Literature Review

How changing reproductive health laws could impact perinatal hospice Hospice News, by Holly Vossel; 3/8/24 Evolutions in reproductive health laws may have reverberating impacts on the demand and delivery of perinatal hospice care. Perinatal hospice care is provided to families choosing to continue a pregnancy following a life-limiting prenatal diagnosis indicating a high risk of mortality before or shortly after birth. This care includes emotional, spiritual and medical support to families navigating the complexities of a terminal illness. Perinatal hospice providers work closely with health care professionals in neonatal intensive care units (NICU) and reproductive health settings. 

I have little time left. I hope my goodbye inspires you. The Washington Post, by Amy Ettinger; 3/9/24 This past summer, at age 49, I was diagnosed with a rare, incurable cancer called leiomyosarcoma. ... My symptoms were getting worse. I had swelling in my abdomen and legs that couldn’t be treated. After a while, I could no longer walk up the stairs of my house. I decided I wanted comfort, and this week I made the decision to transition to hospice. After choosing this path, I reflected on some of the things I was able to do since my diagnosis: ... People are often afraid when they hear the word “hospice,” but for me it’s been a positive experience. Editor's Note: Read and share this inspiring personal story about choosing hospice care. This is not about Medical Assistance In Dying (MAID), thus eliminating controversial perspectives.

Ohio’s Hospice cuts unnamed number of staff, CEO confirms Journal-News Butler County; by Samantha Wildow; 3/8/24Ohio’s Hospice has reduced its staff by an unnamed number of employees, the CEO confirmed to the Dayton Daily News. Ohio’s Hospice is a partnership of nonprofit hospices in Ohio committed to “a shared vision of strengthening and preserving community-based hospices,” the organization said.  “Since our beginning, our focus has been and will always be on the patients and families we have the privilege of serving,” said Kent Anderson, CEO of Ohio’s Hospice. The nonprofit has faced “inflationary pressures,” he said, which have impacted labor, energy and other costs.

Mayo's plan to expand AI tool access in 2024 Becker's Health IT, by Naomi Diaz; 3/7/24Rochester, MN-based Mayo Clinic has saved its nurses 30 seconds per In Basket message using generative AI. ... This AI-driven system assists clinicians by generating initial responses to patient messages that have nonurgent medical questions. ... The tool has been able to generate draft responses to 3.9 million patient messages in 11 months saving nurses approximately 30 seconds per message, leading to potential monthly time savings of 1,500 hours across the organization, according to the post. Editor's Note: Even without purchasing expensive AI software, many basic software systems / email systems have similar systems to generate sample response phrases, e.g. Microsoft Outlook and Google's Gmail. Your clinicians are sure to have honed out numerous time-savers. Ask! Compile results, assess best practices and reward their input. 

Western Slope lawmakers introduce bill to license funeral home operatorsGrand Junction (CO) Daily Sentinel, by Elliott Wenzler; 3/6/24[CO Senate Bill 173] would address one glaring issue with the funeral home industry in Colorado — it’s the only state in the country that doesn’t license funeral home operators.Publisher's note: This legislative action is part of a broad response to the Return to Nature Funeral Home felony charges following discovery of 189 improperly stored bodies detailed in this Colorado Springs Gazette story.

CMS reportsCMS email; 3/8/24

The states where most Medicare beneficiaries have Medicare Advantage plans Becker's Payer Issues, by Andrew Cass; 3/6/24 Twenty-six states now have more than half of their Medicare enrollees in Medicare Advantage plans, according to a March 5 report from Chartis, a healthcare advisory services firm. Nationwide, half of Medicare-eligible beneficiaries are now enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans. [Click on the title's link for] the 26 states where Medicare Advantage market penetration exceeds 50%. 

100+ hospitals, health systems among Newsweek's greatest workplaces for women Newsweek / Becker's Hospital Review, by Kelly Gooch; 3/7/24 Newsweek has published its 2024 "America's Greatest Workplaces for Women" ranking, which includes hospitals and health systems. ... The best companies in the tiers of large companies (5,000+ employees), mid-size companies (1,000 to 4,999 employees) and small companies (500 to 999 employees) were recognized among the 1,000 greatest workplaces for women.  ... [Click on the link above to the list gleaned by Becker's of hospitals and health systems.]  

How CON laws influence hospice quality, program integrityHospice News, by Holly Vossel; 3/8/24Variations in hospice certificate of need (CON) state laws are raising program integrity concerns.Notable mentions: Susan Ponder-Stansel, President and CEO of Alivia Care; Paul Ledford, President and CEO of the Florida Hospice & Palliative Care Association; Eddie Belluomini, COO of 1Care Hospice & 1Care Kids; Paula Sanders, Executive Director of the Georgia Hospice and Palliative Care Organization; Matt Hansen, Executive Director of the Homecare & Hospice Association of Utah.

Medicare Hospice – exploding in size but riddled with quality concerns Penn LDI, by Hoag Levins; 3/8/24 Five top experts on hospice care convened in a virtual discussion of the Medicare Hospice program. This video is the full session.

Programmatic palliative care consultations in pediatric heart transplant evaluations Pediatr Cardiol, by Erika J Mejia, Rui Xiao, Jennifer K Walter, Chris Feudtner, Kimberly Y Lin, Aaron G DeWitt, Meeta Prasad Kerlin; 3/8/24 Guidelines advocate for integrating palliative care into the management of heart failure (HF) and of children with life-limiting disease. The potential impact of palliative care integration into pediatric HF on patient-centered outcomes is poorly understood. The present study sought to assess the association of programmatic implementation of palliative care into the heart transplant evaluation process with hospital-free days (HFD) and end of life (EOL) treatment choices. 

‘Nothing less than a crisis’ as 45 percent of SNFs cite serious financial issues in AHCA survey McKnights Senior Living, by Kathleen Steele Gaivin; 3/6/24 Forty-five percent of skilled nursing facility participants in a new survey said they are “either operating in the red or barely breaking even.” The American Health Care Association survey of 441 nursing home providers, the results of which were released Tuesday, found that 42% of SNFs are operating on a total margin of 0% to 3%, and only 13% are operating with a total margin that is greater than 3%. AHCA’s State of the Sector Report also found that staffing challenges remain.