Literature Review

Medicare Advantage members spend over $2,500 less than traditional Medicare enrollees annually: StudyBecker's Payer Issues; by Jakob Emerson; 6/10/24Medicare Advantage enrollees spend more than $2,500 less on healthcare costs on average than traditional Medicare enrollees, according to an independent analysis by ATI Advisory. The analysis was commissioned by the Better Medicare Alliance and published June 10. It used data from the Medicare current beneficiary survey and cost supplement files from 2019 to 2021. Six key takeaways:

Tillery becomes 1st in NC certified as age-friendly care at homeThe Stanly News & Press; 6/10/24Tillery Compassionate Care has been officially named an Age-Friendly Care at Home organization by Community Health Accreditation Partner, Inc., (CHAP). Tillery Compassionate Care is the first hospice in North Carolina to achieve Age-Friendly Care at Home certification. “The 4Ms framework [what matters, medication, mentation and mobility] is evidence-based care and addresses the unique needs of older adults which leads to higher quality of life,” said Teresa Harbour, chief operating officer with CHAP.

June is Adult Protection Awareness MonthKREX Grand Junction (CO); by Jessica Livingstone; 6/8/24June is Adult Protection Awareness Month, and Mesa County kicked this month off by tying purple ribbons around their campus to show their support for the victims. WesternSlopeNow talked to HopeWest about the resources they have to protect the community. If you’d like to know more information about HopeWest’s resources, you can call or click here.Publisher's Note: How is your hospice participating in Adult Protection Awareness Month?

Other Business Headlines of Interest, updated 6/13/24 per nasdaq.com

Top News Stories of the Month May 2024 - TCN Podcast TCN Talks - Teleios Collaborative Network; Mark Cohen, Cordt Kassner and Joy Berger; 6/13/24In this week’s podcast, Mark Cohen, Cordt Kassner, and Joy Berger discuss the top news stories in the Hospice community for the month of May.  Additionally, they take you behind the scenes of how newsletters like Hospice News Today was assembled each day and how Hospice & Palliative Care Today is produced for your leadership to use, each day.

Northrim Horizon completes acquisition of Noble HospiceInvestors Observer; PR Newswire; 6/11/24Northrim Horizon L.P. ("Northrim"), an Arizona -based permanent capital investment firm, today announced its acquisition of Noble Hospice and Palliative Care ("Noble" or the "Company"), a leading provider of hospice services in Arizona. Noble becomes Northrim's fourth acquisition in its broader platform offering a full spectrum of essential home care and hospice services across Arizona.  

Hope in oncology: Where art and science collide Medscape; by Sharon Worcester, MA; 6/12/24 Carlos, a 21-year-old, laid in a hospital bed, barely clinging to life. Following a stem cell transplant for leukemia, Carlos had developed a life-threatening case of graft-vs-host disease. But Carlos' mother had faith. "I have hope things will get better," she said, via interpreter, to Richard Leiter, MD, a palliative care doctor in training at that time. "I hope they will," Leiter told her. "I should have stopped there," said Leiter, recounting an early-career lesson on hope during the ASCO Voices session at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2024 annual meeting. "But in my eagerness to show my attending and myself that I could handle this conversation, I kept going, mistakenly." ... Carlos' mother looked Leiter in the eye. "You want him to die," she said. ...Editor's Note: Click on the title's link to continue reading this insightful reflection and discussion about the importance of "hope." Engage your oncology/palliative/hospice chaplains (hopefully CPE trained and Board Certified) with your medical team members to explore this core belief in "hope." Alert: AI referrals for palliative and hospice care are increasing exponentially. Clinicians must be sensitive to the human dimensions and dynamics of "hope" (which shift and change), and not be driven just by technological data.

Acting now to sustain and improve America’s healthcare system: Advice from innovative physicians and health system leadersSheppardMullin Healthcare Law Blog; by Kathleen O'Neill, John Golembesky, Jeralin Cardoso, Chi Huynh & Carolyn Young; 6/6/24 At [the recent] America’s Physician Groups Spring conference in San Diego, California, we listened as physicians and health system leaders described the ways in which they are responding to short and long term challenges to the sustainability of America’s healthcare system in its current form. It now stands at a critical juncture, facing challenges such as provider shortages and burnout, increasing concerns around access and cost for pharmaceutical products and other supplies, the increasing burden of managing chronic diseases, rising demand for services across the spectrum from an aging population, and balancing the transition to value-based care models in a predominantly fee-for-service environment. ... Here, we outline the key areas of focus described by leaders at the conference: ... 

Thursday is the bridge between the hard work of the week and the sweet reward of the weekend. - Anonymous

Palliative care considerations in frail older adults Annals of Palliative Medicine; by Andrew E Russell, Rachel Denny, Pearl G Lee, Marcos L Montagnini; 6/6/24, online ahead of print...This paper aims to guide clinicians in providing patientcentered care for older adults with frailty in the outpatient setting. Through a comprehensive literature review, we describe the leading models of frailty, frailty screening tools used in the clinical setting, and the assessment and management of palliative care needs in frail patients. We also describe emerging models of care focusing on palliative care for older adults with frailty and discuss issues related to access to palliative care for this population.

Nursing homes are left in the dark as more utilities cut power to prevent wildfires News-Medical.net; by KFF Health News; 6/10/24 When powerful wind gusts created threatening wildfire conditions one day near Boulder, Colorado, the state's largest utility cut power to 52,000 homes and businesses — including Frasier, an assisted living and skilled nursing facility. It was the first time Xcel Energy preemptively switched off electricity in Colorado as a wildfire prevention tool, according to a company official. The practice, also known as public safety power shut-offs, has taken root in California and is spreading elsewhere as a way to keep downed and damaged power lines from sparking blazes and fueling the West's more frequent and intense wildfires. 

Red River Valley expands services for dual-eligible populationsHospice News; by Holly Vossel; 6/11/24North Dakota-based Hospice of the Red River Valley is focused on expanding its home- and community-based services among dual-eligible Medicare and Medicaid populations in need of greater support. Serious and terminally ill patients in lower socioeconomic and underserved regions face several competing challenges in accessing health care, according to Tracee Capron, executive director at Hospice of the Red River Valley. Developing a sustainable care delivery model that better addresses unmet needs among patients and their families requires significant investment, Capron said. 

Country club concert raises more than $7,500 for nonprofit mission Avow Press Release; 6/7/24 On April 28, 2024, Vineyards Country Club members gathered for a performance by Deb and the Dynamics, raising more than $7,500 to support Avow’s mission. The concert was held on the club’s green, where members relaxed on lawn chairs and blankets to enjoy tunes from the seven-piece rock and soul band, who electrified the atmosphere for the evening. “Our members and staff love Avow and all they do for the community,” says Vineyards Country Club Senior Director of Activities & Member Experience Julie Inman. “We couldn't imagine a more deserving organization to support.” This concert was not just about entertainment but also about positively impacting the patients and families touched by Avow’s services.