Literature Review

Bayada invests $375,000 to train future nurses in Pima County Bayada Communications, 3/26/24 Bayada Home Health Care, a nonprofit, global leader in home health care has granted $375,000 to fund nursing education for at least 15 students in Pima County. Tucson’s Bayada Skilled Nursing office ... is partnering with JobPath, a local nonprofit, to support students pursuing Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) or Registered Nurse (RN) certifications in the greater Tucson area. The grant to JobPath ... will help cover program tuition, books, and other expenses to support those who might otherwise not be able to afford nursing education. 

Bon Secours Mercy Health posts $123.9M operating loss; new CFO to begin July 1 Becker's Hospital CFO Report, by Alan Condon; 3/26/24 Cincinnati-based Bon Secours Mercy Health reported a $123.9 million operating loss (-1% margin) in 2023, improving on the $323.5 million operating loss (-2.9% margin) in 2022, according to financial documents published March 25. ... Agency costs declined from $504.1 million in 2022 to $256.2 million in 2023. ... Debbie Bloomfield, PhD, will retire as CFO at the end of 2024 after more than three decades with the health system. She will begin transitioning from her CFO role on July 1 and shift to financial leadership oversight of the system's subsidiaries. Travis Crum, senior vice president of finance, will take over as CFO on July 1. 

Fall prevention for the elderly: 13 strategies to keep them safe U.S. News & World Report, by Claire Wolters, ed. by Christine Comizion, MPH; 3/26/24Falls are the leading cause of injury in adults 65 and older – with reports showing about 14 million adults fall each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ... According to the CDC, falls are also the leading cause of injury-related death in the 65-and-older population – and the fall death rate is growing.Here's what to know about what increases risk for falls in older adults, and get familiar with fall prevention tips and safety measures that can help reduce the risk.Editor's Note: This U.S. News article primes the pump. Preventing falls matters especially for vulnerable hospice patients as their disease progresses, and as they and/or family want the person to be as mobile as possible. What do your Incident Reports tell you about falls? What falls-specific education do you provide for your interdisciplinary teams? On-call staff? Family caregivers? Volunteers? What QAPI programs have addressed falls? 

M&A volume may shift from hospice to home health Hospice News, by Jim Parker, 3/26/24 Though many expect a hospice M&A rebound in 2024, the scales are tipping in favor of home health companies among buyers. Generally, signs point to heightened buyer activity this year, particularly among private equity as interest rates start to come down. 

Group homes: Pros and cons for senior care US News & World Report - Health, by Lisa Esposito; 3/25/24 You won’t walk lengthy corridors with identical rooms, or see a calendar chock-full of structured activities – but you may smell a home-cooked meal. For some older adults who need long-term care, group homes are providing a more family-style alternative to nursing homes or assisted living facilities. As with other long-term care options, group homes are licensed in their state and must meet certain standards.

2,300 University of Michigan Health workers unionize as part of growing labor movement Detroit Free Press, by Kristen Jordan Shamus; 3/27/24 More than 2,300 University of Michigan Health employees have joined the Service Employees International Union Healthcare Michigan, part of a growing labor union-represented workforce at the Ann Arbor-based health system. ... Already, about 80% of the workforce at Michigan Medicine belongs to a labor union, the SEIU reported Tuesday.

Tele-palliative care benefits veterans with cardiac, pulmonary diseases Hospice News, by Jim Parker; 3/26/24 Patients with cardiac and pulmonary conditions see improvements in their quality of life after receiving palliative care via telehealth. A randomized clinical trial with 306 participants who suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), heart failure (HF), and interstitial lung disease (ILD) found that palliative telehealth resulted in significant improvements. The results were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Palliative care in the cardiovascular intensive care unit: A systematic review of current literatureCardiovascular Revascularization Medicine, by Agastya D Belur, Aryan Mehta, Mridul Bansal, Patrick M Wieruszewski, Rachna Kataria, Marwan Saad, Annaliese Clancy, Daniel J Levine, Neel R Sodha, Douglas M Burtt, Gregory S Rachu, J Dawn Abbott, Saraschandra Vallabhajosyula; 3/24/24, online ahead of print Results: Of 5711 citations, 30 studies were included. All studies were published in the last seven years and 90 % originated in the United States. Heart failure was the most frequent diagnosis (47 %), and in-hospital mortality was reported in 67 % of studies. There was heterogeneity in the timing, frequency, and background of the care team that determined palliative care consultation. In two randomized trials, there appeared to be improvement in quality of life without an impact on mortality.

Covid-19: Life as nurses in first critical incident hospital Nursing Times, by Edd Church; 3/26/24 Two nurses who were at the epicentre of the Covid-19 outbreak have splen about their experiences four years on.

Here’s what a doctor says actually happens when you die United Business Journal, by Nidhi Dhote; 3/26/24Death is the great equalizer; it’s a subject that intrigues and terrifies us in equal measure. Throughout human history, we’ve pondered what lies beyond the threshold of life, seeking answers in religion, philosophy, and science. Yet, despite all our advancements, the mystery of death remains largely intact. ... In this article, we’ll delve into what happens to our bodies when we die, as explained by medical professionals.

EnforceMintz - False Claims Act statistical year in review Mondaq - Mintz; by Kevin M. McGinty, Laurence Freedman, Karen Lovitch and Brian Dunphy; 3/27/24 Mintz's annual report on False Claims Act case activity analyzes data from the DOJ and the firm's Health Care Qui Tam Database, and explores the 2023 spike in FCA case activity, the ongoing moderate decline in health care–related activity, and continuing robust recoveries in health care cases. ... Also interesting is the absence of hospice care facilities from this year's table. In a number of recent years, those entities had been a growing category of FCA defendants in our internal data.

A nurse practitioner-driven palliative and supportive care service in nursing homes: Evaluation of a quality improvement projectJournal of Hospice & Palliative Nursing; by Joan G Carpenter, Julianne Murthi, Molly Langford, Ruth Palan Lopez; 3/26/24, online ahead of print This article describes a quality improvement project implemented by a national postacute long-term care organization aimed at enhancing the provision of palliative care to nursing home residents. ... Most common symptoms that were managed included pain, delirium, and dyspnea; most common diagnoses cared for were dementia and chronic organ failure (eg, cardiac, lung, renal, and neurological diseases).

Nurse arrested after morphine, other stolen medical drugs seized in Owensboro14 News WFIE, by Aaron Chatman; 3/26/24 Eight suspects were arrested and facing numerous charges after a massive drug bust in Owensboro. That’s according to the Daviess County Sheriff’s Office, who says they opened an investigation after receiving dozens of tips about a drug trafficking operation at the home of Pamela Bartimus. Deputies say Bartimus was an employee of Hospice & Palliative Care of Western Kentucky and had been stealing medication at her job.