Literature Review

It takes more than love to care for a loved one Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business; guest column by Jason Erskine, AARP; 11/5/24 Chances are, if you aren’t a family caregiver, you know someone who is. Every day, more than 820,000 Washingtonians help their parents, spouses, siblings, grandparents, neighbors and other loved ones to live independently at home – where they want to be. November is National Family Caregivers Month, a time to highlight the important work these folks do. But simply thanking them isn’t enough. ... AARP and United Way have teamed up to connect caregivers with trained, compassionate people in your community who can help you find AARP caregiving resources and more. It’s called 211, it’s a free service, and you can talk to specialists who can help you find local resources for caring for your loved one … and for yourself too. ... AARP Washington is here to help with information and resources to support and connect caregivers. Go to: aarp.org/caregiverswa.

You treat a disease, you win, you lose. You treat a person, I guarantee you, you'll win, no matter what the outcome. ~ Patch Adams

Statement from NPHI on US election results National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI); Press Release; 11/6/24On November 6th, the Associated Press declared that Donald Trump is the new president-elect of the United States. In response to this news, the National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI) issued the following statement from Tom Koutsoumpas, our CEO: "Following the election of President-Elect Donald Trump, the National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI) reiterates its dedication to advocating for high-quality, compassionate care for all patients and families facing serious illness. NPHI looks forward to collaborating with the incoming administration and new Congress to address critical needs in healthcare policy, expand support for advanced illness care, and work toward a stronger healthcare future for patients, families, and caregivers alike. ... [Click here to read the full statement.] ... At NPHI, we are committed to ensuring that every American has access to dignified, high-quality care. We will work with the new administration to protect and enhance the Medicare hospice benefit, expand access to high-quality care at home, and advance policy solutions that center on patient needs and community well-being."

Elections belong to the people. ~ Abraham Lincoln

Pennsylvania LPNs will now be able to make death pronouncements Tri-State Alert; 11/4/24 A bill sponsored by Sen. Lynda Schlegel Culver (R-27) was signed into law this week to enable licensed practical nurses (LPNs) working in a hospice setting to make death pronouncements. “I am grateful for the governor’s support of this important legislation,” Culver said. “LPNs are with patients and their families until the moment of death, providing essential care during emotional times. Allowing LPNs to make death pronouncements, which was previously only a function of doctors, RNs, physician assistants, and coroners, can alleviate wait times that grieving families often experience.” The bill was amended in the House of Representatives to also provide needed clarification on the waiver of birth and death certificate fees for members of the armed services, veterans, and their families. The law now outlines specifically whose documents qualify for the waiver, as well as applicants and scenarios for which the fee may be waived. 

How four partnerships are advancing cutting-edge cancer care Modern Healthcare; by Caroline Hudson; 11/4/24 Top cancer treatment organizations are leaning into partnerships to take care delivery to the next level. The National Cancer Institute estimates more than 2 million cases of cancer will be diagnosed in 2024. Healthcare leaders say collaboration among technology companies, research institutes, academic medical centers and universities allows them to combine resources and develop cutting-edge treatments more quickly — potentially at a fraction of the cost of standalone projects. ... Here’s what executives say about how four partnerships are advancing cancer care and why collaboration made the most sense for their systems.

Chicago Pacific Founders sells 20 communities valued at $725 million to Ventas McKnights Senior Living; by Kathleen Steele Gaivin; 11/1/24 Chicago Pacific Founders sold 20 senior living communities to real estate investment trust Ventas this week, the healthcare investment firm announced Thursday [10/31]. The properties are valued at $725 million, “representing one of the most significant senior housing portfolio sales in the United States for 2024,” according to CPF. “Senior living is a core investment strategy and one we continue to grow by purchasing and establishing new institutional-quality communities, and this sale demonstrates the strength and attractiveness of this asset class,” CPF founder and Managing Partner Mary Tolan said. The 20-property portfolio includes independent living, assisted living and memory care communities located in what CPF called “strategic markets known for strong and growing demand for senior living.”

Hopeful for the hospice house Gillette News Record; by Jonathan Gallardo; 11/2/24 Last week, Campbell County Health and the Northeast Wyoming Community Health Foundation announced that they were working together to look at bringing back inpatient services to the Close to Home Hospice House. For many, I’m sure the announcement came as a surprise. The split between the two sides was so public and was drawn out over a couple of years. Bridges had seemingly been burned, never to be crossed again. But wouldn’t you know it, those bridges appear to be on the mend. In their announcements, CCH and the foundation both said they’ve been in talks about what it would take to reopen Close to Home. “Our primary focus is the well-being of our community, and we are committed to transparency as we engage in these preliminary discussions,” CCH said in a press release. 

Longer hospice stays among dementia patients save Medicare dollars Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 11/4/24 Hospice utilization has tripled among patients diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) during the past two decades. The trend has ignited concerns about these patients’ lengths of stay, as well as praise for hospices’ cost-savings potential. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) researchers analyzed Medicare fee-for-service claims spanning between 1999 and 2019, including data on hospice billing, patient enrollment, hospitalizations, health costs and chronic condition indicators. Roughly 14.7% of ADRD patients utilized hospices services in 2019, nearly triple the 4.4% of patients who received this care in 1999, according to the research, which was published in the National Bureau of Economic Research. The research compared billing claims among nonprofit and for-profit providers to explore spending associated with longer hospice stays among dementia patients. ...

St. John makes donation to hospice The Fayette County Record, LaGrange, TX; by News Staff; 11/4/24 St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, Fayetteville, dedicated a percentage of this year’s annual feast proceeds to Hospice Brazos Valley. A check in the amount of $9,000 was presented by Father Steve Sauser at the Sunday morning Mass. Receiving the check for Hospice Brazos Valley were nurses, Liz Jones and Kelly Muzny. [Full article may require a subscription.] 

Local hospice care offers services The Tribune, Seymour, IN; by Chey Smith; 11/1/24 St. Croix Hospice has recently expanded its reach locally to those in the community who need the resources they provide, ... The firm provides hospice care throughout the Midwest including three other branches in Indiana — Jeffersonville, Newburgh and Indianapolis. While in Seymour, they are able to serve Jackson County as well as those residents from Bartholomew, Brown, Jennings, Lawrence, Monroe, Scott and Washington counties. Caregivers at each hospice location live in the communities they serve, allowing in-person care for patients whenever they need it. Services are available nights, weekends and holidays. Chris Thomas, regional director of clinical operations at St. Croix’s Indiana locations, talked about the importance of this closeness and flexibility. “We wanted to move to this location because we wanted to service the local community,” Thomas said. “Try to stay closer to the community for faster response time.” This phase of someone’s life can be scary, but Thomas says that it doesn’t have to be that way. “People are scared when they hear the word hospice. We just want to let the community know that it’s okay. It doesn’t mean you’re giving up,” he said. “We really want to focus on the time they have left.”

O beautiful for spacious skies, For amber waves of grain, For purple mountain majesties Above the fruited plain! America! America! God shed his grace on thee And crown thy good with brotherhood From sea to shining sea!~ Katherine Lee Bates

Physician explores family's end-of-life journey in new podcast: "There were so many places that we ran into unexpected obstacles" MedPage Today; by Rachael Robertson; 11/4/24 As host of the TED Health podcastopens in a new tab or window, Shoshana Ungerleider, MD, is no stranger to podcasting. But now, the internist turned the mic on herself to explore death and mortality through the lens of her own experience losing her father to pancreatic cancer. Her eight-episode show is called "Before We Go" and is available on all podcast platforms (Spotify, Apple) with new episodes each week through early December. ... Ungerleider: My father died from pancreatic cancer in the spring of 2023. In my experience as an internist and as someone who is an expert on end-of-life through my work with End Well, there were so many things that kind of shocked me along the way. Despite the fact that I had the knowledge, the expertise, and the resources to provide him with a good end-of-life experience, there were so many places that we ran into unexpected obstacles. I wanted to share my story, really, with the goal of helping other people who might be facing the same kind of journey, and how to find the balance between being a doctor and being a daughter.  ...