Literature Review

South Arkansas Regional Hospital announces new inpatient hospice servicesBanner News (Magnolia, AR)December 8, 2023Magnolia, AR—South Arkansas Regional Hospital in El Dorado now offers general inpatient hospice services in partnership with Arkansas Hospice, the state’s largest non-profit provider of hospice care. The new service, which went into effect Dec. 1, demonstrates both organizations’ commitment to meeting the comprehensive healthcare needs of the community and ensuring compassionate care for patients and their families. ... With this GIP partnership, Arkansas Hospice will augment the direct patient care provided by South Arkansas Regional Hospital with an interdisciplinary team of physicians, nurses, social workers and chaplains to support patients and families during this challenging time. In addition, GIP patients will have access to dedicated family rooms designed to create a welcoming environment and ensure the comfort and privacy of patients and their loved ones, according to a press release issued by SARH. 

UnitedHealth hit with Medicare Advantage marketing complaintModern HealthcareDecember 7, 2023Advocates for people with disabilities are calling on regulators [to] halt what they describe as misleading Medicare Advantage marketing by UnitedHealth Group. The Center for Medicare Advocacy, National Health Law Program, Disability Rights Connecticut and National Disability Rights Network wrote the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Federal Trade Commission and other state and federal officials Thursday to protest UnitedHealthcare advertisements for Dual Eligible Special Needs Plans appearing in Connecticut. The ads target people with both Medicare and Medicaid and spotlight extra benefits from Medicare Advantage plans that state and federal laws already require, the groups wrote. “Unquestionably, this misleading advertising is intended to induce, and has induced, thousands if not tens of thousands of older adults and disabled low-income individuals we are charged with representing to sign up for UnitedHealthcare’s plan, having been led to believe this means they can get extra benefits,” the letter says. UnitedHealth Group did not immediately respond to an interview request.

California system to lay off 160 amid planned home health saleBecker’s Hospital CFO ReportDecember 6, 2023Walnut Creek, Calif.-based John Muir Health is laying off 164 employees in Concord ahead of a planned sale of its home health services division to Cornerstone Home Healthcare. John Muir announced in October that it would transfer its home health assets to a company currently owned by Cornerstone; that transaction is expected to close Jan. 1. Once the deal is closed, Cornerstone will be the majority owner and John Muir will operate a 40% minority stake, a spokesperson for the health system told Becker’s on Dec. 6. According to WARN documents filed with the state, 164 John Muir Home Health employees will be laid off by Dec. 29, but they have the opportunity to apply to the new company under Cornerstone.

1 in 8 older adults use cannabis; experts urge screeningMcKnight’s Long Term Care NewsDecember 8, 2023Cannabis use in older adults is on the rise and clinicians should screen for it, according to a new study. A report on people ages 50 through 80 finds that 12% of older adults say they’ve consumed a substance that contains delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in the past year. Additionally, 4% of people in that age group say they have substances that include THC multiple times a week. ... The new findings were published in Cannabis and Cannabinoids Research last month by a team from the University of Michigan’s Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation. Authors of the report said that people taking the products need more education on them, and older adults need to be screened for cannabis-related risks. ... The poll asked about products containing THC, but didn’t differentiate between medical and recreational use of cannabis.

Hospitals Think Some Dead Patients Are AliveBloombergDecember 7, 2023Neil Wenger, a professor of medicine at UCLA, was researching different ways of encouraging patients to make end-of-life care plans when he discovered something troubling—hundreds of patients who were seriously ill, according to the health system’s records, were actually dead. This is a well-known but little-studied phenomenon, according to Wenger—until now. Wenger and his colleagues wrote up their findings in a short paper that was published Monday in JAMA Internal Medicine. They identified 676 patients from UCLA’s health system that were recorded as alive, but were actually dead, according to state data. At face value, it sounds absurd. But there are many reasons why it might happen, Wenger says. While patients who die in the hospital are automatically recorded as deceased in that system’s database, patients who die at home are not. Same goes for patients who die at another health system with a different electronic records database. “The health system continues to act as if they’re alive,” Wenger says. “If we don’t know they’re dead, we can’t do the right thing.” ... “We think this is a really important finding that needs to be corrected,” Wenger says.

Franklin resident makes Christmas care packages for hospice patientsDaily Journal (Franklin, IN)December 7, 2023Franklin, IN—The shining silver bell, tied with a red ribbon, was etched with one word—”Believe.” Clarice Duits thought it was perfect. The Franklin resident was searching for special gifts to include in care packages for patients in hospice this holiday season. She had chocolate and candy canes, but needed something to tie the gifts together while showing each patient they weren’t alone. “I started thinking of Santa, and doing good for others, and that made me think of ‘The Polar Express,’” she said. “One idea just led to another, and I looked up Polar Express bells, and lo and behold, there they were.” This holiday season, Duits has crafted more than 60 gift baskets to be distributed to hospice patients. ... She worked with Main Street Hospice in Franklin, which will distribute them to its patients throughout December. The effort speaks to the importance community members hold to the work hospices do, said Cheryl Mioduski, volunteer coordinator for Main Street Hospice.

Awareness, Education Keys to Trauma-Informed Hospice CareHospice NewsDecember 7, 2023Having a greater understanding around the impacts of trauma and abuse can help hospices improve end-of-life experiences for patients and working conditions for staff. Training and education are keys to caring for patients and employees with unique needs impacted by trauma and abuse. ... Abuse and trauma experiences impact those delivering and receiving hospice care in many ways, some evident and some less apparent, according to Carole Fisher, president, National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation. ... "The impacts of trauma and abuse are important to include in staff training and education, as well as patient care delivery approaches and employee policies," Fisher stated. ... "Trauma-informed care involves having a complete understanding of a person’s overall life experiences and orienting health services toward healing," according to Lara McKinnis, professional development specialist at Teleios Collaborative Network.

Ascension nurses begin strikesBecker’s Hospital ReviewDecember 7, 2023Nurses at three Ascension hospitals in Texas and Kansas began one-day strikes Dec. 6, marking the second strikes for each hospital this year. The strikes involve members of the National Nurses Organizing Committee, an affiliate of National Nurses United. ... Union members have been in contract negotiations at the two Wichita hospitals since February 2023 and at the 391-bed Austin hospital since November 2022. They are striking to call attention to equipment and staffing issues at their organizations, according to NNU. ... “Patient safety is our top priority, and our hospitals remain open and well-prepared to continue to provide patient-centered, holistic care during these strikes,” an Ascension spokesperson told Becker’s on Dec. 6.

Why health systems are dropping their IT teamsModern HealthcareDecember 7, 2023The digital transformation is underway at health systems but it increasingly doesn’t involve in-house IT departments. Health systems are transitioning their analytics and tech employees to managed service companies as they look to scale virtual care, artificial intelligence and analytics initiatives. By moving the work out-of-house and the employees with it, a process called rebadging, health systems struggling with razor-thin margins say they can deploy IT projects more efficiently while saving on costs. ... In November, consulting firm Guidehouse surveyed health system CEOs and chief financial officers about their top three IT investment priorities in 2024. A third of respondents said they have expanded relationships with IT outsourcing partners ... But there are downsides to the strategy. The transition of employees can be bumpy. Also, by offloading IT employees, the quality of work can be worse when the outside company doesn’t understand the system as well. 

Nursing home palliative, hospice care provide CNAs new opportunitiesMcKnight’s Long Term Care NewsDecember 7, 2023A lack of end-of-life training may leave certified nurse assistants unprepared to work with patients receiving palliative or hospice care, but nursing homes must do more to cross-train and build their confidence. That was the message this week from Karl Steinberg, MD, CEO of Stone Mountain Medical Associates, and certified nurse aide Telisa Green, who addressed barriers to quality, end-of-life care during a webinar hosted by the National Association of Health Care Assistants. The speakers recognized that education in this care area can be hard to come by for CNAs, who are broadly trained in vitals and other care-taking tasks. “Almost all of the palliative care skills that CNAs learn are on-the-job training,” Steinberg acknowledged. “I absolutely will advocate for increasing the availability of palliative care training for nursing assistants.” ... Both presenters emphasized the importance of prioritizing a patient and their family’s comfort over too much devotion to a formalized care plan, as well as being an advocate for the patient’s well-being—especially in end-of-life and hospice settings.

NPA Says House of Representatives’ Passage of Bill to Provide Veterans Additional Access to the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly Will Improve Their Lives; Urges Swift Senate PassagePRNewswireDecember 6, 2023Washington, DC—On the second anniversary of the passing of the Honorable Bob Dole (R-KS), the National PACE Association praises the U.S. House of Representatives for passing the Elizabeth Dole Home Care Act (H.R. 542) by a vote of 414-5, which will give veterans increased access to the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly across the nation. We urge the Senate to pass this bill soon so more veterans can enjoy the highest quality of life possible as they age by receiving any care needed at home or in the community. The legislation would establish formal partnerships between Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) and nearby Veterans Affairs Medical Centers located within their geographic service areas. This policy change would broadly increase access for veterans to the innovative PACE model of care so they may continue to live at home, despite needing a nursing home level of care.