Literature Review

Hospice care quality: Latest CMS data Becker's Hospital Review; by Elizabeth Gregerson; 3/12/25 CMS has analyzed data from more than 5,000 hospice agencies for its latest update to Care Compare. Care Compare, a consumer search tool for home health, hospice and other Medicare-reimbursed healthcare services, provides patients with information to make informed decisions about healthcare. National hospice care quality data from April 1, 2023, and March 31, 2024, was published by the agency Feb. 19. ... The proportion of hospice patients who received each care measure:

Northern Light Palliative Care helps patients live their best lives The Piscataquis Observer - The Voice of Rural Maine; by Stuart Maine; 3/13/25 People who have received a chronic, life-altering or life-limiting diagnosis can live their best life with the help of Northern Light Palliative Care, and there have been recent changes in the delivery of palliative care.  ... Northern Light Health Palliative Care Service Line Medical Director Dr. Vanessa Little, DO, FAAHPM [described,] ... “We’ve had nurse practitioners who visited people in the home exclusively and now we’re moving to expand the program to a clinic setting and the in-home model is going to be changing a bit." ... Patients can still receive home care “but we’re trying to have palliative care be available to more people,” she said. “We are going to be relying on technology to get the providers, nurse practitioners, and physicians in homes via technology and then have people in person through Northern Light Homecare & Hospice with nursing, critical therapy, and occupational therapy just as we always have.”

Daughter asks US Marine to honor her dying war hero dad. She broke down when she answered the door next dayScoop Up Worthy; by Abhishek Bhatia; 3/13/25 The Korean War veteran's daughter, who was seen standing beside him in the footage, wanted her dad to be remembered as a national hero in his final moments. At the daughter's request, Tim visited her dad and thanked him for his service to the country. "Marine on deck. Good afternoon, Sir. Sergeant Chambers, reporting his order. You ever run across that horse in Korea that was running artillery rounds in evacuating wounded?" he asked the veteran, referring to Sergeant Reckless, a famous horse that served with the U.S. Marine Corps during the Korean War.  ...

2024 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures: Mapping a better future for dementia care navigation Alzheimer's Association, Chicago, IL; www.alz.org; 2024 2024 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures is a statistical resource for U.S. data related to Alzheimer’s disease, the most common cause of dementia. Background and context for interpretation of the data are contained in the Overview. Additional sections address prevalence, mortality and morbidity, caregiving, the dementia care workforce, and the use and costs of health care and services. The Special Report provides a comprehensive look into dementia care navigation, revealing significant insights into the experiences and challenges faced by caregivers and health care workers in helping people living with Alzheimer’s or other dementia navigate the health care system. [Click on the title's link to access and download this 149-page PDF]

Cornerstone VNA expands service area to meet growing community needs Cornerstone VNA Home * Health * Hospice; Press Release; 3/11/25 We’re pleased to announce our expanded service area, now reaching Epping, Exeter, Newfields, and Tuftonboro in New Hampshire, as well as Ogunquit, Shapleigh, and Wells in Maine. This expansion comes in response to requests from local hospitals and physicians seeking high-quality home health and hospice services for their patients in these communities. Cornerstone VNA now proudly serves nearly 50 towns in New Hampshire and Maine. “We are proud to provide expert care and a full range of services, from birth through end of life,” shares Jennifer Ufkin, RN, MSN, BC-NC, President and Chief Executive Officer of Cornerstone VNA.

Hospice industry gets reprieve as Trump admin pauses oversight program Axios; by Maya Goldman; 3/13/25 A federal effort to increase oversight of hospice care has been put on hold by the Trump administration, resetting efforts to root out fraud and abuse in an industry that receives more than $25 billion from Medicare annually. Why it matters: Federal officials in recent years have ramped up efforts to identify instances in which hospice operators fraudulently bill the government or enroll patients who aren't terminally ill. But the new administration last month halted a Biden-era plan for noncompliant hospices to take corrective action or risk being kicked out of Medicare. The big picture: Medicare is required by law to implement some version of the targeted oversight program. But it's not clear how that will evolve in President Trump's second term. 

Executive Personnel Changes - 3/14/25

What happens to care when private equity firms buy hospice providers? KALW Public Media / 91.7 FM, Bay Area, CA; by Rose Aguilar and Nina Kissinger; 3/12/25 On this edition of Your Call, we discuss the rise of for-profit hospice agencies in the US and how that's affecting care. Between 2015 and 2022, 47 private equity firms bought 124 hospice providers. Though hospice began as a nonprofit, community-based service in the 1970s to provide specialized end-of-life care, over 70 percent of hospice providers are now for-profit, according to the CDC. What’s behind this alarming trend? And how is it affecting patient care and the right to transition with dignity?  uests: Dr. Ira Byock, palliative care physician, public advocate, founder of the Institute for Human Caring and Jennifer Moore Ballentine, CEO of the Coalition for Compassionate Care of California.

[Multi-cultural] Honouring traditions: Integrating cultural wisdom into palliative care - Saif Mohammed ehospice; by Saif Mohammed; 3/10/25[Personal Story] ... "Reflecting on this experience, I realize that caregiving is deeply embedded in tradition and culture, a natural extension of communal life." Caregiving is as old as humanity itself. One of the earliest known cases of palliative care dates back 45,000 years to Shanidar 1, a Neanderthal male found in present-day Iraq. His skeletal remains indicated severe injuries, yet he had survived for decades, suggesting that his community had cared for him. This example highlights that palliative care is a deeply human and historical practice, far predating modern medicine. Cultures around the world continue to recognize the importance of caregiving, often embedding it in traditions and religious beliefs. ... In some societies, the emphasis on independence can make caregiving more complex, as patients may refuse assistance to maintain self-sufficiency. ... Palliative care workers must be equipped to understand and respect the cultural traditions of the communities they serve. This requires training in cultural competence, which involves:

Community Hospice & Palliative Care achieves historic milestone, caring for 1,500 patients daily JAX Chamber - Jacksonville News, FL; by Community Hospice & Palliative Care; 3/10/25 Community Hospice & Palliative Care proudly announces a monumental achievement in its 46-year history: surpassing 1,500 patients receiving hospice care in a single day. This makes Community Hospice the largest provider in the local community as well as one of the largest single-site providers in the nation. Nationally, the average hospice provides care to less than 100 patients a day with 63 percent of all hospices with fewer than 50 patients. Beyond this numeric milestone, their focus remains on delivering unparalleled quality, with scores consistently surpassing national benchmarks. 

How hospital merger oversight is shifting deal-making Modern Healthcare; by Alex Kacik; 3/12/25 Health systems are increasingly pursuing mergers and acquisitions in the South, a region where demand for care is growing and there are fewer regulatory barriers. More than a dozen states have passed laws over the past several years designed to increase oversight of healthcare transactions, but Southern states have largely stayed on the sidelines. As a result, deals involving hospitals are expected to pick up in the South, particularly in markets that feature growing populations, a high number of Medicaid patients and less stringent merger reviews, merger and acquisition advisers said. Potential Medicaid cuts could also drive up deal-making in the 16-state region spanning from West Virginia to Texas, as well as Washington, D.C., advisers said. 

OIG Nursing Facility Compliance Program Guidance: Renewed focus on fraud and abuse McDermott Will & Emery, Chicago, IL; by Gregory E. Fosheim, Monica Wallace, Dexter Golinghorst, and Brigit Dunne; 3/11/25 The US Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General’s (OIG’s) release of Nursing Facility Industry Segment-Specific Compliance Program Guidance (ICPG) for the first time since 2008 reemphasizes the importance of billing and coding and fraud and abuse compliance for nursing facilities and skilled nursing facilities (SNFs). This On the Subject is the second in a two-part series summarizing highlights of the Nursing Facility ICPG. This installment focuses on OIG’s recommendation that nursing facilities comply with existing billing rules and analyze referral source arrangements for compliance with fraud and abuse laws. [Click on the title's link for this significant information.]

How Houston Methodist’s ACO reduced its end-of-life spending by nearly 20% MedCity News - Hospitals; by Katie Adams; March 10, 2025 Houston Methodist Coordinate Care is reducing costs through a partnership with Koda Health, a digital platform that guides patients through their end-of-life choices. Preliminary findings show the technology resulted in a 19% reduction in the total cost of care for patients at the end of their life, which equals nearly $9,000 in savings per patient. ... The ACO has been working with Koda Health for more than three years — and it is saving money by getting patients more involved in their end-of-life care plan.