Literature Review

RN pay for all 50 states adjusted by cost of living | 2024 Becker's Hospital Review; by Mackenzie Bean; 6/13/24 California has the highest hourly mean wage for registered nurses, even after adjusted for cost of living, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. [Following] are the mean hourly wages for nurses in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., adjusted for cost of living. Becker's calculated these figures using May 2023 salary data from BLS and 2024 cost of living index data from the World Population Review. (Click on this title's link for each state's (1) RN hourly mean wage, (2) Cost of living index, and (3) RN hourly mean wage, adjusted by cost of living.

CMS: Home healthcare spending estimated to grow by 7.1 percent from 2025 to 2026, surpassing other sectorsMcKnight's Home Care; by Adam Healy; 6/12/24National spending on home healthcare is projected to grow faster than any other health sector in the years ahead, according to newly published data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Office of the Actuary [see Health Affairs: National Health Expenditure Projections, 2023-32: Payer Trends Diverge As Pandemic-Related Policies Fade]. Between 2025 and 2026, national spending on home health care is expected to increase by 7.1%, a data analysis published Wednesday in HealthAffairs revealed. Projected spending growth in home health care should outpace all other categories including hospital care services (4.9%), physician and clinical services (4.8%) and nursing homes care (4.8%), and it is expected to grow even faster during the following years. Between 2027 and 2032, the sector will see spending growth of 8.1%, compared to hospital spending (5.6%), physician and clinical services (5.5%) and nursing home care (6%). In 2022, home health spending increased by roughly 6%, CMS disclosed in a previous report.

Minnesota family featured in new Amazon docuseries covering end-of-lifeCBS News WCCO (MN); by Mackenzie Lofgren, Derek James; 6/12/24A Blaine woman and her family will be featured in Amazon Prime's new six-episode docuseries, "Take Me Out Feet First." The docuseries follows individuals advocating for end-of-life options. The series was created by New York City native, Serene Meshel-Dillman, who was inspired to make the docuseries after she witnessed both of her parents end their lives in the comfort of their home. "Take Me Out Feet First" is a six-part docuseries made in partnership with the nonprofit advocacy group Compassion & Choices. Each episode will follow a different individual or family who has, advocated for, or is actively exploring end-of-life options. The docuseries is available to stream now on Amazon Prime.

Interim HealthCare Inc. recognized on Forbes list: America’s Best Employers for New Grads 2024 Morningstar; by Business Wire; 6/13/24 Interim HealthCare Inc. ... is recognized as one of the best places to work for recent college graduates on the Forbes America’s Best Employers For New Grads 2024 list. ... For the America’s Best Employers For New Grads list, more than 100,000 professionals with 10 or fewer years of work experience were surveyed at companies with 1,000 or more employees in the United States. The young professionals responded to questions about compensation, benefits, advancement opportunities, working conditions, flexibility, company image, and inclusion, along with whether they would recommend the employer to others. This award is presented by Forbes and Statista Inc.

Advocates rally in DC for the future of hospice: NHPCO and HAN amplify provider voices on Capitol Hill NHPCO; Press Release; 6/13/24 More than 100 hospice and palliative care advocates from across the country met with over 150 congressional offices this week to discuss key legislative and regulatory priorities for ensuring and expanding access to hospice and palliative care. The meetings were part of Hospice Action Week, hosted in Washington, DC by the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) and its advocacy affiliate, the Hospice Action Network (HAN). “The cornerstone of effective advocacy is storytelling. It’s about sharing why hospice holds personal significance and why serious illness and end-of-life care policy should resonate with our lawmakers,” said Logan Hoover, NHPCO’s VP of Policy & Government Relations. “From Hawaii to Rhode Island, advocates from 35 diverse states came to DC this year. The relationships they’re building with Members of Congress hold the potential to shape the future of the healthcare landscape.” 

Hospice staff cycle more than 300 miles to work VNExplorer - bbc.com; 6/13/24 Hospice staff have collectively cycled more than 300 miles this week to raise money for their place of work. Seven St Margaret's Hospice employees cycled to work on Tuesday morning to mark Bike Week. ... The group raised £1,000 for the Taunton hospice, which they say could pay for 24 hours of expert specialist care on its inpatient unit, with donations still coming in. ... The idea for the challenge began with senior IT technician, Jack Gorman, whose colleagues had been encouraging him to cycle to work more often. Tom White, head of business intelligence, challenged Mr. Gorman that if he cycled to and from work - a 50-mile commute to work and back - then Mr. White would cycle in from his Barnstaple home, a round trip of 100 miles. ...Editor's Note: Does this spark ideas for your organization, especially for your office-based staff? Take this and adapt it to a fun, practical, revenue-generating, relationship-building activity for your organization. 

Why doctors aren’t participating in organ donation after cardiac death Physician's Weekly; by Frank D. Brodkey, MD, FCCM; 6/13/24Organ donation after cardiac death (DCD) differs from the more traditional organ donation after brain death (DBD) insofar that DCD donors are alive and donate organs after discontinuation of life support so that a natural death with cessation of heartbeat and circulation may occur, followed by extraction of organs. This may increase the availability of transplantable organs, leading to improvement in the lives of other humans.  According to the Health Resources and Services Administration, 5896 donations, representing 36% of all donations in 2023, were DCD, representing an increase of 40.7% over the preceding three years. There, however, are significant ethical and scientific issues in the performance of DCD with concepts of end-of-life care, personal autonomy, and concepts of dignity of life and death. ...

A dream comes true: Hospice patient rides in hot air balloonSedalia Democrat; by Faith Bemiss-McKinney; 6/10/24A long-time dream came true for an area woman with a long-term illness on Friday, June 7, with a tethered hot air balloon ride [courtesy of Crossroads Hospice & Palliative Care].Publisher's Note: Subscription may be required to read full article.

The value of a DNP degree: Translating your knowledge into nursing practice Delaware State Nurses Association; by Karen L. Pickard, DNP, RN, CNE, NEA-BC; 6/13/24The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree has gained traction in the United States over the last twenty-two years. Nurses who specialized in clinical practice and held an advanced practice license supported the development of the DNP degree as an alternative to a terminal degree specialized in research science and academia, the Ph.D. ... Having a broader perspective related to the business of healthcare while understanding the clinical challenges nurses face at the bedside gives a DNP-prepared nurse opportunities to present information and solutions through a different lens. Opportunities on boards, advisory committees, and professional organizations have become vast, ...Editorial Note: Does your organization have DNP professionals whose skills you are under-utilizing? Do you have talented, motivated nurses who would benefit from a DNP career ladder plan? Share this article. What career ladder options and support do your Human Resources systems provide?

How fraudulent hospices evade regulators Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 6/5/24A slew of fraudulent hospices in California are dodging consequences by shuffling patients around between provider numbers. That’s according to multiple sources who spoke with Hospice News, expressing their concerns about patterns of fraud continuing even as government regulators crack down on the sector. Since 2021, numerous media and government reports have emerged of unethical or illegal practices among hundreds of newly licensed hospices, particularly among new companies popping up in California, Texas, Nevada and Arizona. Despite the best efforts of regulators and law enforcement, hospice leaders are concerned that many bad actors are slipping through the cracks. ...

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: ... 

Mapped: The highs and lows of the world’s happiness landscapeBigThink.com (originally posted in 1440 Daily Digest; by Frank Jacobs; 6/3/24The Gallup World Poll reveals regional peaks and valleys of happiness across all of the continents. At a glance, we see that happiness levels are relatively high across the Americas, in Europe and Oceania, and generally lowest across Africa and South Asia. In North America, Canada (6.9) came out on top, happier than the U.S. and Mexico (both 6.7). The least happy country in North America is the Dominican Republic (5.8) — perhaps unfairly, as its bad-to-worse neighbor Haiti wasn’t surveyed.