Literature Review

Other Business Headlines of Interest, updated 2/22/24 per nasdaq.com

House of Delegates considering SB 280, Medical Aid in Dying The Connection to Your Community, by Mercia Hobson; 2/20/24Virginia is a battleground state within itself. State legislators are fiercely divided concerning proposed legislation, SB 280. If passed, it would allow an eligible adult diagnosed with a terminal disease to request an attending health care provider to prescribe a fatal dose of a controlled substance to be self-administered for the purpose of ending the patient's life. Senate Bill 280, one of the two Virginia bills concerning Death with Dignity, passed passed the Senate. Its companion, House Bill 858, which was originally "put on hold for the day," failed in committee.

Transaction: Legacy Care Partners acquires Superior Home Health; SSM Health promotes Health at Home ArmNation World News Desk; 2/21/24Legacy Care Partners – which also owns Advanced Home Care – has acquired Superior Home Health and Superior Hospice of Texas. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

'One more moment' singer Cat Janice, 31, shares heartbreaking health update weeks after her song to help son through diagnosis went viralThe U.S. Sun, by Olivia Salamone; 2/21/24... Janice underwent surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation and was told that she was cancer-free in July 2022. However, in June 2023, she announced that the disease had come back, this time in her lungs. ... The singer has continued to make music throughout her cancer battles. ... "Dance You Out Of My Head" ... made it to the top 10 worldwide songs on iTunes, and ... number one on TikTok Billboard Top 50. ... The musician transferred the song rights to her son, Loren "which means all the proceeds for the now-viral hit (along with the rest of her catalog) will go directly into his bank account," the outlet continued. ..."I don’t want to die. But I’ve had a really wonderful life, and I got to have this really incredible last moment, and I thank God for it." The U.S. Sun has reached out to Cat Janice for comment and her husband Kyle Higginbotham for an update.

Planning Ahead: Medicare, Medicaid or Hospice for at-home careThe Mercury, by Janet Colliton; 2/21/24If you are seeking at-home care assistance for a family member that is paid either in full or in part by the government, you can find that the system is complicated and, unless your loved one fits within one of the designated categories, you may be limited to paying from your family member’s asset or your own. Here are some of the differences and criteria.Editor's Note: This concise, user-friendly article by a Certified Elder Law Attorney provides simple descriptions of this all-important information. What Hospice Medicare information does your staff need to know and use? What clarity do you provide to the public / community you serve?

AHCA/NCAL CEO Mark Parkinson announces retirementMcKnights Senior Living, by Lois A. Bowers; 2/20/24Mark Parkinson will retire from his position as president and CEO of the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living effective Jan. 15, 2025, the groups announced today. He has been at the helm of AHCA/NCAL since January 2011.

At life's end, the comfort of home: Rutgers study illuminates pathways to hospice careBNN, by Hadeel Hashem; 2/22/24[This] research underscores a simple yet profound truth: the utilization of home health care significantly boosts the likelihood of receiving hospice care at home during one's final days.

Identity shifts throughout HCT: A holistic approach to patient, caregiver supportHematology Advisor; by Katie Schoeppner, MSW, LICSW; Leah Christianson, OPN-CG; Hailey Hassel, MSW, LICSW; Cortney Alleyne, MPH; 2/20/24Patients undergoing hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT), their caregivers, and family members often experience dramatic shifts in their identity during and after the transplant process. These shifts can cause significant disruption in their lives, even among the most stable family and friend units. With holistic guidance and informed, empathetic care from professionals on healthcare teams, these patients and their support persons can better cope with the identity-related challenges they face.Editor's Note: See the patients you serve as persons. While this article focuses on person undergoing hematopoietic cell transplant, its rich insights about the patient/person's "tangible and intangible identity shifts" apply to the persons you serve, whatever the diagnosis. Read this article to develop your empathy and its practical applications throughout the services your organizations provide.

What are death doulas?SwiftTelecast, by Shawn Butlere; 2/21/24... That’s why some people turn to end-of-life doulas. They are among the professionals who can help someone prepare for their death and reflect on their life: their greatest joys and regrets, any fears or worries on their mind, and how they want to be remembered. ... Unlike hospice, the cost of a doula is not covered by Medicare. ... Doulas may charge an hourly rate, from $45 to $100, or on a sliding scale. Or you may be quoted a flat fee from $500 to $5,000. 

AI-generated clinical summaries require more than accuracyJAMA Network; by Katherine E. Goodman, JD, PhD; Paul H. Yi, MD; and Daniel J. Morgan, MD, MS; Originally published 1/29/24, redistributed 2/20/24 ... Currently, there are no comprehensive standards for LLM-generated [Large Language Model] clinical summaries beyond the general recognition that summaries should be consistently accurate and concise. Yet there are many ways to accurately summarize clinical information. Variations in summary length, organization, and tone could all nudge clinician interpretations and subsequent decisions either intentionally or unintentionally. To illustrate these challenges concretely, we prompted ChatGPT-4 to summarize a small sample of deidentified clinical documents. [Click on the title's link to view the example.]

Creative examples of hospice fundraising

'This innovation was a home run!': Top tech projects for 8 systemsBecker's Health IT, by Laura Dyrda; 2/19/24C-suite executives are taking a critical eye to any technology spend, focusing on applications and partnerships that will support the clinical workforce, automate administrative tasks and expand access to care through virtual platforms. They're also looking upstream at opportunities to use artificial intelligence and machine learning to gather better insights into operational efficiency and patient care. Which investments yielded the best results in the last year? Eight health system leaders shared with Becker's the most needle-moving projects and initiatives from 2023.

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services corrects rule involving 2024 home health prospective payment system rate updateCMS Federal Register; 2/21/24This document corrects technical errors in the final rule that appeared in the November 13, 2023 Federal Register titled “Medicare Program; Calendar Year (CY) 2024 Home Health (HH) Prospective Payment System Rate Update; HH Quality Reporting Program Requirements; HH Value-Based Purchasing Expanded Model Requirements; Home Intravenous Immune Globulin Items and Services; Hospice Informal Dispute Resolution and Special Focus Program Requirements, Certain Requirements for Durable Medical Equipment Prosthetics and Orthotics Supplies; and Provider and Supplier Enrollment Requirements” (referred to hereafter as the “CY 2024 HH PPS final rule”).