Literature Review

Rumored Help at Home sale ‘par for the course’ of PE ownership, expert saysMcKnight’s Home Care DailyDecember 14, 2023Three years after it was bought by private equity firms Centerbridge Partners and the Vistria Group, Help at Home could be exploring a possible transaction in what experts have called an unsurprising move. On Tuesday, Bloomberg reported that Vistria Group and Centerbridge Partners were “gauging interest” in a transaction involving Help at Home. 

2023 NHPCO Facts and Figures Report Now AvailableNews ReleaseDecember 13, 2023Alexandria, VA—The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization has published its 2023 edition of Facts and Figures, an annual report on key data points related to the delivery of hospice care, including information on patient characteristics, location and level of care, Medicare hospice spending, and hospice providers. NHPCO Facts and Figures is the leading resource for hospice providers and others interested in understanding the work of the community. Editor's Note: Click here to access NHPCO's Report

Report spots care planning gaps for nursing home residentsMcKnight’s Long Term Care NewsDecember 12, 2023A new report looks at what’s working to help residents in long-term care communities prioritize care planning and advanced care planning, or ACP. The study was published on Dec. 6 in The Journal of Long-Term Care. Researchers set out to look at studies and surveys on care planning interventions for older adults in long-term care communities. The team wanted to understand what types of programs are being used to drive better care planning overall

Assaults on healthcare workers now carry enhanced criminal finesMcKnight’s Senior LivingDecember 12, 2023Michigan is the latest state to codify protections for healthcare workers assaulted on the job, which one senior living association said will positively impact the state’s workforce shortage problem. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI) recently signed into law two bills that create enhanced criminal fines for assaults, aggravated assaults and assaults with a deadly weapon against health professionals or volunteers while on the job. ... In signing the bills, Whitmer said healthcare workers face “rising rates of bullying, viciousness and violence.” 

Nurses’ union renews push for safe staffing levels in Maine hospitalsMaine BeaconDecember 12, 2023The Maine State Nurses Association, the state’s largest nursing union, has renewed its legislative campaign in support of a bill to address unsafe staffing levels at Maine hospitals. The Maine Quality Care Act, a bill sponsored by Sen. Stacy Brenner (D-Cumberland) that would establish minimum staffing requirements based on patient needs, will be one of the top labor proposals that lawmakers will consider when a new legislative session begins early next year. 

Workers set to strike at 4 Prime hospitalsBecker’s Hospital ReviewDecember 11, 2023Members of the Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West are set to launch a five-day strike Dec. 20 affecting four Prime Healthcare facilities in Southern California. The union represents about 1,800 workers ... Union members, which include emergency room technicians, licensed vocational nurses, certified nursing assistants, radiology technicians, medical assistants, respiratory technicians, and others, voted to authorize a strike earlier this year. 

WelbeHealth Opens First Bay Area PACE Center Serving Vulnerable Seniors in San JosePRNewswireDecember 12, 2023San Jose, CA—Today, the physician-led senior health services provider WelbeHealth, in partnership with Northern California-based health care system Sutter Health, announced the opening of a new Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) center in San Jose. The new center will provide essential health care and wrap-around services to diverse low-income older adults. ... Over 4,000 PACE eligible seniors reside within 15 miles of the San Jose location, and the population of these seniors is anticipated to increase.

Home Health Industry Leaders Scoff At ‘Distorted Picture of Reality’ Painted By MedPACHome Health Care NewsDecember 12, 2023The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission recommended that the Medicare base payment rate for home health care be reduced by 7% for CY 2025. The recommendation is another chapter in the contentious relationship between the commission and the home health industry. It also recommended that Congress eliminate any payment updates for hospice providers in 2025. 

Palliative Care Yield Cost Savings Lymphoma Patients, But Racial Disparities ExistPalliative Care NewsDecember 12, 2023Lymphoma patients who receive palliative care have fewer hospitalizations that those who do not, but racial and ethnic disparities persist. ... The study found that on average palliative care generated cost savings of $24,269 per patient. However, patients that identified as Black or Hispanic were much less likely to receive palliative care than white patients, reflecting widespread inequities in palliative care and the health care system at large, the research found. 

The Vistria Group, Centerbridge Partners Reportedly Weighing Help at Home SaleHome Health Care NewsDecember 12, 2023The Vistria Group and Centerbridge Partners are “weighing options” around the future of Help at Home, including a potential sale. Bloomberg first reported the news late Tuesday, citing “people with knowledge of the matter.” Based in Chicago, Help at Home is one of the largest providers of home- and community-based services in the country. It has more than 180 branch locations across 11 states, and provides care to more than 66,000 people via its 53,000 caregivers. 

Center for Hospice Care a Giving Tree Partner for Wellfield Gardens’ Winter Wonderland Holiday LightsValpo Life (Valparaiso, IN)December 12, 2023Elkhart, IN—Wellfield Botanic Gardens’ Winter Wonderland Holiday Lights transports visitors to a magical setting with lights, sound and beauty, perfect for families to enjoy during the holiday season. Enjoy this special opportunity to see Wellfield after hours in a wintry paradise. Each year, local nonprofit organizations are chosen to have a “Giving Tree” at the Winter Wonderland and Center for Hospice Care is honored to be chosen again for 2023. 

University of Kansas deal with Missouri hospital feels ‘terribly wrong’ to lawmakersMissouri IndependentDecember 11, 2023The proposed takeover of Liberty Hospital in Missouri by the University of Kansas Health System is being greeted with scorn by lawmakers from both sides of the state line and both political parties. Leading the charge against the takeover in Missouri is Kansas City Democratic state Sen. Greg Razer, who said the idea of KU owning a hospital in suburban Missouri is “terribly wrong.” “There are boundaries for a reason, and they’ve crossed one,” said Razer, a graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia.