Literature Review

Merger will take advocacy efforts to new heights, NAHC, NHPCO leaders sayMcKnight's Home Care; by Adam Healy; 8/1/24The merging of two major trade associations is a key step forward for home care and hospice advocacy efforts, according to leaders of the National Association for Home Care & Hospice and the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization... The [NAHC-NHPCO] Alliance also provided an update on its CEO search. The organizations have previously stated that neither Dombi nor Ben Marcantonio, CEO of NHPCO, will be eligible to lead the merged organization. Instead, CEO candidates have come from a variety of backgrounds, including healthcare policy and advocacy, consulting and lobbying, government agencies and regulated entities, according to Melinda Gruber, vice chair of the Alliance’s transition board of directors. “We’ve had a large number of candidates and interest,” Gruber said Wednesday. “We are nearing the finalist selection phase … and we cannot wait to make an announcement after that.” Finally, NAHC and NHPCO disclosed that “The NAHC-NHPCO Alliance,” the associations’ current moniker, will likely not be the name it uses as a fully merged organization. “Trademark hurdles” have delayed the announcement of its official new name, but it is anticipated to be revealed soon, according to Ken Albert, chair of the transition board.

Valley Health, Blue Ridge hospice collaborate to expand care in Luray WHSV 3, Luray, VA; by Michael Russo; 8/1/24 Health systems in the Valley are joining together to expand their offerings for hospice care. Page Memorial Hospital in Luray will benefit from the collaboration between Valley Health and Blue Ridge Hospice and the pair’s Hospice in the Hospital Program. Valley Health and Blue Ridge Hospice signed an agreement July 15 to allow BRH’s staff to work with Valley Health’s team to provide “supplemental comfort care services” to ensure patients receive comprehensive care throughout and following their stay in the hospital. 

Bluegrass Care Navigators receives grant to care for veterans The Anderson News, Lawrenceburg, KY; 8/1/24 Bluegrass Care Navigators (BCN) is honored to announce it has received a grant from the Disabled Veterans National Foundation (DVNF) for $18,000 which will allow us to focus our Integrative Medicine therapies on serving more of our veteran patients across our service lines. “Thank you, DVNF, for your generous support,” Liz Fowler, President and CEO of BCN, said. “This grant empowers us to continue serving our veteran patients with integrative medicine therapies like art, music, and massage sessions. Your kindness ensures that all veterans, regardless of financial means, receive the holistic care they deserve.” 

Want more effective hospice nurses? Overhaul your onboardingMcKnight's Home Care; by Raianne Melton; 7/18/24The benefits of a comprehensive onboarding program are undeniable. Companies that prioritize onboarding see a median revenue increase of 49% per employee compared to those that don’t. Employees who undergo a successful onboarding process are 69% more likely to remain with a company for three years or more.

10 tips for working with the mediaMcKnight's Senior Living; by Lois A. Bowers; 7/15/24Publisher's Note: Mark Cohen, Publisher of Hospice News Today, has also discussed several of these points. Please see full article for additional detail.

NAHC & NHPCO leaders say united organization already at work HomeCare; 8/1/24 The new group formed by the recent merger of the National Association for Homecare and Hospice (NAHC) and the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) has already gotten to work advocating in the industry—even though it doesn’t yet have a name or CEO. That’s what leaders said in a town hall meeting to discuss the progress of the alliance, which, for now, is being called “the alliance” as a sort of shorthand. “The work of the organizations doesn’t stop because of the merger,” said Ken Albert, chair of the group’s transition board, told more than 230 attendees for the online town hall on Thursday, July 31. “We’re continuing to serve members in all ways.” The two groups officially merged July 1 and hoped to have a name ready for the launch but encountered hurdles regarding trademark, said. 

Pickleball is a lot like life. The one who serves the most usually wins...

Prognosis Superspecial: A Podcast with Kara Bischoff, James Deardorff, and Elizabeth LilleyGeriPal Podcast; by Alex Smith, Eric Widera, Kara Bischoff, James Deardorff, Elizabeth Lilley; 7/25/24We are dusting off our crystal balls today with three amazing guests who have all recently published an article on prognosis over the last couple months: Kara Bischoff, James Deardorff, and Elizabeth Lilley. To start us off we talk with Kara Bischoff about the article she just published in JAMA Network on a re-validation of the Palliative Performance Scale (PPS) in a modern day palliative care setting... Next, we talk with James Deardorff about whether we can accurately predict nursing home level of care in community-dwelling older adults with dementia... Lastly, we invite Liz Lilley to talk about her paper in Annals of Surgery about prognostic alignment, including why as palliative care and geriatrics teams we need to take time to ensure that all disciplines and specialties are prognostically aligned before a family meeting.

Home care workforce drops by 3,500 in June, BLS reportsMcKnight's Home Care; by Adam Healy; 7/8/24The exit of several thousand from the home care workforce last month partially contributed to slower-than-average job growth across all healthcare-related segments in June, according to the latest employment report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Employment in home healthcare services, which includes home health and personal care aides, dropped by roughly 3,500 in June, the report, released Friday, found. The BLS estimated there to be roughly 1,751,500 home healthcare services workers as of June 2024, which is roughly 0.2% fewer than there were in May 2024, and almost 8% more than there were in June 2023. This decline in home care workers contrasts with recent workforce gains. The sector added nearly 20,000 jobs from April to May, BLS reported last month.

Teleios’ Clinically Integrated Network Sets Benchmark for Healthcare ExcellenceTeleios press release; 7/31/24Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN) recently announced that its Clinically Integrated Network (CIN) is setting the benchmark for healthcare excellence in the serious illness space. The data from the most recent reporting period again demonstrates that the members of the CIN are delivering exceptional patient care. One hundred percent of the CIN members achieved a 4- or 5-star rating on the CAHPS Hospice Survey Star Ratings by CMS. In addition, all the members identified and documented a healthcare surrogate for hospice within the first 5 days after admission at least 90% of the time with the network average being 97% and upon the time of admission for Palliative Care patients with the average being 99.8% of the time. This was the result of the members reviewing and revising their processes to ensure that a healthcare surrogate was identified and documented.

The bereavement care crisis in hospice facilities MedCity News; by Cara McCarty Abbott; 7/28/24 Bereavement care is an essential part of the hospice experience, designed to support those coping with loss. Bereavement care is not just a compassionate gesture; it is a critical component of the hospice care continuum. So why is it so underserved in the U.S.? ... Instead of pushing harder on hospice providers to find more ways to deliver comprehensive bereavement care with less, it's key to address the systemic forces hampering their ability to deliver quality care at the scale required and address these challenges. Editor's Note: Additionally, does your hospice still rely on the misnamed, overused "5 Stages of Grief"? These were determined from 1960's persons who were dying, not from bereaved persons who lived on--surviving--the deaths. Extensive fresh, contemporary, hospice-designed grief resources to support bereavement counselors and the persons they serve are provided by Composing Life Out of Loss, a sponsor for our newsletter.

Why home health providers should expect to see a ‘less draconian’ final payment rule Home Health Care News; by Joyce Famakinwa; 7/22/24 As home health providers continue to digest the proposed payment rule for 2025, National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) President William A. Dombi believes that the industry will ultimately see a comparatively toned down final rule. “We believe we will not end up with this proposed rule as a final rule,” he said during the opening presentation at NAHC’s Financial Management Conference in Las Vegas on Sunday. “We will end up with something less draconian. The cuts will be reduced because, No. 1, that’s what they’ve done for the last several years, and, No. 2, it’s an election year.” Even with a prediction of a “less draconian” final payment rule, NAHC is still gearing up to fight against home health cuts and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) payment-setting methodologies.