex Chronic Conditions or Serious Illnesses in Population-Based Total Cost of Care (PB_TOC) Models. [Presentations include Ira Byock, MD, FAAHPM: Patient perspectives & doctors' roles in caring well through the end of life (timestamp 33:53) and Betty Ferrell, RN, PhD: Optimizing the mix of palliative care and end-of-life care in PB-TCOC Models (timestamp 48:32).]

Home health providers to pay $4.5M to resolve alleged false claims act liability for providing kickbacks to assisted living facilities and doctorsDOJ press release; 7/1/24Guardian Health Care Inc., Gem City Home Care LLC and Care Connection of Cincinnati LLC, home health agencies operating in Texas, Ohio and Indiana, along with their owner Evolution Health LLC, have agreed to pay $4,496,330 to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by knowingly providing illegal kickbacks to assisted living facilities and physicians in exchange for Medicare referrals.

Americans focus on a good life. But what about a good death? WBUR Radio, Boston's NPR; by Here & Now host Deepa Fernandez; 7/5/24 Americans spend a lot of time thinking about what it means to live a good life. But what about a good death? In 2022 researchers at the Duke University Global Health Institute ranked countries by the quality of their end-of-life care, and the United States ranked only 43, just below Colombia, Romania, Nigeria and Guatemala. So what does this country need to do? Recent Middlebury College graduate Samara Gordon Wexler is thinking about that question. The 22-year-old winner of a prestigious Watson Fellowship is about to embark on a five-continent journey. She'll visit, work and train with end-of-life practitioners from Ghanaian coffin artists to Indian trekkers to find out what it means to die a good death and how to make it happen here.