Literature Review

Covid is now categorized as endemic disease, US health officials say KFF Health News; 8/12/24 The revised classification means covid is here to stay, but we can manage it better because it is now predictable. The change in stance does not affect any guidance on how to deal with the disease and comes as reports show most areas of the U.S. are seeing consistent rises in covid infections. ... 

ETC model is failing to boost home dialysis utilization, nephrologists say McKnights Home Care; by Adam Healy; 8/9/24 Nephrologists are worried that the End-Stage Renal Disease Treatment Choices (ETC) model has not made good on its promise to promote home-based kidney care and advance health equity. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services launched the ETC model in 2021, randomly selecting about 30% of providers treating end-stage renal disease for participation. The model uses financial incentives to encourage greater use of home dialysis treatment and increase kidney transplant access. However, these incentives have not been effective in producing their intended results, according to Amit Kapoor, MD, the chief nephrologist at Strive Health. ... A March study published in JAMA found that the ETC model may unintentionally punish providers who serve high-needs, low-income or minority patients. 

Heart disease, cancer remain leading causes of death in US Becker's Hospital Review; by Elizabeth Gregerson; 8/9/24 Heart disease and cancer remained the leading causes of death in 2023, according to provisional data released Aug. 8 by the CDC. Mortality data is collected by the National Center for Health Statistics National Vital Statistics System from U.S. death certificates, according to an analysis published Aug. 8 in JAMA. After a sharp increase in the rate of deaths from heart disease during the pandemic, the 2023 rate (162.1) reportedly was closer to pre-pandemic levels (161.5). The rate of deaths from cancer decreased from 146.2 in 2019 to 141.8 in 2023. Cause of death data is based on the underlying cause of events leading to death. Death rate is recorded as the age adjusted death rate per 100,000 deaths, authors of the JAMA analysis said.

How Olympic success can offer leadership lessons The CEO Magazine; by Craig Johns; 8/12/24 As the Paris 2024 Olympic Games wrap up, the extraordinary performances of athletes offer valuable insights into leadership. High performance in both arenas hinges on precision, focus and constant improvement – lessons that can transform leadership strategies and drive success. ... 

Standing out in the palliative care competitive landscapeHospice News; by Holly Vossel; 8/96/24Palliative care providers need to focus on their specific organization’s specific strengths in order to stand out from a broad range of competitors. Seriously ill patients often have multiple chronic conditions that require a flexible and individualized palliative care delivery approach, according to Rachel Dedes, senior director of palliative care at NorthStar Care Community. Marketing and outreach efforts need careful consideration when differentiating how a palliative care program can help address a wide range of patients’ physical, psychosocial, emotional, spiritual and practical needs, Dedes said during the Hospice News Sales & Marketing webinar series.

New hospital beds and over-bed tables enhance comfort at Wayne T. Patrick Hospice House thanks to Lutz & Chester Healthcare Foundations The News & Reporter, Lancaster, SC; News Release; 8/12/24 Hospice & Community Care is delighted to announce the successful installation of eight state-of-the-art hospital beds and eight over-bed tables at the Wayne T. Patrick Hospice House. This significant upgrade was made possible by a generous $25,000 grant from The Herbert and Anna Lutz Foundation and a $15,000 grant from the Chester Healthcare Foundation, marking the latest contributions in our long-standing partnerships with both organizations. The new beds, which replace the original equipment from 2008, offer enhanced comfort and versatility for patients. 

Are there bedbugs and busted equipment at your Florida hospital? What inspectors found Miami Herald; by Michelle Marchante; updated 8/12/24 Bed bugs. Broken equipment. Staffing challenges. Fewer patients. And a pile of hazardous waste. These are just some of the problems spotted by patient care ombudsmen during visits to Florida hospitals owned by Steward Health Care System and now up for sale. ... Key takeaways: 

Dr. El-Jawahri on the impact of palliative care on end-of-life care for AML and MDS OncLive; by Areej R. El-Jawahri, MD; 8/12/24 Areej El-Jawahri, MD, associate director, Cancer Outcomes Research and Education Program, director, Bone Marrow Transplant Survivorship Program, associate professor, medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, discusses findings from a multi-site, randomized trial (NCT03310918) investigating a collaborative palliative oncology care model for patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) receiving nonintensive therapy at 2 tertiary care academic hospitals. Patients in the study who received the palliative care interventions had a median of 41 days from end-of-life care discussions to death, compared with 1.5 days in the standard care group (P < .001). Additionally, patients who received the palliative care interventions were more likely to articulate their end-of-life care preferences and have these preferences documented in electronic health records, El-Jawahri begins. This documentation correlated with fewer hospitalizations in the final 30 days of life, she notes. Furthermore, palliative care recipients experienced QOL improvements and a trend toward reduced anxiety symptoms vs the patients who received usual care, El-Jawahri says. These findings underscore the necessity of integrating palliative care as a standard of care for patients with AML and high-risk MDS, El-Jawahri emphasizes.

Helpful, harmful, or illegal: Can your patients really record you? — The pros and cons of recording doctorsMedPage Today; by Max Feinstein; 8/9/24My name is Max Feinstein and I'm an anesthesiologist in New York City. I'm not a lawyer, but as a physician and a content creator, I think it's really important for both patients and healthcare providers to have a good understanding of when it's okay to record audio or video in the hospital. The term "wiretap laws" refers to statutes that govern audio and video recordings made of face-to-face conversations, telephone calls, or video calls. These laws vary from state to state. Where states that have one-party consent laws means that only one person who is in the area that's being recorded has to provide consent... Thirty-seven states in the United States have one-party consent laws. This contrasts with all-party consent, meaning, as the name implies, that everyone who is involved with the recording has to provide their consent. Violation of these laws may result in fines up to $100,000 and possibly jail time as well. Wiretap laws are not the same thing as HIPAA, which you might have heard about before... In addition to wiretap laws, many hospitals also have policies in place specifically describing what is and is not allowed as far as recording is concerned...Publisher's note: Nearly everyone has a recording device (i.e., a smartphone). Does your organization have recording policies?

WellSky CEO Bill Miller: Exercise caution, responsibility with AI in hospice Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 8/12/24 Many expect AI to revolutionize health care, speeding access to care, improving diagnosis and prognosis, enhancing efficiency and achieving other benefits. However, providers need to see through the hype and ask the hard questions. This is according to Bill Miller, CEO of the health care tech company WellSky. ... Hospice News sat down with Miller to discuss current perspectives on AI, its potential benefits and possible risks. [Miller:] "... we’re exercising responsibility and caution when we start thinking about AI jumping into the diagnosis game, or somehow replacing the caregiver. We think of it more of how you could enhance the caregiver, keep the human in the loop. If we can help caregivers arrive at better outcomes for their patients by using AI tools and assisting them, then we’ll do that."

Top news stories of the month, July 2024Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN); podcast by Chris Comeaux and Mark Cohen; 8/7/24 In this week’s podcast, Mark Cohen joins me once more for the Top News Stories for the prior month from Hospice & Palliative Care Today... The conversation covers various topics including private equity in healthcare, the increasing scrutiny of for-profit hospitals, fraud in hospice care, and the importance of trust in the hospice sector. The principal themes include the playbook of private equity playbook, the challenges faced by for-profit hospitals and their potential the impact on the Hospice sector, and the erosion of trust due to fraud.

Why more than 30% of rural hospitals are at risk of closureMedCityNews; by Katie Adams; 8/8/24More than 700 hospitals across the rural U.S. are at risk of closing due to their financial woes — and for more than half of these hospitals, the risk of closure is immediate, according to a new report. The report argued this is due largely to inadequate reimbursement from health plans. More than 700 hospitals across the rural U.S. are at risk of closing due to their financial instability — that’s over 30% of the country’s rural hospitals. And for more than half of these 700 hospitals, the risk of closure is immediate, according to a new report from the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform (CHQPR).Publisher's note: The CHQPR report linked above is very interesting, including a table listing states with the most hospitals at immediate risk of closing - the top 5 states are Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma, Mississippi, and Alabama.

The top priorities for healthcare CEOsModern Healthcare; 8/9/24What's the top priority in the second half? What's the biggest challenge? ... Modern Healthcare reporters posed those two questions to CEOs in all corners of the industry to see where healthcare is headed in the coming months. [Selected responses from 13 CEOs include:]