Literature Review

MedPAC releases June 2024 report on Medicare and the health care delivery systemMedPac - Medicare Payment Advisory Commision; Press Release; 6/13/24The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) released its June 2024 Report [on June 13, 2024] to the Congress: Medicare and the Health Care Delivery System. Each June, as part of its mandate from the Congress, MedPAC reports on improvements to Medicare payment systems, issues affecting the Medicare program, and changes to health care delivery and the market for health care services. This year’s report covers the following topics:

HPNA Position Statement: Medical Aid in Dying (MAiD)HPNA's position, policy, and value statements are reviewed every five years. Prior to approval from the Board of Directors, all new, revised, and updated position or value statements are posted for public comment to allow for opinions relevant to the position or value statement for a 30-day period. Statement open for comments through July 7, 2024.Position statement; feedback form

End of pandemic internet subsidies threatens a health care lifeline for rural AmericaKFF Health News; by Sarah Jane Tribble; 6/5/24Myrna Broncho is standing outdoors beside a wooden fence that lines a large, open field on a sunny day.Since signing up for the Affordable Connectivity Program last year, Myrna Broncho’s internet bill has been fully paid by the discount. The program provided $75 discounts for internet access in tribal or high-cost areas like Broncho’s, but it is out of money.

Ransomware spikes after Change hack Becker's Health IT; by Naomi Diaz; 6/13/24 Following Change Healthcare's admission that it paid off hackers after its ransomware attack, there has been a spike in healthcare-related cyber incidents, Wired reported June 12. In April, cybersecurity firm Recorded Future identified 44 instances of cybercriminal groups targeting healthcare organizations with ransomware attacks. These attacks involved stealing data, encrypting systems and demanding ransom payments while holding networks hostage. This marks the highest number of healthcare ransomware victims recorded in a single month during Recorded Future's four years of data collection, Allan Liska, a threat intelligence analyst at the company told Wired. 

AAHPM CMO Joe Rotella: Hospice does not exist to save money Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 6/17/24Dr. Joe Rotella, chief medical officer of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM), calls on hospices to maintain their core principles amid a churning sea of regulatory and economic changes. Rotella began his medical career as a primary care physician in a small, rural town in central New Hampshire, where he stayed for 12 years [followed by serving Hospice & Palliative Care of Louisville, KY/Hosparus as Chief Medical director for 15 years]. ... Now, Rotella will soon retire from AAHPM. Hospice News sat down with Rotella to discuss the ways hospice and palliative care have changed during his tenure in the space, as well as the forces shaping the field’s future. ...

Hospice staff cycle more than 300 miles to work VNExplorer - bbc.com; 6/13/24 Hospice staff have collectively cycled more than 300 miles this week to raise money for their place of work. Seven St Margaret's Hospice employees cycled to work on Tuesday morning to mark Bike Week. ... The group raised £1,000 for the Taunton hospice, which they say could pay for 24 hours of expert specialist care on its inpatient unit, with donations still coming in. ... The idea for the challenge began with senior IT technician, Jack Gorman, whose colleagues had been encouraging him to cycle to work more often. Tom White, head of business intelligence, challenged Mr. Gorman that if he cycled to and from work - a 50-mile commute to work and back - then Mr. White would cycle in from his Barnstaple home, a round trip of 100 miles. ...Editor's Note: Does this spark ideas for your organization, especially for your office-based staff? Take this and adapt it to a fun, practical, revenue-generating, relationship-building activity for your organization. 

Why doctors aren’t participating in organ donation after cardiac death Physician's Weekly; by Frank D. Brodkey, MD, FCCM; 6/13/24Organ donation after cardiac death (DCD) differs from the more traditional organ donation after brain death (DBD) insofar that DCD donors are alive and donate organs after discontinuation of life support so that a natural death with cessation of heartbeat and circulation may occur, followed by extraction of organs. This may increase the availability of transplantable organs, leading to improvement in the lives of other humans.  According to the Health Resources and Services Administration, 5896 donations, representing 36% of all donations in 2023, were DCD, representing an increase of 40.7% over the preceding three years. There, however, are significant ethical and scientific issues in the performance of DCD with concepts of end-of-life care, personal autonomy, and concepts of dignity of life and death. ...

Of Mice and Meaning: Multidisciplinary perspectives on the interconnectedness of pain, stress, and suffering The Free Library; by Claire Woodward and Taylor Woodward, Indiana University Bloomington; 6/13/24 ... We are siblings and scholars from seemingly disparate disciplines (one in humanities and one in neurobiology), yet we are both engaged in work to understand--and ultimately alleviate--various facets of pain and suffering. We currently work in two different laboratories at the same institution (Indiana University). Taylor works in a lab with mice and Claire works in a lab on storytelling. Our scholarship includes interpreting reactions to pain, stress, and suffering, both felt and observed, behavioral and aesthetic. Such observations provide further insights into understanding how the mind and the brain process pain and suffering. ...

Fashion for a Cause shatters another record, raises $240,000 for children’s programs: : Hospice of the Chesapeake The Baynet, Annapolis, MD; by Hospice of the Chesapeake; 6/13/24 Doing great never looked so good on June 7 as around 350 fun-loving people enjoyed perfect weather outside and perfect looks inside at the 14th annual Fashion for a Cause. Held at the Fluegel Alumni Center in Annapolis, the high-spirited crowd smashed its fundraising record, bringing in more than $240,000 for Chesapeake Kids, the Hospice of the Chesapeake program which supports children living with and affected by advanced illness and loss. Returning for his third year was emcee Bryan Nehman, cohost of C4 and Bryan Nehman weekday mornings on WBAL NewsRadio. Sharing the podium with Hospice of the Chesapeake President and CEO Becky Miller, they introduced Marie Burgess, who shared her family’s journey with the Chesapeake Kids program. Editor's Note: Congratulations Hospice of the Chesapeake on this outpouring of community support!

Alive welcomes experienced hospice leader as new CEO: Middle Tennessee's only nonprofit hospice provider poised to build on industry-leading reputationAlive Hospice; 6/13/24Alive, Middle Tennessee’s only nonprofit provider of hospice and palliative care and end-of-life services, today announced Kerry Hamilton as the organization’s new president and chief executive officer. He will begin his new role on June 24. A highly accomplished health care leader, Hamilton joins Alive with more than 20 years of direct hospice management experience, including a decade as CEO of nonprofit Hospice of Central Ohio. ... Hamilton’s hiring comes one year after news broke that Alive was considering a sale to a for-profit entity. The news led to a tremendous outpouring of support from the community for Alive to remain nonprofit. Ultimately, the Board of Directors made the decision that Alive would remain an independent nonprofit organization. The Board then began the search for a new CEO who shared its vision for the future.

"A wholeness that grows out of that which is lacking": Providing palliative care to patients with anorexia nervosaPsychiatric Times; by Rabbanit Allissa Thomas-Newborn, BCC; 6/13/24Sitting with the patient, I brought in a nesting doll, separating each doll and lifting the layers of self that surrounded the smallest version of herself within. We spoke about layers. Layers and walls we put up to protect ourselves. Layers that hide the things we are afraid for anyone—worst of all, ourselves—to see. Layers that embrace and comfort and hold us together. ... With the fullness of the nesting doll displayed, we gave witness to her story together. ... To see ourselves as stories of wholeness growing out of that which is lacking requires that we accept what is lacking without judgment. We do not need to fix or fill whatever is lacking, or to pretend it is not there. It is there and may always be there. And there is a wholeness that can still grow. Editor's Note: Rabbanit Thomas-Newborn is a board-certified chaplain at New York-Presbyterian Columbia University Irving Medical Center and Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital. She specializes in Behavioral Health, Palliative Care, and Critical Care chaplaincy. She is the president of Neshama: Association of Jewish Chaplains. 

CNAs don't just provide care; they create moments of joy and connection! - Anonymous

The value of a DNP degree: Translating your knowledge into nursing practice Delaware State Nurses Association; by Karen L. Pickard, DNP, RN, CNE, NEA-BC; 6/13/24The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree has gained traction in the United States over the last twenty-two years. Nurses who specialized in clinical practice and held an advanced practice license supported the development of the DNP degree as an alternative to a terminal degree specialized in research science and academia, the Ph.D. ... Having a broader perspective related to the business of healthcare while understanding the clinical challenges nurses face at the bedside gives a DNP-prepared nurse opportunities to present information and solutions through a different lens. Opportunities on boards, advisory committees, and professional organizations have become vast, ...Editorial Note: Does your organization have DNP professionals whose skills you are under-utilizing? Do you have talented, motivated nurses who would benefit from a DNP career ladder plan? Share this article. What career ladder options and support do your Human Resources systems provide?