Literature Review

Healthcare’s broken math: 11 signs the numbers don’t add upBecker's Hospital Review; by Scott Becker, Molly Gamble; 6/25/25Healthcare has a daunting and growing supply and demand problem. We have a growing population in the United States and not enough physicians, nurses, allied healthcare providers and technicians. It is a very clear and simple math problem. We have approximately 340 million people in the United States and only about 840,000 direct patient care physicians and about 5.3 million nurses. Similarly, we face shortages across the board in other provider types and critical staff roles. [Imbalances include:]

Nursing at the speed of trustMinority Nurse; by Keith Carlson; 6/26/25Seeking a career in nursing could be seen as an exercise in trust. We nurses willingly endure a grueling educational experience, place ourselves in the hands of nursing professors and preceptors, and otherwise trust that the blood, sweat, tears, and expense of pursuing our goal is worthwhile. In essence, we move at the speed of trust as we enter the nursing universe.

SCI Waymart inmates care for fellow inmates who are in hospice[PA] WVIA PBS; by Roger DuPuis, Lydia McFarlane; 6/20/25Today, WVIA News' Roger DuPuis and Lydia McFarlane talk about SCI Waymart's program that trains inmates to care for fellow inmates in hospice care. This is a transcript of their conversation as it aired on WVIA Radio.

Screening for intimate partner violence and caregiver abuse of older or vulnerable adults: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation StatementJAMA Network; 6/24/25Importance Intimate partner violence (IPV) affects millions of US residents across the lifespan and is often unrecognized. Abuse of older or vulnerable adults by a caregiver or someone else they may trust is common and can result in significant injury, death, and long-term adverse health consequences.

h/care expands presence in Arizona through partnership with American Premier Home Health, Hospice, and Palliative CareUS Daily Ledger press release; 6/24/25h/care, a national leader in home health and hospice care, proudly announces the addition of American Premier Home Health, Hospice, and Palliative Care, a highly respected provider in the Phoenix area, to its growing platform. This partnership which commenced in February marks another significant milestone in h/care’s mission to deliver high-touch, high-tech, and high-trust care to aging Americans in their homes.

Best Buy sells Current Health to former CEOModern Healthcare; by Caroline Hudson; 6/24/25Current Health cofounder Chris McGhee has reacquired the at-home care company from Best Buy Co. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed... Tech titan Best Buy announced plans to acquire Current in 2021 for about $400 million, as part of its push into the healthcare market. Current, which was founded in 2015, offers a platform for remote patient-monitoring, telehealth and patient engagement tools. It became an integral part of Best Buy Health’s efforts to expand at-home care services, including hospital-at-home technology... However, cracks in Best Buy’s healthcare strategy began to show months ago.

Rumi said: "As you start to walk on the way, the way appears." Clarity doesn't come before action. It comes from action.

Trellis Supportive Care names new CEO[NC] The Mt. Airy News; 6/22/25Winston-Salem Trellis Supportive Care has tapped a new president and CEO. Dr. Michael Lalor, formerly the organization's chief medical officer, was recently appointed to the post, filling a post created by the retirement of Linda Darden who. who held the posts of president and CEO since 2014. Dr. Lalor joined Trellis Supportive Care in 2014 as the chief medical officer.

California man pleads guilty in connection with laundering proceeds of $16M hospice fraud schemeUS Department of Justice press release; 6/23/25A California man pleaded guilty today to laundering more than $4.6 million in connection with a years-long scheme to defraud Medicare of nearly $16 million through sham hospice companies. According to court documents, Mihran Panosyan, ...worked with others to launder the proceeds of a massive Medicare fraud scheme, transferring the fraudulently obtained funds between multiple accounts before spending them. The scheme comprised three parts. First, three of Panosyan’s co-defendants used the identities of foreign nationals no longer in the United States to operate several sham hospice companies... Second, the co-defendants caused the submission of false and fraudulent claims to Medicare for hospice services for patients who were not terminally ill and who never requested nor received hospice services... Third, Panosyan and his co-defendants laundered the proceeds of the scheme to conceal the source of the funds and their control over them... He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

WTWH Healthcare announces the Future Leaders Class of 2025Hospice News; by Jessica Longly; 6/18/25WTWH Healthcare, a WTWH Media, LLC company, is pleased to announce the Future Leaders Class of 2025. The Future Leaders Awards program recognizes dynamic leaders, age 40 and under, who are defining the future of aging and healthcare across the behavioral health, complex rehab technology, at-home care, home medical equipment, hospice and palliative care, senior housing, and skilled nursing industries. [Congratulations to Hospice & Palliative Care awardees – Sponsored by Homecare Homebase:]

[Canada] Niagara woman gives back to Hospice NiagaraNOTLLocal.com; Niagara-on-the-Lake local staff; 6/17/25Angie Roberts' father spent the final days of his life at Hospice Niagara, after months of being cared for by his family at home. What started with murals on the walls of her own home led Angie Roberts to a new project: a floral mural in the supportive counsellor’s office at Hospice Niagara. When Angie Roberts lost her father, Harold Griffith, to lymphoma, she found comfort and healing in something unexpected: a paintbrush... “Going to hospice was a huge relief for us. It was a gift,” she said. “It was really a wonderful gift that hospice was able to give to our family.” Angie wanted to give back for the care her dad received, while creating a warm and welcoming space for other families in their time of need. The mural features colourful flowers inspired by the fresh bouquets placed in every residence room, including her dad’s favourite — a yellow carnation— and patterned leaves drawn from the quilts that cover every bed.

Leading PBMs face increasing scrutiny from statesHealthcare Brew; by Nicole Ortiz; 6/18/25Iowa is the latest to impose limits on how PBMs can operate in the state... It all started when Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed a law on April 16 saying any company that owns a pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) would be prohibited from also owning or operating pharmacies in the state. That’s seemingly bad news for the Big 3 PBMs—Cigna Group’s Express Scripts, CVS’s Caremark, and UnitedHealth’s Optum Rx, which collectively control nearly 80% of the market—seeing as they all also operate pharmacy chains. Now the state of Iowa wants to get in on the action, with Governor Kim Reynolds signing a law on June 11 to change how PBMs operate in the state.

What you should know about radiation oncology: Anish Butala, Emily Martin and Evie KalmarGeriPal podcast; by Eric Widera, Alex Smith, Anish Butala, Emily Martin, Evie Kalmar; 6/12/25We’ve invited Anish Butala, the Chief of the Palliative Radiotherapy Service at Penn Medicine, and Emily Martin, a palliative care doctor and past president of the Society for Palliative Radiation Oncology (SPRO), to explain everything we should know about radiation oncology. Additionally, Evie Kalmar, who suggested today’s topic, will join us as one of our guest hosts.