Literature Review

We all require and want respect, man or woman, black or white. It’s our basic human right. - Aretha Franklin

2024 STATUS List: The ultimate list of leaders in life sciencesSTAT, 2/27/24The 2024 STATUS List features 50 influential people shaping the future of health and life sciences across biotech, medicine, health care, policy, and health tech. The list is wide-ranging: from executives and VCs who set their industries’ priorities, to scientists expanding the scope of CRISPR technology, to researchers determined to eliminate racial bias from clinical algorithms. 

Ransomware gang behind Change Healthcare attack: ReportBecker's Health IT, by Naomi Diaz; 2/26/24The BlackCat ransomware gang is claiming responsibility for an attack on Change Healthcare, TheRegister reported Feb. 26. Two people familiar with the matter told news outlet Reuters that BlackCat, which operates as a ransomware-as-a-service group, was behind the Feb. 21 cybersecurity incident on Change Healthcare. ... A Feb. 26 update on Optum's website indicates that the Change Healthcare incident, which has disrupted the organization's payment and pharmacy processing operations, is still ongoing. 

Legislation aims to increase scrutiny of private equity healthcare acquisitionsMcKnights Senior Living, by Lois A. Bowers; 2/27/24Legislation introduced ... in [California] would give the attorney general oversight of private equity and hedge fund acquisitions of long-term care and other healthcare facilities. Backers of AB 3129 say that it would “safeguard fair competition and root out anticompetitive practices by dominant corporations” as well as “ensure that the acquisitions are in the public interest.” Under the bill, the AG could grant, deny or impose conditions to a change of control or acquisition between a private equity group or hedge fund and a long-term care or other healthcare facility.

Communicating with patients with hearing loss or deafness—Can you hear me? JAMA Intern Med, by Dianne P. O'Leary, PhD and Timothy J. O'Leary, PhD, MD... Virtually all health care professionals want to provide the best possible care and to communicate as effectively as possible. However, ... frequent communication failures are leading to inferior care for the hearing impaired. Effective communication might require some or all of the approaches listed in [this article].

Racial differences in shared decision-making about critical illnessJAMA Intern Med, by Deepshikha C. Ashana, MD, MBA, MS; Whitney Welsh, PhD; Doreet Preiss, PhD; et al; published online 2/26/24Question: How do critical care clinicians approach shared decision-making with Black compared with White caregivers of critically ill patients?Findings: In a thematic analysis of 39 audio-recorded clinician-caregiver meetings, racial differences were most evident in the following clinician behaviors: providing emotional support to caregivers, acknowledging trust and gratitude expressed by caregivers, disclosing medical information, and validating caregivers' treatment preferences.

CareAcademy launches hospice care curriculum and expands offerings to serve post-acute care providers nationwidePR Newswire, news provided by CareAcademy; 2/27/24CareAcademy ... proudly announces the launch of its Hospice Care curriculum, marking a significant expansion of its offerings to support post-acute care providers. Renowned for its user-friendly platform and high-quality content, CareAcademy is broadening its focus to be a key player in the broader post-acute care landscape, serving home health, hospice and palliative care organizations.

Sierra Community Palliative Care receives generous seed funding grant from Dignity Health Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital YubaNet.com, by Hospice of the Foothills; 2/27/24 In a significant affirmation of its commitment to compassionate care, Dignity Health Sierra Nevada Memorial, through Common Spirit Community Health, awards Hospice of the Foothills’ Sierra Community Palliative Care a $94,000 seed funding grant. Sierra Community Palliative Care led by Hospice of the Foothills is a collaborative program that includes primary healthcare providers, healthcare clinics, and the local hospital to bring comprehensive palliative services to Nevada County [CA]. 

Proposed legislation would create tax credits for family caregiversHospice News, by Jim Parker; 2/23/24A bill to strengthen support for family caregivers is working its way through Congress. If enacted, it would create tax credits to help offset the financial burdens of caring for the seriously ill. ... The nation’s health care system is lacking in support for caregivers of the terminally ill, who are often left with a heavy financial and logistical burden. Without assistance or relief, these difficulties can impede access to hospice and other types of home-based care.

Subcutaneous patient-controlled analgesia in home-based palliative care: "It's as straightforward as pushing a button, right at my fingertips" J Pain Palliat Care Pharmacother, by Miguel Julião, Patrícia Calaveiras, Eduardo Bruera, Paulo Faria de Sousa; 2/26/24Subcutaneous patient-controlled analgesia (SCPCA) in home-based palliative care is a potentially valuable option for providing effective pain relief to some patients, particularly when conventional analgesic approaches prove ineffective or are refused.

Chapters Health System CEO on prioritizing value-based care initiatives in the home Home Health Care News, by Andrew Donlan; 2/26/24Andrew Molosky, the president and CEO of Chapters Health System, is keenly aware of the struggles that coincide with turning a large health care provider organization into a value-based one. The first priority in that situation, in his mind, is making sure that the entire organization is on the same page in terms of what value-based care really means, he told Home Health Care News ... “You want to get to the point where you can manage populations in the home,” Molosky said. “That becomes a parlay to reducing ER spend in a full-risk environment. It becomes earlier intervention for a hospice or home health episode. 

What to expect from your language services provider during CMS test call seasonMedCity News, by Kristin Quinlan; 2/26/24 Part of the CMS Star Ratings program, the Accuracy & Accessibility Study includes test calls designed to measure the accuracy of the information provided to a prospective beneficiary as well as the accessibility of interpreters in French, Spanish, Vietnamese, Cantonese, Mandarin, and Tagalog. The test callers ask a series of questions related to the plan’s policy; success depends, in part, on accuracy of the information provided and availability of interpreters.