Literature Review

Carver Middle School students show compassion, support for hospice patientsLaurinburg (NC) ExchangeDecember 15, 2023Laurinburg, NC—December is usually a short month for Scotland County Schools due to the holiday break. However, several students at Carver Middle School have gone above and beyond with their time and efforts. Two school organizations, the Blue Blazers and Students Against Violence Everywhere (S.A.V.E) have embraced the true spirit of the season by supporting Scotland Regional Hospice through their respective community service campaigns. 

Hospice of WF surpasses $300,000 goal in Tree of Lights campaignKAUZ-TV (Wichita Falls, TX)December 15, 2023Wichita Falls, TX—Since November 21, the Texoma community has worked hard to help the Hospice of Wichita Falls reach their goal, which this year was $300,000. Alisa Echols, Executive Director at the hospice said with the amount of support that is shown throughout the year, she’s never surprised to see the amount they hoped for is met. ... At the last check on Friday, $315,000 was the amount raised.

Do People Want to Live Longer With Alzheimer’s Disease?By Jason Karlawish, MDWall Street JournalDecember 14, 2023... As Robert, his wife and I talked about these [new] medicines [to treat patients with Alzheimer’s disease], something very interesting happened. After objectively weighing the risks and benefits, we began to discuss an intensely personal and subjective question: Does he want to live longer with Alzheimer’s disease? This question is ethically challenging.Editor’s Note: The author is a physician, co-director of the Penn Memory Center, and the author of “The Problem of Alzheimer’s: How Science, Culture and Politics Turned a Rare Disease into a Crisis and What We Can Do About It.”

The (Surprisingly) Good News on Life Expectancy—It’s Still Going UpWall Street JournalDecember 15, 2023Over the past decade a number of alarming stories have chronicled the decline of U.S. life expectancy in the midst of rising overdose deaths, Covid-19, alcohol-related deaths and suicides. It turns out there are two ways to measure mortality and life expectancy, and the one you hear about the most paints a misleadingly pessimistic picture of the future. Last month the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said life expectancy, which hit a 25-year low in 2021, climbed to 74.8 years for men and 80.2 for women in 2022, but those were still well below prepandemic levels.

Orlando Health boosts operating performance by $734M in FY 2023Becker’s Hospital CFO ReviewDecember 15, 2023Orlando (FL) Health transformed a $422.7 million operating loss (-8% margin) in fiscal year 2022 into a $310.8 million gain (5.1% margin) in FY 2023, according to financial documents published Dec. 13. The results equate to a $733.5 million swing from the black to the red. Revenue increased 15.9% year over year to $6.1 billion while expenses rose 16.1% to $5.6 billion.

Three found guilty of fraud in South Florida nursing-school ‘diploma mill’ trialMiami HeraldDecember 15, 2023Three people charged with playing crucial roles in a South Florida nursing-school “diploma mill” were found guilty by a federal jury Friday, after a three-week trial where prosecutors accused the defendants of corrupting the healthcare field. The defendants, a former registrar for the defunct Palm Beach School of Nursing and two recruiters from the northeast, were accused of selling fake transcripts and degrees to thousands of students for millions of dollars so they could qualify to attain licenses as nurses.

National Health Expenditures 2022 HighlightsCMS Fact Sheet, 12/13/23U.S. health care spending grew 4.1% to reach $4.5 trillion in 2022, faster than the increase of 3.2% in 2021, but much slower than the rate of 10.6% in 2020. The growth in 2022 reflected strong growth in Medicaid and private health insurance spending that was somewhat offset by continued declines in supplemental funding by the federal government associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Palliative care for infants with life-limiting conditions: integrative reviewBMJ Journals, 12/16/23By Rebecca Iten, Moira O'Connor, and Fenella J. GillBackground: Infants with life-limiting conditions are a heterogeneous population. Palliative care for infants is delivered in a diverse range of healthcare settings and by interdisciplinary primary healthcare teams, which may not involve specialist palliative care service consultation. Conclusion: There are complex issues surrounding the provision of palliative care for infants. Optimal palliative care should encompass a collaborative and coordinated approach between the primary healthcare teams and specialist palliative care services and prioritisation of palliative care education for nurses and physicians involved in providing palliative care to infants.

Nursing home COVID deaths climb, but vaccinations move slowly upward tooMcKnights Long-Term Care News, 12/15/23By Kimberly MarselasDeaths of nursing home patients from COVID-19 climbed as vaccination rates hit new lows last month, according to an updated analysis by the AARP Public Policy Institute and the Scripps Gerontology Center. ... But vaccinations, at first widely embraced by residents and later mandated for healthcare workers, drove infection and deaths rates down dramatically starting in 2021.

In study ranking ‘best’ states for elder care, providers might be surprised to learn the winnerMcKnights Long-Term Care News, 12/15/23By Josh HenrecksonA new study judging quality and access to elder care ranked all 50 states and named Iowa the top state in the country. ... California was the bottom-ranked state ... The top 10, in order, were: Iowa, Oklahoma, Missouri, Louisiana, South Dakota, Kansas, Montana, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Nebraska.

When being home for the holidays is a giftBy Craig DresangDavis (CA) EnterpriseDecember 16, 2023No one wants to think about hospice when the holidays are approaching, but this is precisely when it should be considered. Hospice care can keep loved ones at home and in the thick of all the family activities while their pain and symptoms are expertly managed, improving quality of life. Hospice enables your loved one to be where they feel most comfortable: their home. From medical support and personal care to companionship, hospice brings peace of mind to patients and their families now and all through the year.[Editor’s Note: The author is the CEO of Yolo Cares, Davis, CA.]

Oklahoma Woman Finds Help To Cope With Mother’s Loss During The HolidaysKOTV-TV (Tulsa, OK)December 14, 2023Tulsa, OK—The loss of a loved one is difficult at any time, but during the holidays, grief and sorrow can be heightened. For one Oklahoma woman, she found comfort through hospice care even after her mother passed away.

More rural hospitals mulling clinically integrated networksModern HealthcareDecember 14, 2023In October, 23 rural hospitals in North Dakota announced the formation of the Rough Rider High-Value Network. Such clinically integrated alliances are designed to reduce hospitals’ costs through shared services and provide the infrastructure for hospitals to invest in alternative payment models. Rough Rider CEO Nathan White discussed his outlook for the rural hospital sector, his goals for the Rough Rider network and the advantages of clinically integrated networks compared to mergers or acquisitions.