Literature Review

Aetna hit with $900M in surprise MA costs, CVS Health report Modern Healthcare; by Nona Tepper; 5/1/24 CVS Health will launch a multiyear plan to boost Medicare Advantage profitability after its Aetna subsidiary recorded $900 million in higher-than-anticipated medical costs during the first quarter, President and CEO Karen Lynch said during an earnings announcement Wednesday. “We continue to evaluate our cost structure and productivity and will accelerate these and other initiatives over the next few months,” Lynch said.

Assessing caregiver burnout for hospice, palliative patients Hospice News, by Jim Parker; 4/30/24 Burnout is a state of complete mental, physical and emotional exhaustion. Symptoms of burnout can include depression, compassion fatigue, stress and anxiety, and apathy, both in general life and towards work tasks, according to the Mayo Clinic. To help address these issues — and to help ensure that caregiving remained sustainable — a team of researchers from the Ann & Robert Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and the University of Pittsburgh launched a project to improve assessment of caregiver burnout.

43 health systems ranked by long-term debt Becker's Hospital CFO Report; by Alan Condon; 4/29/24 Long-term debt has long been a staple in healthcare, but many hospitals and health systems are responding to the increasing cost of debt and debt service in the rising rates environment. Highly levered health systems are looking to sell hospitals, facilities or business lines to reduce their debt leverage and secure long-term sustainability, which creates significant growth opportunities for systems with balance sheets on a more solid financial footing. Forty-three health systems ranked by their long-term debt: ... [Click on the title's link for the list.]

Transitional Bridges offers compassionate alternative to plastic belongings bagsABC 8 News, Richmond, VA; by EIN Presswire; 4/30/24Transitional Bridges, a San Diego-based nonprofit focused on inspiring compassion and improving end-of-life care through art, has created Transitional Belongings Bags, a compassionate and eco-friendly alternative to the plastic bags hospitals use to hand over belongings to loved ones after a patient has died. The concept was first introduced 17 years ago by the Irish Hospice Foundation Hospice Friendly Hospitals Program to promote dignity and sensitivity when returning a loved one’s possessions to bereaved family and friends. ... Lorene Morris, the founder and president of Transitional Bridges, became inspired to bring the movement to the U.S. after her mother, an artist, died unexpectedly from postoperative complications. When the family was handed their mother's possessions in two large, clear plastic bags, Morris recalls, “I felt like the whole world could see those intimate items. It was just so wrong.”

InnovAge launches PACE Center, helping seniors independently with high-quality care Los Angeles Sentinel; 5/1/24 InnovAge Holding Corp., the healthcare industry leader in providing comprehensive healthcare programs to dual-eligible seniors through the Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), celebrated the grand opening of its newest center in California on April 24. ... Guests toured the 22,000 square foot, two-level renovated center — which includes a medical clinic with exam rooms, dining room, four-day rooms, quiet room, outdoor patio, and other amenities. The program’s service area extends beyond Crenshaw, providing care and support to seniors residing in West and South Los Angeles. 

What Hospice VBID’s ending means for palliative care Hospice News; by Markisan Naso; 5/1/24 The impending demise of the hospice component of U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ value-based insurance design (VBID) model has largely been met with a sense of relief by providers as they plan new initiatives for palliative care in 2025. ... The program, which initially contained promising components designed to give patients better access to palliative care, instead became an increasing source of frustration for organizations. ... With the end date for the hospice component of the VBID model approaching, many palliative care providers are left with concern for their patients and questions about the coming transition, as they shift focus to what happens next.  Editor's Note: This article includes perspectives from Rory Farrand, Vice President of Palliative and Advanced Medicine at NHPCO, and Mollie Gurian, Vice President of Home-Based and HCBS Policy at LeadingAge.

Is pot legal now? Despite big marijuana news, it's still in legal limbo. USA Today; by Joel Shannon and Jeanine Santucci; 5/1/24 Tuesday brought big marijuana news: The Biden Administration is expected to soon reclassify marijuana for the first time in decades, putting it in a less restrictive drug category that would allow it to be studied and prescribed more easily. But that news comes in a nation where many states have already crafted their own marijuana policy: Some states allow for it to be prescribed already; others allow people to use it recreationally. Few states ban it outright. ... Here's what to know.

Physician-Assisted Suicide Bill recommended by second committee in Massachusetts legislature New Boston Post; 5/1/24 A bill that would legalize physician-assisted suicide has gotten a favorable vote from a second legislative committee, ... This is the earliest in the state’s two-year legislative session that the bill has been recommended by the Joint Committee on Public Health, and it’s the first time the bill has made it out of the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing, said Melissa Stacy, Northeast regional advocacy manager for Compassion & Choices, according to MASSterList.

UK survey finds 65% of adults are worried about access to palliative care Medical Xpress; by King's College London; 4/30/24 A survey commissioned by King's College London, and carried out by YouGov, has found that 65% of people across the U.K. are worried about access to palliative and end of life care, and 41% think there is too little NHS resource allocated to palliative care. The survey of 2,164 adults across the U.K. was commissioned by the Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery & Palliative Care at King's to explore people's knowledge and experiences of palliative and end of life care. ... Findings from the survey conducted in January 2024 show that nearly a quarter of people (24%) across the U.K. say they don't know much about or have not heard of palliative care, with disparities in knowledge between white and ethnic minority groups.

34 recent hospital, health system executive moves Becker's Hospital Review; by Kelly Gooch and Alexis Kayser; updated 4/26/24 The following hospital and health system executive moves have been shared with or reported by Becker's this year: [Click on the title's link; 34 executive moves are listed for the week of April 20-26.]

TRU Community Care and St. Paul’s Senior Services explore strategic partnership to transform senior care landscape My Prime Time News, Lafayette, CO; 4/29/24TRU Community Care and St. Paul’s Senior Services are exploring affiliation as two well-established nonprofit healthcare providers in Colorado and California, respectively. Under the leadership of Scott Gresser, President and CEO of TRU Community Care and Michael McHale, President and CEO of St. Paul’s Senior Services, organizational integration would allow TRU and St. Paul’s to expand the serious illness continuum of care that each currently provides, including senior services from independent living to memory care, PACE (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly), palliative and hospice care, and community support programs such as bereavement services. 

Deciphera Pharmaceuticals to be acquired by Ono Pharmaceutical for $2.4 billion LevinPro HC; 4/30/24Deciphera Pharmaceuticals announced on April 29 that it has entered into a definitive merger agreement with Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. to be acquired for a total equity value of $2.4 billion. Upon completion, Deciphera will operate as a standalone business of Ono, from its headquarters in Waltham, Massachusetts. 

Medical marijuana may be sold in pharmacies, but it is not a medicine Psychiatric Times; by Yi-Lang Tang, MD, PhD and Elizabeth McCord, MD; 4/29/24Commentary: Georgia will soon be the first state in the nation to allow independent pharmacies to sell medical marijuana products, with more than 100 pharmacies already applying to participate. This raises serious health concerns. The public should be aware that medical marijuana is not a medicine and that it differs from US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved medications in several key ways. ... Editor's Note: This article contains a list of what is approved (or not) in each state (with Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico); a brief history of medical marijuana; and differences between medical marijuana and FDA-approved medications.