Literature Review

Golf For Guthrie Hospice raises more than $45,000Morning Times; by 7/3/24[NY] Guthrie is pleased to announce that the 22nd annual Golf for Guthrie Hospice Tournament raised more than $45,000. The funds will directly support Hospice services, helping to care for those in the final stage of life. More than 150 golfers and numerous volunteers participated for this inspiring cause. The event included a “Pot of Gold” drive to the green contest and three hole-in-one contests. To add to the excitement, Williams Toyota of Sayre and Gannon Associates teamed up to offer a brand-new Toyota Rav 4 as the hole-in-one grand prize.

Paramedics treating patients’ palliative needs at home benefits everyone[Canada] The Conversation; 8/5/24In a medical system that seems to be under constant bombardment — economic, pandemic, demographic — it’s refreshing to see solid evidence to support a new idea that improves care while saving valuable time and money. It’s exactly what has been happening in several Canadian provinces that have been implementing innovative palliative programs to improve paramedic support to patients with palliative care needs. The idea is that paramedics, with some extra training, can provide patient-centred care in the homes of people living with cancer and other life-limiting conditions. It is intended to make patients as comfortable as possible as they spend their last days at home, which is where most Canadians say they’d prefer to die.

VNS Health develops AI methodology for palliative care patient assessmentsHospice News; by Jim Parker; 8/5/24Research by VNS Health has found that generative AI systems can help clinicians better assess and predict patients’ palliative care needs.

Avow Kids Receives Transformational Gift From Naples Children & Education FoundationAvow Hospice press release; 7/23/24Avow Foundation has received a generous grant of $115,000 from the Naples Children & Education Foundation (NCEF), the founding organization of the Naples Winter Wine Festival. The grant is specifically intended for Avow Kids, a program for children ages 5 - 17 that provides support and companionship to youth experiencing any type of grief. The grant will support Avow Kids’ various services, such as individual counseling, support groups, workshops, camps, music therapy, movie nights, and more.

How healthcare is dealing with pain management disparitiesModern Healthcare; by Mari Devereaux; 7/29/24Patients of color receive different pain care than white patients, and universities are turning to implicit bias training for clinicians and revamping medical school curricula to help fix the problem. Disparities between racial groups in pain management largely exist due to the widespread, incorrect belief among providers that race is biological rather than a social construct, according to experts. This ingrained, sometimes unconscious assumption that people of color experience pain differently means marginalized communities often go without adequate medication or treatment for their pain... Here are strategies institutions and states are trying to reduce bias and improve pain treatment among marginalized groups.

Kids’ hospice offers hope-of-life care in Las Vegas Valley homesReview Journal; by Jeff Burbank; 8/5/24Known for palliative care for kids and young adults ending at age 21, the program (1Care) is called a “hospice” in the newer sense of the word, said Courtney Kaplan, director of community affairs for 1Care. The program is 100 percent covered by government-funded Medicaid. “Hospice is provided for a person with a terminal illness whose doctor believes he or she has six months or less to live if the illness runs its natural course,” the institute states. But in 1Care’s juvenile hospice, palliative care is provided for children with severe conditions but who don’t necessarily have terminal illnesses and can receive treatment while living with their parents and siblings, Kaplan said.

What’s changed in hospice in 2024?Managed Healthcare Executive; By Deborah Abrams Kaplan; 8/5/24Hospice use continues to grow as more older people have serious diseases, leading to the need for more palliative care. At the same time, CMS is adapting and trying new models to measure and improve quality and pay for services. The federal government spent $23.7 billion on hospice care in 2022, according to the latest Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) report, with at least 1.7 million Medicare beneficiaries receiving service. This includes nearly half of Medicare beneficiaries who died that year. Here’s what to expect over the next year. [Summarized]

Hospice advocate Judi Lund Person ... featured on Close Up Radio Western Slope Now, Ashburn, VA; by EIN Presswire; 7/26/24 (article) and 7/29/24 (recording)... Talking about where you’d like to be, who you’d like to be, and what you’d like to do is essential to entering this life-stage with confidence and grace. As the former Vice President of Regulatory and Compliance at the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) and a longtime advocate for hospice services under Medicare, Judi Lund Person has been working hard for more than 40 years to protect the definition of hospice care and to provide resources and guides for hospice providers to meet the Medicare requirements and provide high quality hospice care. ... Her passion for supporting patients and families during and after death began as a child. “When I was 12, my dad had a heart attack at night and passed when he was only 42. With two younger sisters, ages eight and ten, I was stunned that no one seemed to know what to do with us concerning our grief as children. We were left to try and figure it out on our own. I always thought that wasn’t quite right. Deep down, that experience was a driver for my career. I always knew families deserved more support during the grieving process,” shares Ms. Person. Editor's Note: Click here for the session's description. Click here for the recording. 

No prison for nursing home owner who botched Hurricane Ida evacuation, leading to 7 resident deathsMcKnight's Long-Term Care News; by Josh Henreckson;7/23/24Bob Dean has been sentenced to three years of probation and must pay more than $1.3 million in restitution and penalties for his role in the disastrous emergency evacuation of nearly 850 residents from his seven Louisiana nursing homes during Hurricane Ida. The 2021 emergency evacuation to a warehouse Dean owned near New Orleans left the residents of his nursing homes in a state of overcrowding and neglect. Seven died within days of the storm — with hundreds more rescued by state officials. Dean pleaded no contest to 15 state criminal charges, including multiple counts each of cruelty to the infirmed, obstruction of justice and Medicaid fraud.

Major acquisition fuels earnings success for VITAS in Q2McKnight's Home Care; by Adam Healy; 7/25/24VITAS Healthcare Corporation, the hospice subsidiary of Chemed Corporation, produced impressive second quarter earnings driven by workforce investments and a big-ticket acquisition [Covenant Health] that closed in April. In the quarter ended June 30, VITAS’ net income skyrocketed by 88.5% year-over-year to $49.2 million, according to an earnings report. Its revenues improved 16.7% to $374.5 million as patient admissions and average daily census increased by 11% and 14.4%, respectively, compared to the prior year quarter.

Top PBM executives grilled in contentious congressional hearingModern Healthcare; by Michael McAuliff; 7/23/24Lawmakers and executives from three major pharmacy benefit managers presented diametrically opposing views at a heated Capitol Hill hearing Tuesday, as major bills aimed at reining in the organizations remain stalled in Congress. Members of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability blamed the highly concentrated PBM industry for raising drug prices and running independent pharmacies out of business, while leaders from CVS Caremark, Express Scripts and Optum Rx all countered that the sector in fact lowers prices and supports local pharmacies.

Oak Ridge Boys speak out about longtime member Joe Bonsall's death. See what they saidNashville Tennessean; by Audrey Gibbs; 7/11/24Earlier this week, Oak Ridge Boys member and tenor vocalist Joe Bonsall died at 76 years old due to complications of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis... We would also like to thank the amazing people with Alive Hospice and encourage donations...