Literature Review

Mass General Brigham union could shape hospital-at-home’s future Modern Healthcare; by Diane Eastabrook; 6/17/24 Nurses at one of the nation’s largest hospital-at-home programs have unionized, a move they hope could influence the future of in-home acute care and encourage more people working in home healthcare to join unions. The union vote at Boston’s Mass General Brigham comes as hospitals push aggressively to expand care outside of their walls, while a worker shortage and increased demand for healthcare contribute to rising labor strife among caregivers. Approximately 80 Mass General Brigham home hospital nurses voted overwhelmingly on May 16 to join the Massachusetts Nurse Association. The National Labor Relations Board certified the union to represent the nurses on May 24 and they are in the midst of selecting a bargaining team that will begin negotiating a contract with the hospital system within the next few months. ...  The hospital system is set to expand the number of patients the program can accommodate from 50 patients a day to 200 over the next few years. 

Our Hospice collects food in employee-led drive The Republic; by Staff Reports; 6/20/24 Our Hospice (OHSCI) and Palliative Care collected 500 pounds of food for patients and families in need in an employee-led food drive. “The efforts, enthusiasm, and passion displayed by everyone at Our Hospice is truly astonishing!” said Chealsy Parr, a social worker who led the food drive. “Thanks to the participation of teammates from Greensburg, Columbus, the Hospice Center, Palliative Care, and North Vernon, we’ve significantly impacted those facing food insecurity.” “The employee – led food donations will go a long way to support those in our care who are in need,” said Steph Cain, president, Our Hospice and Palliative Care. [Located in Indiana] Editor's Note: Hospice leaders, how might you replicate this with your employees and volunteers, for the patients you serve? Forward this to the right person who can take this great initiative and make it happen.

Hospice of Marion County trains first responders to care for dementia patients Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 6/18/24 Florida-based Hospice of Marion County, an affiliate of Empath Health, is training first responders in its community on how to treat dementia patients. For several years, the nonprofit hospice has been educating family caregivers and others in their community about the experiences of dementia patients and how to better interact with them. More recently, Hospice of Marion County [Ocala, Florida] has been expanding that training to include local law enforcement and fire departments, as well as medical students and staff at assisted living facilities, among others. The training uses a series of tools to simulate symptoms of dementia, related to visual, tactile, auditory senses, their ability to process information and perform certain tasks. The education helps first responders address the unique challenges associated with caring for dementia patients, according to Dr. Mery Lossada, chief medical officer of Hospice of Marion County.Editor's Note: Bravo, Hospice of Marion County!

Bluegrass Care Navigators and Hosparus Health announce landmark affiliation agreement Hosparus Health Press Release; 6/17/24 Today marks a significant milestone as Bluegrass Care Navigators and Hosparus Health announced that their respective boards of directors have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to begin working toward a formal affiliation between the two organizations. The affiliation is rooted in the organizations’ shared mission of providing compassionate, high-quality care to those facing serious illness and end-of-life. It aims to enhance service delivery, improve operational efficiencies, and bolster long-term sustainability — all while preserving the unique identities and local operations of both organizations. David Cook, Hosparus Health President and CEO, said, “This formal affiliation is designed to strengthen and improve resiliency for our organizations. Rest assured, we will continue to honor and maintain the distinct identities and local presence that our communities have come to cherish. This affiliation is a testament to our shared commitment to working together and enhancing care for our communities.” “Both Bluegrass Care Navigators and Hosparus Health share a joint mission: to provide exceptional, compassionate, high-quality care to those facing frailty, serious illness and end-of-life,” added Liz Fowler, President and CEO of Bluegrass Care Navigators. “Our long histories of service, innovation, and excellence make this affiliation a natural and exciting next step.” [Click on the title's link to read more.] 

Man living with ALS for the last 24 years knocks off an item on his bucket list: Skydiving CBS KCTV 5, Waldron, Missouri; by Joe Hennessy; 6/14/24 One of the longest-living people with ALS, 66-year-old Mark Johnson, achieved his dream of skydiving ... His passion for the skies started at a young age with his dad being an airline pilot. ... “I used to fly airplanes when I was a kid, I always wanted to jump out of one,” he said. “Being up there, being able to see everything. All of God’s creation out there.” Johnson is one of the longest survivors of ALS, living with the disease now for almost 25 years, getting assistance from the team at Shirkey Hospice in Richmond, Missouri. He’s traveled to Washington D.C. to raise awareness and pass bills to help those impacted too. ...  How did we get here ...? He was asked by the hospice care workers a while back what is one thing he wants to do and he said skydiving so they managed to find a place that would allow for that dream to come true. 

Better manage privacy concerns related to AI in healthcare Fior Reports; by Becca Roberts; 6/17/24 Artificial intelligence technologies offer tremendous potential in healthcare, but it is critical for organizations to carefully consider the complex privacy concerns associated with different types of AI products and deployments, says Karen Habercoss, privacy officer at UChicago Medicine. “It’s critical to really understand what the use cases are and how we can minimize the amount of data we share to protect our patients, their privacy and their data,” she said. “I'm very much in favor of AI. I think it will bring about a fundamental change in the way we care for patients clinically in healthcare. Those are the very positive things that will come out of it. But with that comes a great responsibility to protect our patients from things they may not understand,” she said. 

Global digital health outlook and growth report 2024: Care at home and alternative sites will see a growing preference, focus will be on adoption across clinical and operational use cases Classic 96.7 FM; by Business Wire; 6/17/24The digital health industry has maintained a consistent growth trajectory. Investing in technologies that help organizations achieve the quintuple aim of healthcare is a constant priority. However, high inflation and tight monetary policy will impact the investment landscape as it shifts from top-line growth to profitability. ... Change management initiatives will require stakeholder education to understand the pros and cons of newer technology initiatives and work alongside these to improve clinical and operational processes. Top 2024 Digital Health Predictions:

Chicago laboratory owner charged with defrauding Medicare in $60 million COVID-19 test kit scheme JD Supra; by Randall Brater, M.H. Joshua Chiu, Michael Dearington, Rebecca Foreman, Nadia Patel, D. Jacques Smith, Hillary Stemple; 6/17/24 The Chicago-based owner of two laboratories, Zoom Labs Inc. and Western Labs Co., has been charged with health care fraud and money laundering in connection with more than $60 million in Medicare claims for over-the-counter (OTC) COVID-19 test kits, including tests delivered to thousands of deceased beneficiaries. Federal prosecutors began investigating Medicare claims from Syed S. Ahmed’s two laboratories after noticing a “massive spike” in the laboratories’ claims in 2023, which coincided with Ahmed assuming control of Zoom [Labs]. ... Ahmed is charged with health care fraud under 18 U.S.C. § 1347 and money laundering under 18 U.S.C. §§ 1956 and 1957. 

Iced coffee on a hot day can perform miracles. - Anonymous

Cruisin’ Zeake surpasses $100K raised for Hospice of Northwest Ohio WTVG 13 Action News, Toledo, OH; by Alexandria Manthey; 6/15/24 A classic car show on fathers day weekend is sure to have some family fun, but Saturday’s show at Levis Commons in Perrysburg meant more than that. After 14 years of raising money for Hospice of Northwest Ohio, Cruisin’ Zeake hit $100,000 raised. Zeake said his group’s car shows make up the second biggest fundraising events for the charity. They surpassed the six figure number by just $16 at Saturday’s Classic Car Show at Levis Commons. Proceeds of the 50/50 and all the money in the donation jar will benefit Hospice. “I’ve got people behind me, it’s not just Cruisin’ Zeake,” Zeake said. “The car community, they have hearts of gold. When I ask them to step up, they’re there."

When your parents die: Becoming an adult orphan The Montecito Journal; by Deann Zampelli; 6/18/24 Shortly after I got married, my 64-year-old mother lost her battle with breast cancer. Seven years later my father joined her. The loss isn’t any less painful just because you are a grown-up. ... Many don’t realize that grief isn’t linear. We don’t go through a neat little phase, checking off each stage as we complete it. The famous (and somewhat debunked) five stages of grief introduced by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross in the 1960s (Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance) were from a study she did on the emotional states of patients who were dying. It was their stages she was referencing, not ours. ... I came to a frightening realization. ...  It suddenly dawned on me that my siblings and I were next in line to kick it. [Click on the title's link to continue reading.]Editor's Note: While serving in your hospice leadership roles, you experience the ongoing aging, changes and likely even deaths of your own family members, friends, and mentors. Do you, your hospice communications, and/or your grief services rely on the outdated "Stages of Grief" model? These "stages" opened the door in the 1960's for talking about death and dying, but became overpopularizd for surviving and healing after the loss. These have been replaced with extensive bereavement/loss/grief research, clinical best practices, and more. For expert information, resources, and bereavement professionals, examine www.adec.org,  the Association for Death Education and Counseling. 

4 percent of those aged 65+ have dementia diagnoses: reportMcKnight's Senior Living; by Kimberly Bonvissuto; 6/14/24Four percent of US adults aged 65 or more years have a dementia diagnosis, with rates of dementia increasing with age, according to newly released data. Data from the 2022 National Health Interview Survey, or NHIS, revealed that the rate of dementia diagnoses ranged from 1.7% for adults aged 65 to 74 years to 13.1% in those 85 and older, according to the National Health Statistics Reports issue released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ... Among all residential care communities, 42% of residents have diagnoses of Alzhiemer’s disease or other dementias, according to the report. By comparison, 31% had heart disease, and 29% had depression.

Juneteenth 2024: If people can be taught to hate, they can be taught to love. But we need to know, you can’t erase history. So, let’s learn from it and be damned sure it doesn’t happen again." — Ms. Opal Lee, Civil Rights Activist, Grandmother of Juneteenth and honorary national co-chair of the Juneteenth Legacy Project