Literature Review

Palliative care graduates undertake noble mission to impact lives of patients University of Maryland School of Pharmacy; by Andrew Tie; 8/20/24 The University of Maryland, Baltimore celebrated 43 graduates of the online Graduate Studies in Palliative Care in a summer ceremony at Pharmacy Hall on Aug. 9. Of the Class of 2024, 36 received their Master of Science degree and seven received a graduate certificate. Two members of the class completed a dual degree along with their Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree, which they received in May from the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy. ... The program attracts a diverse range of disciplines in health care, such as physicians, nurses, and chaplains.

Interim HealthCare Welcomes Rexanne Domico as President and Chief Operating Officer Business Wire, Sunrise, FL; by Interim HealthCare; 8/20/24 Interim HealthCare Inc., [a national] network of home care, senior care, home health, hospice and medical staffing services, announced today the appointment of Rexanne Domico as President and Chief Operating Officer. "We’re excited to welcome Rexanne to Interim HealthCare to help champion our mission and shape our operational strategies," said Paul Mastrapa, CEO of Interim HealthCare. "Her hands-on leadership style, deep industry knowledge, and proven track record of fostering growth and excellence make her exceptionally well-suited to lead our regional teams and guide our franchisees nationwide to provide the high-end care we are known for."

Mortuaries get a modern-day makeover The Hustle; by Sara Friedman; 8/20/24 When window shopping in a city, it’s often an aesthetic storefront that captures your attention and pulls you inside. But what if the handcrafted vase that caught your eye was actually an urn for human remains? That’s the business model for the crop of trendy, modernized mortuaries popping up around the world, per The New York Times. ... Pretty enough to be spas or nightclubs, these new mortuaries bring some levity to customers looking for something different. In a Co-Op Funeralcare study of 4k people in the UK, 68% said they see funerals as celebrations of life, not sad occasions. [Examples given] ... These new mortuary models are tapping into a lucrative industry: The average funeral costs ~$6.6k in London, while the median cost of a US funeral is $8.3k.

Being loved by someone gives you strength while loving someone deeply gives you courage. ~ Lao Tzu

Elder abuse is unreported. City employees will now be trained to recognize it. San Antonio Report, TX; by Iris Dimmick; 8/21/24 City of San Antonio employees will soon be trained on how to identify and report elder abuse thanks to a collaborative effort to increase awareness of the underreported “crisis” gripping the community. City Council’s Public Safety Committee greenlit the policy Tuesday, which directs the city’s Department of Human Services and Texas Adult Protective Services (APS) to develop training curricula for staff. ... The largest share of elderly abuse cases in Bexar County is reported by medical personnel, followed by relatives, community agencies and the victims themselves. In 2022, a woman died in a local hospital after her three adult children allegedly neglected her hospice care. In 2018, a caretaker in San Antonio was charged with several felonies after police found an elderly, disabled woman was languishing in soiled clothes for months at a time.Editor's Note: What elder neglect and abuse training do you require for your hospice and palliative care interdisciplinary team members and volunteers? What incident reporting and follow-up systems do you have in place? The CMS Hospice Conditions of Participation requires the patient's comprehensive assessment to include "a thorough evaluation of the caregiver's and family's willingness and capability to care for the patient." Subpart A, § 418.3 

Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union awards Home Health & Hospice Care $2,024 for National Nonprofit Day CUInsight, Lowell, MA; by Robin Lorenzen; 8/20/24 Home Health & Hospice Care was selected as the winner of Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union’s National Nonprofit Day campaign. The organization received a $2,024 donation as the winning prize. National Nonprofit Day was celebrated on Saturday, August 17. The campaign, which is part of Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union’s Small Acts That Give Back initiative, ran from July 15 through August 2. Community members nominated their favorite local 501(c) (3) nonprofits for the chance to win a $2,024 donation. ... “We’re absolutely thrilled to receive this generous donation from our friends at Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union; this support is crucial in supporting our Access To Care Programs,” remarked Paula J. Telage, Director of Corporate Giving at Home Health & Hospice Care.

BoldAge CMO Glenn Meyers: PACE is palliative care Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 8/19/24 Palliative care is integral to Programs for All-Inclusive Care of the Elderly (PACE) programs, according to Dr. Glenn Meyers, who was recently promoted to chief medical officer of BoldAge PACE. New Jersey-headquartered BoldAge emerged last year, established by a group of former hospice and home health leaders. The company currently operates four PACE centers located in the Northwest and the Midwest, with two more slated to open before the end of the year. Ultimately, BoldAge PACE plans to build a national footprint.

Nationwide home healthcare and hospice provider to pay $3.85M to resolve False Claims Act allegationsDepartment of Justice press release; 8/20/24Intrepid U.S.A. Inc., headquartered in Dallas, and various wholly-owned subsidiaries (Intrepid) have agreed to pay $3,850,000 to resolve allegations that Intrepid violated the False Claims Act in connection with two lines of its business: first, that Intrepid knowingly submitted claims to Medicare for home healthcare services for patients who did not qualify for the Medicare home healthcare benefit or where services otherwise did not qualify for Medicare reimbursement; and second, that Intrepid knowingly submitted claims to Medicare for patients who did not qualify for the hospice benefit. The settlement is based on Intrepid’s ability to pay.

Virtual reality tech takes hospice patients to faraway places Yuma Sun; by Alex Ebrahimi; 8/18/24 Hospice patients take trips to those faraway places they never got to visit or simply see the faces of family again no matter where in the world they are. These "trips" are made possible with the use of free virtual reality headsets offered by Southwestern Palliative Care and Hospice. The first patient to wear the VR headset had worked all his life out in San Diego as a crane operator. The paychecks didn't go beyond the roof over his family's head. Now he's able to see some of the places he never got to see in real life.Editor's Note: To read more examples, click on the title's link.

Integration of palliative pharmacists to elevate oncologic care Pharmacy Times; by Alexis Beachy, PharmD and Jessica Geiger, PharmD, MS, BCPS; 8/20/24... Conclusion: This case demonstrates several aspects of care palliative pharmacists can assist with, though it is certainly not all-encompassing. All things considered, pharmacists are an essential asset of the palliative team. Their experience further enriches the interdisciplinary team and grants all patients and families many benefits. Specifically, patients receiving oncologic care benefit from collaboration with a palliative care pharmacist. In addition to offering a more individualized and holistic approach to care, palliative pharmacists can also provide patients with quicker and improved symptom management, which often improves quality of life and may also increase survival rates.Editor's Note: This article provides excellent history, definitions, and descriptions of the pharmacist's significant role in providing expert palliative and hospice care.

The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra. ~ Jimmy Johnson

Nationwide home healthcare and hospice provider to pay $3.85M to resolve False Claims Act allegations U.S. Department of Justice Office of Public Affairs; Press Release; 8/20/24 Intrepid U.S.A. Inc., headquartered in Dallas, and various wholly-owned subsidiaries (Intrepid) have agreed to pay $3,850,000 to resolve allegations that Intrepid violated the False Claims Act in connection with two lines of its business: first, that Intrepid knowingly submitted claims to Medicare for home healthcare services for patients who did not qualify for the Medicare home healthcare benefit or where services otherwise did not qualify for Medicare reimbursement; and second, that Intrepid knowingly submitted claims to Medicare for patients who did not qualify for the hospice benefit. The settlement is based on Intrepid’s ability to pay.

Hospice physician’s convictions and $15 million in restitution affirmed for ‘pervasive’ fraud CCH Incorporated; by Justin Marcus Smith, J.D.; 8/15/24 The Fifth Circuit found it circumstantially telling that the jurors saw multiple hospice patients testifying at trial nearly a decade after the convicted physician had recommended them for end of life care. In an unpublished opinion, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed a physician’s conviction for conspiracy to commit health care fraud and for seven individual counts of healthcare fraud in connection with hospice care service recommendations. Applying de novo review, the court affirmed the convictions on the basis that the government presented enough circumstantial evidence, without direct evidence of intent, for a reasonable jury to have found guilt. With respect to sentencing, the circumstances surrounding 7,000 hospice claims formed a basis for fraud so pervasive that the government did not need to “sift” through each of the claims.