Literature Review
Cybersecurity execs share healthcare's biggest vulnerabilities
05/22/24 at 03:00 AMCybersecurity execs share healthcare's biggest vulnerabilitiesModern Healthcare; by Brock E.W. Turner; 5/20/24A recent string of massive healthcare cybersecurity breaches has put data security leaders on edge. Recent incidents have shined a light on some of the most significant vulnerabilities at health systems. Here are four of the biggest, according to experts.
Patients fare better when they get palliative care sooner, not later
05/22/24 at 03:00 AMPatients fare better when they get palliative care sooner, not laterScientific American; by Lydia Denworth; 5/14/24Supportive care is often started late in an illness, but that may not be the best way. I was happy to have the help but wished it had been available earlier. I’m not alone in that. Evidence of the benefits of palliative care continues to grow. For people with advanced illnesses, it helps to control physical symptoms such as pain and shortness of breath. It addresses mental health issues, including depression and anxiety. And it can reduce unnecessary trips to the hospital. But barriers to access persist—especially a lack of providers. As a result, palliative care is too often offered late, when “the opportunity to benefit is limited,” says physician Kate Courtright of the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.
Today's Encouragement: "I smile at ..."
05/22/24 at 03:00 AMI smile at obstacles. - Tiger Woods
UnitedHealth Group's Optum to close Ohio location, lay off 129
05/22/24 at 03:00 AMUnitedHealth Group's Optum to close Ohio location, lay off 129Modern Healthcare; by Lauren Berryman; 5/17/24UnitedHealth Group’s Optum will lay off 129 employees and close a Toledo, Ohio, facility, according to a notice filed with the state's job and family services department. The separations are expected to take place in three waves, from July 15 to September 6, and will affect employees in Ohio and remote locations, Optum said in the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act notice filed Thursday. The affected employees include senior software engineers, senior technology product managers, associate business systems analysts and associate business operations coordinators, the notice said.
Breaking down walls: The other care models marking their territory in home-based care
05/22/24 at 03:00 AMBreaking down walls: The other care models marking their territory in home-based careHome Health News; by Joyce Famakinwa; 5/17/24Traditional home-based care companies aren’t the only ones serving seniors, while helping shift care away from brick-and-mortar settings. Adult day, PACE and continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs) without walls are a few of the care models working to meet the needs of seniors that want to age in place. In many ways, these care models are natural allies to home-based care providers.
Have a heart – caregivers need care, too
05/22/24 at 03:00 AMHave a heart – caregivers need care, tooAmerican Heart Association; 5/14/24Living with a chronic medical condition after surviving a heart attack or stroke may come with additional health and personal care needs. Often survivors must rely on a family member or close friend to help. However, there’s a growing body of scientific research that shows people who serve as unpaid caregivers may not be getting the care they need to live longer, healthier lives, according to the American Heart Association.
A disconnect between healthcare leaders, workers
05/22/24 at 03:00 AMA disconnect between healthcare leaders, workersBecker's Hospital Review; by Mariah Taylor; 5/17/24A recent Indeed survey suggests that many workers do not intend to leave healthcare entirely, but rather break ties from individual employers due to dissatisfaction with the job, a recent Indeed survey suggests. The survey also cites a gap in perception between what the workers find important and what management thinks they find important. Indeed commissioned a survey of 1,014 healthcare job seekers and 489 professionals engaged in recruiting or hiring healthcare employees. Participants were surveyed between November and January. [Highlights include:]
Long-term care workers grapple with twice the ‘toxic stress’ as others, study shows
05/22/24 at 03:00 AMLong-term care workers grapple with twice the ‘toxic stress’ as others, study showsMcKnight's Long-Term Care News; by Josh Henreckson; 5/14/24Nurses and nurse aides in long term care report rates of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) double that of the general population - results that should lead providers to more aggressively support and communicate with their workforce, authors of a new research study said Tuesday. The study suggests that providers should invest in mental health initiatives for their workers to address and prevent the effects of toxic stress. Nearly 60% of those surveyed had never sought mental health support for these traumatic experiences.
Hospital-at-home grows despite regulatory uncertainty
05/22/24 at 03:00 AMHospital-at-home grows despite regulatory uncertaintyModern Healthcare; by Diane Eastabrook; 5/17/24Health systems and technology companies are betting big on home-based hospital care, despite regulatory uncertainty about the program’s future. Hospitals are bullish on at-home acute care because it can save money and make more beds available in their facilities for sicker patients. Medicare also pays health systems the same rate as it would for an inpatient admission. Since January, two health systems and 16 hospitals launched hospital-at-home programs under the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ Acute Hospital Care at Home waiver, bringing the total number of programs to 336 across 37 states, according to the agency’s website. More programs are slated to launch this year as Congress considers whether to extend the waiver beyond its Dec. 31 expiration date. Hospital-at-home allows certain patients to receive acute-level care where they live through telehealth and in-person visits, supplemented with remote patient monitoring. The concept gained traction during the COVID-19 pandemic when CMS approved a waiver in 2020 to alleviate overcrowding in hospitals. Large health systems, including Mass General Brigham, Geisinger and the Cleveland Clinic have invested heavily in home-based acute care. Many smaller hospital systems are doing the same by leveraging in-home care technology.
The Pennant Group acquires hospice provider Nurses on Wheels
05/22/24 at 02:10 AMThe Pennant Group acquires hospice provider Nurses on WheelsHospice News; by Jim Parker; 5/16/24The Pennant Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: PNTG) has acquired the Corpus Christi, Texas-based hospice provider Nurses on Wheels Inc. for an undisclosed amount. This is the latest in a string of acquisitions for Pennant. Earlier this month Pennant acquired Utah-based South Davis Home Health and South Davis Hospice. The company in December 2023 picked up Arizona-based Southwestern Palliative Care & Hospice after acquiring five Medicare hospice providers in multiple states the prior month. Financial terms were not disclosed in these deals.
Montgomery Hospice & Prince George’s Hospice hires new Chief Executive Officer
05/22/24 at 02:05 AMMontgomery Hospice & Prince George’s Hospice hires new Chief Executive OfficerPress release; 5/21/24Montgomery Hospice & Prince George’s Hospice is pleased to announce the selection of Karen Brubaker Miller, MSW, as the organization’s next Chief Executive Officer. Brubaker Miller’s tenure will start on July 1, succeeding Ann Mitchell, MPH, who was at the organization for the past 26 years. A licensed clinical social worker, Mrs. Brubaker Miller is a business and strategic minded leader with over 25 years of leadership experience working in the non-profit and for-profit hospice industry.
Modern Healthcare's Best Places to Work
05/22/24 at 02:00 AMModern Healthcare's Best Places to WorkPublisher's Note: On 5/20/24 we ran Modern Healthcare story recognizing Teleios as one of the best places to work in healthcare in 2024. We would like to recognize all hospice and palliative care providers on this list, including:
Today's Encouragement
05/21/24 at 03:00 AMA good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination. ~Nelson Mandela
New palliative care nonprofit encourages open, candid conversations about death, dying
05/21/24 at 03:00 AMNew palliative care nonprofit encourages open, candid conversations about death, dying[NC] ABC 13 News; by Kimberly King; 5/16/24Swannanoa, NC (WLOS) - There’s a national movement among a segment of palliative and hospice care workers to help people facing a terminal illness find the strength to have more candid conversations around death. The goal is to ease the final days not only for the individual dying but for their loved ones at a most painful time. Dr. Aditi Sethi, a physician specializing in hospice and palliative care, founded the nonprofit Center for Conscious Living and Dying (CCLD) based in Swannanoa. Sethi’s work focuses on helping people come to terms with mortality and break the stigma of avoiding the hard conversations about it.
Optum spent $31B on acquisitions in 2 years
05/21/24 at 03:00 AMOptum spent $31B on acquisitions in 2 yearsBecker's Health IT; by Naomi Diaz; 5/13/24In the last two years, Optum has spent $31 billion on acquisitions, The Oregonian reported May 13. In the state of Oregon, Optum has acquired 12 healthcare provider companies including Oregon Medical Group, GreenField Health System, Family Medical Group Northeast as well as an independent physician association in Portland. ... This comes as Optum is currently pursuing authorization to acquire Amedisys, a home health care firm, for $3.3 billion.
Home care providers need to step up worker safety initiatives, experts say
05/21/24 at 03:00 AMHome care providers need to step up worker safety initiatives, experts sayMcKnight's Home Care; by Adam Healy; 5/14/24In the aftermath of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s citing of Elara Caring for failing to protect a worker killed on the job, safety and legal experts are urging providers to be proactive about implementing worker safety practices. “We have been seeing a rather significant uptick in workplace violence issues in the home-based care industry,” Angelo Spinola, an attorney at Polsinelli, told McKnight’s Home Care Daily Pulse, in a statement. “We highly recommend that providers take proactive steps to implement home-based care specific policies and procedures and conduct workplace trainings that address common issues such as what to do if a client is acting erratically, how to report unsafe conditions in the home [such as an unsecured firearm], de-escalation techniques, etc.”
Leaders leave patients in PE hospital shell game
05/21/24 at 03:00 AMLeaders leave patients in PE hospital shell gameBecker's Clinical Leadership; by Molly Gamble (Twitter); 5/16/24A bankrupt hospital that remains open is - in some ways - just as worrisome for patients as if it closed. The demise of Dallas-based Steward Healthcare is the latest example of this, and a stark reminder that watchdogs for patients only safeguard their interests up until a certain point. The situation is now a shell game for patients, who might have Steward hospitals open and available to them, but with questionable levels of staffing, safety or timely access to essential services.
Senate kills bill allowing medical aid in dying
05/21/24 at 03:00 AMSenate kills bill allowing medical aid in dyingConcord Monitor; by Sruthi Gopalakrishnan; 5/16/24After months of intense public debate, with Granite Staters on both sides of the legislation that would allow medical aid in dying, packing the room at every public hearing, the Senate voted on Thursday to kill the bill.
Hospice owner sentenced to 240 months imprisonment and ordered to repay $42,000,000 for defrauding Medicare
05/21/24 at 03:00 AMHospice Owner Sentenced to 240 Months Imprisonment and Ordered to Repay $42,000,000 for Defrauding MedicareDepartment of Justice; 5/16/24New Orleans - U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that on May 15, 2024, U.S. District Judge Lance Africk sentenced SHIVA AKULA (“AKULA”), age 68, of New Orleans, to 240 months of imprisonment, three years of supervised release and $2,300 in mandatory special assessment fees, in relation to an extensive health care fraud scheme orchestrated by AKULA. In November 2023, a federal jury convicted AKULA of all 23 counts of his underlying indictment. AKULA owned and oversaw the day-to-day operations of Canon Healthcare, LLC, a hospice facility with offices in the New Orleans area, Baton Rouge, Covington, and Gulfport, Mississippi. At sentencing, the Court found that between January 2013 and December 2019, Canon billed Medicare approximately $84 million in fraudulent claims and was paid approximately $42 million relating to these fraudulent claims. The Court ordered that AKULA repay the $42 million of fraudulent proceeds back to Medicare.
A south St. Louis County hospice house offers patients alternative for end-of-life care
05/21/24 at 03:00 AMA south St. Louis County hospice house offers patients alternative for end-of-life care[MO] KMOV St. Louis / YouTube; 5/19/24Publisher's Note: Fantastic TV coverage of hospice and the de Greeff Hospice House.
Recognizing the physical and emotional toll that caring for a loved one with a chronic condition has on the caregiver
05/21/24 at 03:00 AMRecognizing the physical and emotional toll that caring for a loved one with a chronic condition has on the caregiverMedical Xpress; by American Heart Association; 5/15/24Living with a chronic medical condition after surviving a heart attack or stroke may come with additional health and personal care needs. Often survivors must rely on a family member or close friend to help. However, there's a growing body of scientific research that shows people who serve as unpaid caregivers may not be getting the care they need to live longer, healthier lives, according to the American Heart Association...
98-year-old Marine veteran in hospice care finally receives his high school diploma
05/21/24 at 03:00 AM98-year-old Marine veteran in hospice care finally receives his high school diploma[MD] WJLA; by Jay Korff; 5/18/24A nearly 100-year-old Marine veteran in hospice Friday was hand-delivered the high school diploma he never received. 98-year-old Richard Remp was unable to get his diploma back in the 1940s because he dropped out at age 17 to serve in World War II, then Korea, and then Vietnam. But he savored the remarkable moment Friday.
Compliance strategies for forthcoming hospice HOPE tool
05/21/24 at 03:00 AMCompliance Strategies for Forthcoming Hospice HOPE ToolHospice News; by Holly Vossel; 5/16/24Hospices will have a learning curve when it comes to implementing the Hospice Outcomes and Patient Evaluation Tool (HOPE) tool. The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is currently developing quality measures that will be included in the HOPE tool, which will replace the current Hospice Item Set (HIS). After years of development, the agency in its recent hospice proposed rule indicated that the HOPE tool’s implementation would begin in 2025.Notable Mentions: Jennifer Kennedy, CHAP; Kimberly Skehan, CHAP.
Owner of home health services agency and parent of disabled child arrested for Medicaid provider fraud
05/21/24 at 03:00 AMOwner of home health services agency and parent of disabled child arrested for Medicaid provider fraudFL Office of the Attorney General; 5/15/24Tallahassee, FL - Attorney General Ashley Moody’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit announced the arrest of the owner of a home health services agency and a parent of a disabled child for Medicaid provider fraud. Latrena Marie Thomas is the owner of A River’s Journey, a home health care agency with residential home care facilities located in Yulee and Jacksonville. Thomas is accused of hiring non-licensed individuals to provide hands-on personal care services to Medicaid recipients. In addition, Thomas paid Donald Ray Adams II, a parent of a disabled Medicaid recipient, to provide medically licensed care for his own child. In total, Thomas fraudulently billed Medicaid claims for 30 distinct medically needy Medicaid recipients, which caused a total loss of more than $1.6 million.
What healthcare REITs mean for providers, patients
05/21/24 at 03:00 AMWhat healthcare REITs mean for providers, patientsModern Healthcare; by Hayley DeSilva; 5/14/24Steward Health Care's Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing is the latest example of the significant role real estate investment trusts play in healthcare. REITs have served as a financial solution for providers and health systems, allowing them to broaden their networks without as hefty a capital investment. Steward, for example, is the largest tenant of Medical Properties Trust, which bought Steward's real estate assets in 2016. The REIT, which also owns 10% of Steward, has approved $75 million in debtor-in-possession financing to help Steward maintain patient care while looking for operators for its hospitals.