Literature Review

Lakeside stroll: Therapeutic steps as walkers honor cherished loved ones St. Lucie Voice, Port St. Lucie, FL - Community; Press Release; 2/27/25On a sunny January morning, hundreds of community members and supporters of Treasure Coast Hospice gathered for a stroll around the beautiful lake at Tradition. Together, they walked the 1.2-mile trail, one step at a time, supporting healing and remembrance. Reflecting on the loss of a loved one, ... they took another step forward in their journey of hope and healing. ... Toni Szparaga of True Crew Dance Company and her dancers loosened up the crowd with a pre-walk warm-up. Szparaga, who has been participating in the Lakeside Stroll for eight years, dedicated the dancers' performance following the walk to Treasure Coast Hospice. Szparaga, who lost both of her parents within a year, said, "With the guidance of what to expect and counseling that Treasure Coast Hospice offered, I was able to work through the anger, hurt, and sadness and realize they were not gone, they were just going back home."

Value-based palliative care moving toward risk-based models Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 4/21/25 Risk-based contracts may be the future of palliative care reimbursement as Medicare Advantage continues to ascend. The simple term “value-based care” belies its complexity. The term can refer to any number of payment models that are designed to reduce total cost of care and improve outcomes. While most palliative care remains locked in the fee-for-service realm, most value-based organizations like MA plans are moving towards it, according to Dr. Gavin Baumgardner, vice president and national medical director for complex and palliative care at Contessa Health, a subsidiary of Amedisys (Nasdaq: AMED). 

Federal court strikes down minimum staffing rule: The details you might not know behind the decisionMcKnights Long-Term Care News; by Neville M. Bilimoria; 4/21/25On April 7, 2025, the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas struck down the federal minimum staffing Final Rule issued by the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. This was incredibly good news for nursing homes across the country for a variety of reasons ... The opinion from District Court Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk outlined the many laws and regulations America’s nursing homes are subject to in the healthcare arena, but it also recounted some deep history behind minimum staffing efforts that were previously unsuccessful, both by HHS and Congress.  ...

Why ScionHealth isn’t creating a new role for AIBecker's Health IT; by Naomi Diaz; 4/21/25 At Louisville, Ky.-based ScionHealth, CIO and Senior Vice President Robecca Quammen told Becker’s that AI governance is being treated as an extension of the CIO role, rather than a justification for creating a new executive position. Robecca Quammen: 

Federal court strikes down minimum staffing rule: The details you might not know behind the decisionMcKnights Long-Term Care News; by Neville M. Bilimoria; 4/21/25On April 7, 2025, the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas struck down the federal minimum staffing Final Rule issued by the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. This was incredibly good news for nursing homes across the country for a variety of reasons ... The opinion from District Court Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk outlined the many laws and regulations America’s nursing homes are subject to in the healthcare arena, but it also recounted some deep history behind minimum staffing efforts that were previously unsuccessful, both by HHS and Congress.  ...

MedPAC identifies low rates of hospice use among kidney disease patients McKnights Home Care; by Adam Healy; 4/17/25 Patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) use hospice at far lower rates than patients with other conditions, according to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission. In 2023, 31% of Medicare decedents with ESRD used hospice services, compared with 52% of all Medicare decedents. Hospice lifetime length of stay is also lower among decedents with ESRD, at a median of six days compared with 18 for all Medicare decedents, MedPAC commissioners said during their April meeting. ...

Pope Francis has died, Vatican says Reuters, Vatican City; by Joshua McElwee; 4/21/25, 6:11 am EDT, updated 6:51 am EDT Pope Francis, the first Latin American leader of the Roman Catholic Church, has died, the Vatican said on Monday, ending an often turbulent reign marked by division and tension as he sought to overhaul the hidebound institution. He was 88, and had suffered a serious bout of double pneumonia this year, but his death came as a shock after he had been driven around St. Peter's Square in an open-air popemobile to greet cheering crowds on Easter Sunday.Editor's Note: This breaking news emerged after today's newsletter had been sent. Please check your email for today's full issue of Hospice & Palliative Care Today.

3 major tactics used by hospice scammers Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 4/18/25 Among the numerous tactics that unscrupulous hospices use to commit fraud, three are rising to the forefront. Four states have garnered national attention as fraud hotbeds — Arizona, California, Nevada and Texas. These regions have seen swarms of new hospices emerging and receiving Medicare dollars. Numerous reports of unethical or illegal practices have surfaced, particularly among these new companies. ... One common practice among them is to keep their patient census low to avoid regulators’ attention, Judy Lund Person, principal of the consulting firm Lund Person and Associates, ... Among these providers, three principal tactics are emerging, according to Sheila Clark, president and CEO of the California Hospice and Palliative Care Association. ...

Healthcare trends & transactions Q1 2025 JD Supra; by Bass, Berry & Sims PLC; 4/17/25 [Scrolling down to section titled, "Home Health, Hospice Care & Personal Care Services"] ... The notable uptick in M&A activity in this sector began in January, as several significant transactions were finalized.

6 nonverbal cues that reveal your leadership communication style Forbes; by Cheryl Robinson; 4/17/25 ... [Some] of the most influential leadership communication doesn’t come from words—it comes from what you do when you’re not speaking. And it’s not always the cues you’d expect. These subtle, often overlooked signals shape how others perceive your authority; your body language tells a completely different story from your words. Dr. Albert Mehrabian’s well-known 7-38-55 rule breaks down communication into three key components: 7% of meaning comes from words, 38% is conveyed through tone of voice and 55% through body language. Mastering nonverbal communication has become a critical leadership skill in the digitally remote workspace.  ... To lead with greater impact, you need to recognize the signals you’re sending, especially the ones you don’t realize you’re giving off.

How physician CEOs are reenergizing later-career cliniciansBecker's Hospital Review; by Kristin Kuchno; 4/9/25 While much attention has been paid to recruiting top talent amid workforce shortages, retaining physicians later in their careers is also a key focus for health systems. Mentorship, flexible scheduling and leadership development opportunities can help energize experienced physicians and reduce burnout in the years leading up to their retirement, health system CEOs told Becker’s. Physician CEOs are uniquely positioned to understand the challenges around burnout and retention. Sunny Eappen, MD, president and CEO of The University of Vermont Health Network in Burlington [described], “Having experience being in front of a patient and having to either have difficult conversations or make difficult decisions is at the core of what we do,” Dr. Eappen said. “People understand that I can really speak from the heart and truly be in their shoes.”

Using technology to improve matching drug details in hospice care Patient Safety & Quality Healthcare (PSQH); by Matt Phillion; 4/17/25 For Wise Hospice Options, prescribers had been spending an average of 15 seconds matching each flagged drug and 20 seconds per drug entering missing sig, or label, details. Recently, they incorporated clinical-grade AI from DrFirst into automating this process, enabling those same providers to spend two to three seconds per drug, with fewer medications flagged for manual review by pill icons. ... The AI implementation allowed Wise to standardize data from different systems into a workflow that allows clinicians to see complete information before ordering prescriptions, helping avoid delays and reduce errors. Clinicians continue to review medication information for accuracy and adjust based on discussions with the patient but require fewer clicks and keystrokes so they can make faster, more informed decisions. ... Why the impact on hospice is key: The first thing to consider, Faubion explains, is that when it comes to hospice patients, they are going to be on a lot of medications. ...