Literature Review



Cancer care deserts are spreading

08/08/24 at 03:00 AM

Cancer care deserts are spreadingBecker's Hospital Review; by Mariah Taylor; 8/2/24Cancer treatment deserts are growing as more rural hospitals close and cut services, CBS News reported Aug. 1. Many hospitals are discontinuing essential services, such as chemotherapy and labor and delivery, due to financial strains and staffing challenges. Between 2014 and 2022, 382 rural hospitals halted chemotherapy services, Charis, a health analytics and consulting firm, found in a report published this spring. Texas had the highest percentage of rural hospitals that eliminated chemotherapy services at 47%. Next came Alabama (46%), Mississippi (45%), Tennessee (44%), and Florida (39%).Publisher's note: Cancer care deserts impact hospice referrals, and raise the question of "hospice deserts".

Read More

Golf For Guthrie Hospice raises more than $45,000

08/07/24 at 03:15 AM

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.

Read More

CMS 2025 Hospice Final Rule: Additional responses

08/07/24 at 03:05 AM

CMS 2025 Hospice Final Rule: Additional Responses

Read More

Paramedics treating patients’ palliative needs at home benefits everyone

08/07/24 at 03:00 AM

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.

Read More

Today's Encouragement

08/07/24 at 03:00 AM

Without passion, you won’t do something 100%. That’s the bottom line. ~Apolo Ohno, American speed skater and eight-time medalist

Read More

VNS Health develops AI methodology for palliative care patient assessments

08/07/24 at 03:00 AM

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.

Read More

10 Steps to Creating a Data-Driven Culture

08/07/24 at 03:00 AM

10 Steps to Creating a Data-Driven CultureHarvard Business Review; by David Waller; 2/6/20Exploding quantities of data have the potential to fuel a new era of fact-based innovation in corporations, backing up new ideas with solid evidence. Buoyed by hopes of better satisfying customers, streamlining operations, and clarifying strategy, firms have for the past decade amassed data, invested in technologies, and paid handsomely for analytical talent. Yet for many companies a strong, data-driven culture remains elusive, and data are rarely the universal basis for decision making. Why is it so hard? ... So we’ve distilled 10 data commandments to help create and sustain a culture with data at its core.

Read More

Avow Kids receives transformational gift from Naples Children & Education Foundation

08/07/24 at 03:00 AM

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.

Read More

Today's Heartwarming Story [LMHPCO Conference]

08/07/24 at 03:00 AM

Today's Heartwarming Story [LMHPCO Conference]

Read More

How healthcare is dealing with pain management disparities

08/07/24 at 03:00 AM

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.

Read More

‘Restored faith in humanity:’ What’s it like to volunteer at Mercy Health Hospice of the Valley?

08/07/24 at 03:00 AM

‘Restored faith in humanity:’ What’s it like to volunteer at Mercy Health Hospice of the Valley?[OH] Mahoning Matters; by Kelcey Norris; 8/5/24Jennifer Burgoyne, Hospice of the Valley’s volunteer coordinator, described the volunteering experience as getting “a paycheck of the heart.”

Read More

Kids’ hospice offers hope-of-life care in Las Vegas Valley homes

08/07/24 at 03:00 AM

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.

Read More

Bluegrass Care Navigators receives grant award from Disabled Veterans National Foundation

08/07/24 at 03:00 AM

Bluegrass Care Navigators receives grant award from Disabled Veterans National FoundationAppalachian News-express; 8/5/24Bluegrass Care Navigators announced in a statement it has received a grant from the Disabled Veterans National Foundation for $18,000 which will allow BCN to focus its Integrative Medicine therapies on serving more of veteran patients.

Read More

What’s changed in hospice in 2024?

08/07/24 at 03:00 AM

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]

Read More

Cleveland Clinic names first Chief AI Officer

08/07/24 at 03:00 AM

Cleveland Clinic names first Chief AI OfficerCleveland Clinic press release; 7/29/24Cleveland Clinic has appointed its first Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer to direct the use of AI across the health system. Ben Shahshahani, Ph.D., a technology executive with more than 20 years of experience in AI and machine learning, will serve as Vice President, Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer, starting Aug. 12, 2024.Publisher's note: Hospice implications...?

Read More

Hospice advocate Judi Lund Person ... featured on Close Up Radio

08/07/24 at 02:00 AM

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. 

Read More

Steward Health Care to close more Massachusetts hospitals

08/06/24 at 03:10 AM

Steward Health finds buyers for 2 hospitals amid Senate probeModern Healthcare; by Jonathan Randles; 7/22/24Bankrupt Steward Health said it found buyers for two of its hospitals in Arkansas and Louisiana, as the nation’s largest for-profit health system braces for a bipartisan Senate investigation into its financial woes. Steward is selling the Wadley Regional Medical Center in Hope, Arkansas, to Pafford Health Systems Inc. and Glenwood Regional Medical Center in West Monroe, Louisiana, to an affiliate of American Healthcare Systems.

Read More

No prison for nursing home owner who botched Hurricane Ida evacuation, leading to 7 resident deaths

08/06/24 at 03:05 AM

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.

Read More

Dr. Susan Bray-Hall brings leadership, proven experience to the VA Rocky Mountain Network

08/06/24 at 03:05 AM

Dr. Susan Bray-Hall brings leadership, proven experience to the VA Rocky Mountain NetworkUtah Business; 7/5/24The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced today the appointment of Susan Bray-Hall, M.D., FACP, as Chief Medical Officer (CMO), VA Rocky Mountain Network (Veterans Integrated Service Network [VISN] 19). She is responsible for overseeing all clinical programs, operations, and services in VISN 19, a system with 18,000 employees that serves nearly 750,000 eligible Veterans at eight health care systems, and more than 100 additional sites of care.Publisher's note: Congratulations Susan!

Read More

Major acquisition fuels earnings success for VITAS in Q2

08/06/24 at 03:05 AM

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.

Read More

Healthcare providers wary CMS dementia pilot will not cover costs

08/06/24 at 03:05 AM

Healthcare providers wary CMS dementia pilot will not cover costsModern Healthcare; by Diane Eastabrook;7/23/24Hospitals, primary care practices and other healthcare providers are split over whether Medicare will pay them enough to cover dementia patients at home as part of a new pilot. Nearly 100 providers began enrolling patients July 1 in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience model, known as GUIDE. Another 300 others will begin enrolling patients in the program on July 1, 2025. Some participants that previously provided comprehensive wrap-around services for dementia patients at home said getting a monthly care management payment for each fee-for-service beneficiary will cover costs they had been absorbing. But others aren’t sure the reimbursement will be enough to scale up programs or cover the cost of care for these complex patients.

Read More

Top PBM executives grilled in contentious congressional hearing

08/06/24 at 03:00 AM

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.

Read More

Merger will take advocacy efforts to new heights, NAHC, NHPCO leaders say

08/06/24 at 03:00 AM

Merger will take advocacy efforts to new heights, NAHC, NHPCO leaders sayMcKnight's Home Care; by Adam Healy; 8/1/24The merging of two major trade associations is a key step forward for home care and hospice advocacy efforts, according to leaders of the National Association for Home Care & Hospice and the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization... The [NAHC-NHPCO] Alliance also provided an update on its CEO search. The organizations have previously stated that neither Dombi nor Ben Marcantonio, CEO of NHPCO, will be eligible to lead the merged organization. Instead, CEO candidates have come from a variety of backgrounds, including healthcare policy and advocacy, consulting and lobbying, government agencies and regulated entities, according to Melinda Gruber, vice chair of the Alliance’s transition board of directors. “We’ve had a large number of candidates and interest,” Gruber said Wednesday. “We are nearing the finalist selection phase … and we cannot wait to make an announcement after that.” Finally, NAHC and NHPCO disclosed that “The NAHC-NHPCO Alliance,” the associations’ current moniker, will likely not be the name it uses as a fully merged organization. “Trademark hurdles” have delayed the announcement of its official new name, but it is anticipated to be revealed soon, according to Ken Albert, chair of the transition board.

Read More

Oak Ridge Boys speak out about longtime member Joe Bonsall's death. See what they said

08/06/24 at 03:00 AM

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...

Read More

‘Sharpen your game:’ Dombi tells hospices to step up in face of stricter government oversight

08/06/24 at 03:00 AM

‘Sharpen your game:’ Dombi tells hospices to step up in face of stricter government oversight McKnight's Home Care; by Adam Healy; 7/22/24The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has hospice on its radar, and providers’ best safeguard against unwanted attention is to take oversight measures into their own hands, according to William Dombi, president of the National Association for Home Care & Hospice. “Sharpen your game before somebody knocks on your door,” Dombi said Monday during a press conference at the 2024 NAHC Financial Management Conference in Las Vegas. He recommended that hospice providers look internally to identify problems that could raise regulators’ alarms. An independent audit, he noted, could be helpful for spotting potential noncompliance... He later noted, “Hospices believe they’re compliant when they’re probably not.”

Read More