Literature Review

Podcast: Innovations and insights in the palliative care space Holland & Knight; podcast by Daniel Patten and Spencer Freeman; 5/20/25 In this episode of "Counsel That Cares," Daniel Patten, a partner in Holland & Knight's Healthcare Regulatory & Enforcement Practice, and Spencer Freeman, chief strategy officer at Gentiva, discuss the challenges and opportunities that come with delivering integrated palliative care services, highlighting the lack of a defined Medicare benefit for palliative care compared to more established models such as hospice. Mr. Freeman shares insights on building care models that serve high-risk patient populations through coordinated interdisciplinary teams and data-driven approaches, emphasizing the importance of collaboration with risk-based primary care providers. Mr. Patten adds a legal perspective on the evolving landscape of value-based care contracts, artificial intelligence (AI) integration and regulatory compliance. Together, they explore how innovative programs can improve patient outcomes, reduce acute care utilization and facilitate payer relationships, offering a comprehensive view of the future of palliative care within value-based healthcare delivery.

Good grief: Personal stories show hope still exists after loss ABC KTRK-13; by Brittaney Willmore; 5/19/25 Stories are at the heart of the memorial garden at Bo's Place. The building, with its red brick entryway, tall trees, basketball court, and patio, was intentionally designed on the outside to look almost like two arms, reaching out and welcoming in those who find themselves there as guests, but leave feeling like it's home. Carmichael Khan is familiar with the garden, which isn't made up of plants in this particular case, but of rocks that serve a very distinct purpose. Resting in the palm of his hand is his daughter's rock, which says, "Just bee." "That's why you see bees there. You just want to become. You also want to sit with your grief and just be," Khan explains. Rocks represent, but don't replace late loved ones, and painting them with personality just one of the many ways meant to help grieving children, adults, and families at Bo's Place cope with one of the most difficult parts of life -- death. 

Yes, you can die from a broken heartMedscape; by F. Perry Wilson, MD, MSCE; 5/14/25 A patient comes crashing into the emergency room with severe chest pain. The EKG looks like this: A patient comes crashing into the emergency room with severe chest pain. The EKG looks like this: [graphic]. As a doctor, if you see this, you’re calling the cardiac cath lab. This is an ST-elevation myocardial infarction — the big one — indicative of a blood clot blocking blood flow to a large section of the heart. The sooner you get that blood clot out, the better chance the patient has to survive. So the patient is rushed to the cath lab, and they find… nothing. Clear coronaries. No blood clot. Further questioning reveals that the patient, an older woman, lost her husband recently. This is stress-induced cardiomyopathy, medically known as Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TC). It’s the pathophysiologic manifestation of a broken heart. First described in 1991, Takotsubo syndrome occurs in the setting of deep psychological, emotional, or physical stress.

Alliance bolsters advocacy impact with two new strategic leadership appointments

What is it like to die? University of Minnesota’s VR experience offers some answers. The Minnesota Star Tribune; by Richard Chin; 5/2/25 Our reporter returned from the Embodied Labs experience with some thoughts on what he’d like his last hours to look like. When the University of Minnesota offered to let me experience what it’s like to die, naturally I said yes. Aren’t we all morbidly curious about the undiscovered country, as Hamlet put it, from which no traveler returns? Except this time, happily, I would get to return because it would be a virtual death, an experience in a VR studio that’s part of the university’s Health Sciences Library system.

Iowa legislature passes "Mason's Law," with assistance from Children's Respite Homes of America, paving way for 1st Pediatric Palliative Care Center License in the nation Cision PRWeb; by Children's Respite Homes of America; 5/16/25 Iowa has made history. With final approval from both chambers of the Iowa Legislature, "Mason's Law" (House File HF 933) has officially passed, making Iowa the first state poised to authorize a specialized Pediatric Palliative Care Center license. This landmark legislation now awaits the Governor's signature—anticipated before the end of June—and is set to transform how children with life-limiting conditions receive care in Iowa and beyond. Named in memory of Mason Sieck, a young child who passed away in 2021, Mason's Law represents the tireless advocacy of Mason's parents, Shanna and Curtis Sieck. 

6 ways to successfully implement clinical communication tools Forbes; by Judit Sharon; 5/19/25 In the high-stakes environment of healthcare, communication breakdowns can have life-or-death consequences. Yet too often, hospitals and healthcare systems assume that simply deploying new clinical communication and collaboration (CC&C) tools will solve the problem. The reality is more complex: Successful implementation depends just as much on operational alignment, cultural change and thoughtful execution as it does on the technology itself. To turn communication tools into real transformation, here are six ways to drive successful CC&C adoption.

Home health use remains high among beneficiaries with dementia, study findsMcKnight's Home Care; by Adam Healy; 5/19/25Medicare beneficiaries who have dementia increasingly are using home healthcare, according to a new study published Friday in JAMA Network Open... Home health utilization increased by roughly 17% among beneficiaries with dementia between 2010 and 2019 and decreased slightly between 2020 and 2022, the study found. Beneficiaries with dementia were also more likely to initiate home healthcare from community-dwelling settings, rather than from post-acute care settings.

The best leaders ask the right questions Harvard Business Review On Leadership, Episode 110; podcast by Arnaud Chevallier; 5/14/25 Few leaders have been trained to ask great questions. That might explain why they tend to be good at certain kinds of questions, and less effective at other kinds. Unfortunately, that hurts their ability to pursue strategic priorities. Arnaud Chevallier, strategy professor at IMD Business School, explains how leaders can break out of that rut and systematically ask five kinds of questions: investigative, speculative, productive, interpretive, and subjective. He shares real-life examples of how asking the right sort of question at a key time can unlock value and propel your organization. With his IMD colleagues Frédéric Dalsace and Jean-Louis Barsoux, Chevallier wrote the HBR article “The Art of Asking Smarter Questions.”

'Legendary' Hemsley takes over at UnitedHealth amid rough seas Modern Healthcare; by Nona Tepper; 5/14/25 Stephen Hemsley returns to the top spot at a UnitedHealth Group that looks very different from the one he helmed almost a decade ago and faces trouble bubbling up in its Optum healthcare services subsidiary. Over the past three years, the company has reported rising Medicare Advantage costs in its UnitedHealthcare insurance subsidiary. But some see Optum as more concerning. With Andrew Witty resigning as CEO on Tuesday [5/13], it falls to Hemsley to right the ship.

The evolution of hospice care The Journal; by Dr. Sarah Phillips, Medical Director, Hospice of the Panhandle; 5/18/25 Historians believe that the first hospices originated in Malta around 1065, dedicated to caring for the ill and dying enroute to and from the Holy Land. The term “hospice” referred to places of shelter for travelers, particularly in medieval Europe. The moder hospice movement began to gain momentum in the 1960’s with Dame Cicely Saunders’s establishment of St. Christopher’s Hospice in London, which emphasized comfort and quality of life for patients and their families. This idea of specialized care for the dying was first introduced to the United States during a lecture at Yale University in 1963. In the early 1970’s the first national hearings on the subject of death with dignity were conducted by the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging. In 1978, the National Hospice Organization was established and the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare task force reports that “the hospice movement … is a viable concept and one which holds out a means of providing more humane care for Americans dying of terminal illness while possibly reducing costs. As such, it is the proper subject of federal support.” [Continue reading ...]

'I kept going': After blindness and cancer, UT student fulfills PhD dream Ausint American-Statemen, Austin, TX; by Lily Kepner and Nicole Villalpando; 5/18/2025 Qusay Hussein has dedicated his life to advocating for refugees, marginalized people and those with disabilities. For almost a decade, he chose to drive that change at the University of Texas. Hussein is an education advocate and a doctoral student at the [University of Texas] Steve Hicks School of Social Work. He received the highest degree in the field this month, having overcome seemingly impossible barriers: a suicide bombing in Mosul, Iraq, in 2006 that left him blind and his face severely damaged; 70 reconstruction surgeries; and immigrating to the U.S. He recently finished his first book about his early years and the bombing: "Can You Open My Eyes?" He's currently writing a second book, "Between Two Worlds: From Refugee to Ph.D." ... After battling terminal kidney cancer the last two years, his dream - he told his doctors - was to walk across the graduation stage May 10, honoring the promise he made to his father that he would come to the U.S. and get an education.