Literature Review

Patient considerations of social media account management after deathSupportive Care in Cancer; Rida Khan, Jacqueline Tschanz, Maxine De La Cruz, David Hui, Diana Urbauer, Astrid Grouls, Eduardo Bruera; 10/24Social media is widely used but few studies have examined how patients with advanced cancer want their accounts managed after death. The objective of this study was to determine the proportion of our patients with advanced cancer who have discussed the post-mortem management of their social media accounts with their family or friends. Conclusion: Few patients have had conversations on the management of their accounts after death, although more were interested in exploring their options further. More research is needed to examine the role of social media as a digital legacy and a coping tool for patients with advanced cancer.

The prevalence of lifetime trauma and association with physical and psychosocial health among adults at the end of lifeJournal of the American Geriatics Society; by Kate A. Duchowny, Alexander K. Smith, Irena Cenzer, Chelsea Brown, Grace Noppert, Kristine Yaffe, Amy L. Byers, Carla Perissinotto, Ashwin A. Kotwal; 10/24National guidelines recognize lifetime trauma as relevant to clinical care for adults nearing the end of life. We determined the prevalence of early life and cumulative trauma among persons at the end of life by gender and birth cohort, and the association of lifetime trauma with end-of-life physical, mental, and social well-being. Older adults in the last years of life report a high prevalence of lifetime traumatic events which are associated with worse end-of-life physical and psychosocial health. A trauma-informed approach to end-of-life care and management of physical and psychosocial needs may improve a patient's quality of life.

Private equity in senior living an increasing focus of federal, state government McKnights Senior Living; by Kimberly Bonvissuto, Lois A. Bowers and Kathleen Steele Gaivin; 10/7/24 At press time [10/7], a bill that would require private equity firms and hedge fund organizations in California to give prior notice of acquisitions or changes in control to the state’s attorney general was sitting on the governor’s desk, to become effective Jan. 1 if he signed it into law. It is just one example of legislation recently put forth at the state or national level focused on the private equity and real estate investment trust funding sometimes used in senior living and in other industries. ... The legislation calls for greater transparency for private equity firms and for-profit companies that own healthcare entities, including nursing homes, hospitals, and mental or behavioral health facilities. ...

Hospitals and Hurricane Milton: 9 things to knowBecker's Hospital Review; by Mackenzie Bean and Molly Gamble; 10/10/24, 9:30am EDTHurricane Milton made landfall near Sarasota, Fla., as a Category 3 storm at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday. Here are nine things to know about the storm and its effects on hospitals in the region. 1. The damage. ... 2. The sorm. ... 3. Immediate effects on hospitals. ... 4. Preparations ahead of landfall. ... 5. Tampa General Hospital ... 6. AdventHealth ... 7. HCA Florida Healthcare ... 8. Supplies. ... 9. Financial and operational implications. ...

Florida hospitals reopen post-Milton Becker's Hospital Review; by Molly Gamble; 10/10/24, 5:00 pm EDT Florida hospitals' emergency preparedness largely proved effective throughout Hurricane Milton, leaving some in a position to resume normal operations Friday, Oct. 11. Such is the case for 1,041-bed Tampa General Hospital, the region's only level 1 trauma center. On its main campus, Tampa General healthcare providers and staff who are trained in emergency management remained on-site throughout the storm to care for patients. The hospital did not experience major power outages due to reinforcement from its Central Energy Plant, built in 2022 at 33 feet above sea level. TGH planned to resume normal operations on Friday, Oct. 11. HCA Florida Healthcare began resuming operations for several sites on Oct. 10, reopening three locations that had been temporarily closed in hurricane preparations. Before Milton made landfall at 8:30 p.m. on Oct. 9 as a Category 3 storm, 313 healthcare facilities in the state reported evacuations, including 17 hospitals. All hospitals that remained open before the hurricane remained operational the morning of Oct. 10, with the exception of HCA Florida Largo Hospital, which evacuated about 230 patients early Wednesday morning due to flooding in the facility's basement. While Florida hospital facilities withstood Hurricane Milton relatively well, the state's healthcare system is expected to face ongoing pressure. Flooding and storm damage are likely to disrupt outpatient and community-based services, such as pharmacies, which could lead to higher patient volumes in emergency departments.

Palliative and hospice care in the prehospital setting

Hospice care home provides peaceful place for low-income or homeless to die Indiana Capital Chronicle; by Elise Shrock; 10/10/24 My neighborhood is full of wonderful places. Lovely places where people go to worship, to meet for meals, to do their errands, and, a lovely place to die. Let me explain. Tucked behind the busy near-north Keystone corridor is the Abbie Hunt Bryce Home, a no-cost home for terminally ill individuals who are low-income or homeless and would have no other home to go to during their last days or months of life. Operated by Morning Light, LLC, Abbie Hunt Bryce Home offers critical and compassionate services to Hoosiers in their final days. As the second largest residential hospice in the nation, our state is positioned to be a leader in providing compassionate end-of-life care. Not only is the Home a leader in size and scope, but all hospice residents stay free of charge, with no payment or insurance required. The Home is supported solely by community support and qualifies for Medicaid Waiver. ... [A case study follows with "Systemic challenges in Indiana." ...]

Two Los Angeles-area residents arrested on indictment alleging scheme to fraudulently obtain and launder Medicare proceedsUnited States Attorney's Office - Central District of California; Press Release; 10/9/24 A Los Angeles woman and a San Fernando Valley man were arrested today on a 24-count federal grand jury indictment alleging a scheme to defraud Medicare out of more than $54 million via hospice and diagnostic testing services that were never provided and then laundered their illicit proceeds, including by buying millions of dollars’ worth of gold bars and coins. Sophia Shaklian, 36, of the Larchmont area of Los Angeles, and Alex Alexsanian, 47, of Burbank, were arrested early this morning. They are scheduled to be arraigned this afternoon in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles. ... According to the indictment that a federal grand jury returned on October 2, Shaklian, often using aliases, managed and submitted claims for seven health care providers enrolled with Medicare and located in Los Angeles County. These businesses included a hospice company she owned – the Pasadena-based Chateau d’Lumina Hospice and Palliative Care – and several diagnostic testing companies: Saint Gorge Radiology in Sylmar; Hope Diagnostics in North Hollywood; Direct Imaging & Diagnostics and Lab One – both located in Hollywood; and Labtech and Lifescan Diagnostics in Claremont.

Mission Hospital nurses, HCA agree to new contract Becker's Hospital Review; by Erica Carbajal; 10/10/24 Union nurses at Mission Hospital in Asheville, N.C., have approved a new labor contract with Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare, which owns the hospital. National Nurses United, which represents more than 1,600 Mission Hospital nurses, shared news of the new agreement in an Oct. 9 news release. The three-year agreement includes up to 29% wage increases for some nurses, a pilot program to ensure nurses can take meal and rest breaks during their shifts, new measures to ensure nurses are floated to units similar to their usual specialty, and the ability to use preferred names and personal pronouns on name badges. "Mission Hospital is so important to Asheville and all of western North Carolina," Hannah Drummond, RN, a nurse in the hospital's catheterization lab recovery unit, said in the union's news release. "This contract is another step forward to making Mission the hospital it needs to be for our patients. Nurses are the backbone of Mission Hospital, and this contract adds steel to our spine." 

AMA Journal of Ethics: Educational resources in response to medical supplies lost to hurricaneEmail from AMA Journal of Ethics; 10/10/24Storm damage from hurricane Helene has forced a factory that makes medical supplies to shut down. The AMA Journal of Ethics offers the following educational resources:

Palliative care ‘ahead of the game’ in approaches to treating rare diseases Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 10/9/24 Researchers are ramping up efforts to better understand the complex trajectories of rare diseases, with evidence mounting around palliative care’s potential to improve outcomes among those patients. The Center for Innovation & Value Research recently launched the second phase of its Rare Disease Project, an initiative aimed at examining the diverse range of these illnesses and the patients impacted by them. The project is designed to learn more about the innovative, person-centered care models that can help address common challenges that these patients and their caregivers face — including approaches that integrate palliative care services. A pivotal point of the research for palliative care providers is understanding how their services help support patients — physically, practically and spiritually — as their diseases progress, according to Rick Chapman, chief science officer at the Center for Innovation & Value Research, which is part of the National Health Council.

[NonProfit Pro] How to develop your year-end ask strategy NonProfit Pro; by Jeff Schreifels; 10/8/24 There’s no doubt about it — as a fundraiser, you are now in the busiest, most productive time of your year. Hopefully you’ve developed a strategic plan for your whole year and know how to approach the next couple of months to reach your organization’s financial goals.Still, even with a strong plan, developing the right year-end ask amounts can be tricky. I can’t tell you the hundreds of times I have talked to major gift officers who don’t know the details of their caseload or their donors’ interests and situations. ... And what’s worse is once that pressure to get the money starts coming down, you may find yourself asking for gifts that harm the long-term relationship with your donor. The goal is to come to your donor from an authentic place of partnership. ... These questions will form the foundation for your ask strategy. ...