Literature Review

Nonprofit organizes free home cleanings for cancer patients The Dallas Express, Dallas, TX; by Patti Villegas; 10/27/24 When facing a serious illness, even simple tasks can become overwhelming. However, one nonprofit organization is stepping in to help alleviate some of that burden for individuals with cancer. Cleaning for a Reason, founded in 2006, has facilitated free home cleaning services for more than 57,133 cancer patients in the U.S. and Canada, providing services valued at a total of more than $19 million. The non-profit organization partners with residential cleaning companies and community volunteers to “clean the homes of cancer patients to provide hope, relief, control, and cleanliness,” the group’s website states. The volunteers’ work not only enhances the patients’ physical environment but uplifts their spirits as well.

Hospices: Boost quality assurance, training amid switch to HOPE, compliance experts sayMcKnight's Home Care; by Adam Healy; 10/22/24The new Hospice Outcomes and Patient Evaluation (HOPE) tool officially launches in less than a year, so now is the time to begin modifying operations and training staff to adapt to the new quality reporting framework, according to Jennifer Kennedy, vice president of quality, standards and compliance, and Kimberly Skehan, vice president of accreditation at Community Health Accreditation Partner. On Oct. 1, 2025, the HOPE tool will replace the Hospice Item Set for hospice quality reporting. For providers, HOPE demands more critical thinking than the legacy Hospice Item Set, Kennedy said Monday during the 2024 National Association for Home Care & Hospice conference in Tampa, FL. HOPE’s quality measures include hospice’s health outcomes, sociodemographic impacts, administrative performance and more. For some, adapting to HOPE might require internal Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement (QAPI) program upgrades.

Delivering palliative care by telehealth meets the needs of people with cancer National Institutes of Health (NIH) - National Cancer Institute; by Linda Wang; 10/28/24 The use of telehealth in cancer care surged during the COVID-19 pandemic, when, for a period of time, in-person medical care was limited and many visits to the doctor went virtual. Despite some recent pullbacks in telehealth flexibilities, many experts believe that telehealth will continue to have a role in cancer care. But how well does telehealth perform when it comes to delivering palliative care for people with cancer, which can rely on a deeper level of connection between patients and providers than may be possible with a virtual visit? A study of 1,250 people with advanced lung cancer has now provided some insights into that question. The study found that virtual and in-person palliative care were similarly effective in improving patients’ quality of life and other important measures of well-being, according to findings published September 11 in JAMA. It also found benefits for caregivers. The results show that “we can successfully deliver … high-quality [palliative] care in person and virtually,” said Joseph A. Greer, Ph.D., of Massachusetts General Hospital, who led the study. 

I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers. ~ L.M. Montgomery

Pinnacle home care CEO: Home health margins will increase ‘significantly’ with AIHome Health Care News; by Andrew Donlan; 10/22/24If you don’t like change, you’re going to hate extinction. That’s a phrase that should be hung up on home health providers’ walls across the country, according to Pinnacle Home Care CEO Shane Donaldson. There’s traditional Medicare rate cuts, Medicare Advantage (MA) penetration, staffing shortages and regulatory challenges in the home health market. But Donaldson sees solutions to most of those problems on the horizon. Emerging technologies – and in particular, artificial intelligence – will alleviate some of the contemporary pressures in the space, he believes. And when those pressures are alleviated, margins will skyrocket.

A moral code: Ethical dilemmas in medicine — three physicians face crossroads in patient care MedPage Today; podcast by Genevieve Friedman, Perspectives Editor; 10/25/24 We are back for another episode of our medical podcast, which we hope isn't really a podcast about medicine, but a podcast about life, death, dilemma, the challenges, and sometimes the joys of medicine. ... Now, medicine is complicated because a lot of times there aren't hard and fast rules ... One treatment isn't always right or wrong for someone. One surgery isn't always successful or unsuccessful, and one diagnosis isn't always correct. Decisions aren't black and white, they're varying shades of gray. So we come up with principles to help handle this -- codes if you will. But even those get a bit marred by complexity at times. As you'll hear in this episode of Anamnesis with the theme of "A Moral Code: Ethical Dilemmas in Medicine," one of our biggest codes is "do no harm." But what is harm? Who decides what harm is, what happens if we disagree?

Medicare Part D paid millions for drugs for which payment was available under the Medicare Part A Skilled Nursing Facility Benefit HHS Office of Inspector General; Report Highlights; 10/27/24 What OIG Found: ... On the basis of our sample results, for 2018 through 2020, we estimated that up to the entire Part D total cost of $465.1 million was improperly paid for drugs for which payment was available under the Part A SNF benefit. Of that amount, we estimated that approximately $245.4 million was for drugs that the medical records showed were administered to Part D enrollees during their Part A SNF stays.What OIG Recommends: We made five recommendations, including that CMS work with its plan sponsors to adjust or delete PDEs, as necessary, and determine the impact to the Federal Government related to the Part D total costs of $953,370 for drugs associated with our sample items for which payment was available under the Part A SNF benefit; work with its plan sponsors to identify similar instances of noncompliance that occurred during our audit period and determine the impact to the Federal Government, which could have amounted up to an estimated $465.1 million in Part D total cost; and provide plan sponsors with timely and accurate information, such as dates of covered Part A SNF stays, to reduce instances of inappropriate Part D payment for drugs for which payment is available under the Part A SNF benefit. ... CMS concurred with all five recommendations.

Doctor sues to save Medicare billing rights over hospice role Bloomberg Law; by Ganny Belloni; 10/24/24 A medical director designee at a California hospice sued the US Department of Health and Human Services to prevent the termination of his physician billing privileges after an independent contractor found his affiliation with the facility posed a fraud risk to the Medicare program. The lawsuit filed Wednesday by internal medicine physician Rami Shaarawy seeks injunctive relief from the US District Court for the Central District of California preventing the HHS’ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services from sanctioning the doctor until his dispute is resolved through Medicare’s internal appeals process.

The case for stronger caregiver vetting in home care Home Health Care News; by Audrie Martin; 10/24/24 Direct care workers are, in many ways, the collective face of home-based care organizations. They are who clients and patients interact with. Therefore, regulators and providers are increasingly taking a closer look at who they’re hiring in the first place. While it is shocking to see caregivers commit crimes against clients, it does happen. About one in six people aged 60 and older experienced some form of abuse during 2023, according to the World Health Organization. Rates of abuse against older people have increased since the COVID-19 pandemic and are predicted to continue rising as many countries experience rapidly aging populations. To combat this trend, increased vetting is essential when hiring individuals to care for seniors in their homes. Editor's note: Related, disturbing articles we posted recently include ...

Bill introduced to increase access to advanced wheelchairs HomeCare, Nashville, TN; 10/24/24 U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn) and Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) introduced the Choices for Increased Mobility Act (S 5154) to increase access to wheelchairs made with advanced materials by allowing Medicare beneficiaries to upgrade to lighter, more functional wheelchairs without bearing the entire upfront cost. These manual wheelchairs help prevent shoulder injuries, enhance maneuverability and reduce overall pain and fatigue for users. ... When the Medicare billing code for ultra-lightweight manual wheelchairs was established in 1993, materials like titanium and carbon fiber were not considered, as they were not yet in use for wheelchairs. As a result, ... providers have struggled to supply wheelchairs with these advanced materials at the fee schedule amounts set by Medicare.

Change Healthcare cyberattack impacts 100 million people Becker's Health IT; by Naomi Diaz; 10/25/24 The Feb. 21 ransomware attack on UnitedHealth Group subsidiary Change Healthcare has impacted 100 million individuals. The number of impacted individuals was posted on the Office for Civil Rights Breach Portal, which is used for reporting breaches of unsecured protected health information under HIPAA. Previously, UnitedHealth said that the data stolen by hackers likely covered a "substantial proportion of people in America." The cyberattack crippled financial operations for hospitals, insurers, pharmacies and medical groups nationwide. In July, the organization began sending out breach notification letters to individuals affected by the attack.  

Finding purpose and joy through the gift of volunteering SMA News Today - Bionews, Inc., Pensacola, FL; by Jasmine Ramos; 10/24/24 My physical limitations don't define my ability to give back to others. Volunteering has given me more joy and meaning than I ever imagined possible. Living with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) means I can’t move my own body, but that hasn’t stopped me from finding ways to move others. Whether supporting disaster relief efforts or creating meaningful moments for hospice patients, my work gives me a sense of freedom and fulfillment that transcends physical limitations. Every task, no matter how small, reminds me that we all have the power to make an impact. My body may not move independently, but through volunteering, my heart and spirit are constantly in motion, reaching out to touch the lives of others. ... Working with the hospice center brought a different set of rewards. I help create monthly newsletters that inform, comfort, and connect patients and their families.

CIOs must prepare their organizations today for quantum-safe cryptography IBM; by Mark Hughes, Joachim Schäfer and Arfan Sabar; 10/24/24Quantum computers are emerging from the pure research phase and becoming useful tools. They are used across industries and organizations to explore the frontiers of challenges in healthcare and life sciences, high energy physics, materials development, optimization and sustainability. However, as quantum computers scale, they will also be able to solve certain hard mathematical problems on which today’s public key cryptography relies. A future cryptographically relevant quantum computer (CRQC) might break globally used asymmetric cryptography algorithms that currently help ensure the confidentiality and integrity of data and the authenticity of systems access.The risks imposed by a CRQC are far-reaching: possible data breaches, digital infrastructure disruptions and even widescale global manipulation. These future quantum computers will be among the biggest risks to the digital economy and pose a significant cyber risk to businesses. ... [Click on the title's link to continue reading.]