Literature Review

A hospice doctor on deathbed visions #shorts #tedx Tedx Talks; by Dr. Christopher Kerr; 4/29/24"When it comes to end-of-life experiences, most of the reports were based on anecdotal reporting. In other words, nobody had asked patients directly or attempted to quantify or measure. So that's what we've done. What we found is that the vast majority, over 80%, reported at least one pre-death dream and vision, described as more real than real and distinct from normal dreaming. 

Policymakers should support patients over profits in Louisiana Louisiana Illuminator; by Kathy Oubre; 4/29/24... The need for more affordable access to treatment and care is not only real for cancer patients, but also for all Louisianans, with U.S. News and World Report ranking Louisiana in the bottom five states for health care in the country. ... [LA] Senate Bill 347 would require pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and insurance companies to share the savings they receive from negotiated rebates and discounts directly with patients at the point-of-sale, lowering out-of-pocket costs. These rebates and discounts are significant, totaling over $230 billion in 2021 alone. 

Penn State Hershey Medical Center nurses ratify new contractNBC WGAL TV 8; by Lori Has More; 4/27/24 More than 2,000 registered nurses working at Penn State Hershey Medical Center have ratified a new three-year contract. The union says their new deal will increase pay rates by an average of 22.5%, include more time off and new initiatives to address staffing needs. Editor's Note: These changes reflect national trends for recent healthcare strikes and high turnover rates: pay rates, work-life balance, and staffing. Additionally, we're seeing demands for improved workplace safety as a common theme for healthcare professionals.

OSF launches new tools to help make end-of-life planning easier News25, Peoria, IL; by Liz Lape; 4/26/24 OSF Healthcare reports that thousands of patients are dying in medical facilities without end-of-life care plans. ... Sarah Overton, Chief Officer of Nursing, describes that studies show that over 70% of patients would prefer a setting other than a hospital to spend their last moments, like at home hospice or palliative care. OSF has launched self-service resources such as an Advanced Careplanning page and Patient Questionnaire on their app MyChart. Overton says the goal is to make end-of-life care planning more available to the public.

Vitas bullish on hospice, palliative care acquisitions following Covenant deal Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 4/25/24 Chemed Corp. ... subsidiary Vitas Healthcare is ramping up its strategic growth plans in both hospice and palliative care amid rising demand for these services. Vitas earlier this month completed its $85 million acquisition of Covenant Health and Community Services’ hospice operations and one assisted living facility location. Announced in March, the deal marked the company’s first purchase in several years. More transactions are on the horizon amid changes in the marketplace and increased clinical capacity, according to Vitas Chairman and CEO Nick Westfall.

How will AI affect care? Let us count the ways McKnights Senior Living; by John O'Connor; 4/25/24 A new report from the editors at Health IT Analytics describes a dozen leading areas where changes will take place. The top three are especially germane to the senior living and care sector. Leading the charge is clinical decision support. ... Following closely is the integration of AI in drug discovery and development. ... Rounding out the top three are electronic health records. ...

University of Texas club puts life's memories into book for people receiving hospice care Austin American-Statesman; by Nicole Villalpando; 4/27/24 "What would you like your legacy to be?" Galilea Dupree asks Bob Bell, as she and two other University of Texas students gather around the dining room in Bell's North Austin home. ... Bob, 92, has congestive heart failure. After three strokes and two heart attacks, he began receiving services with Hospice Austin in November. He is one of nine people in hospice who are having their stories told by UT students as part of the Last Writers club. The club works with Hospice Austin and Compassus hospice to identify people who would like to have their stories told.

Understanding the scope of aggressive incidents in hospitals | Safer Hospitals Chief Healthcare Executive; by Ron Southwick; 4/26/24 Researchers found healthcare workers are facing a verbal or physical incident at least once for every 40 hours worked. Joanne De Santo lennaco of Yale University talks about protecting staff. Even with more attention being placed on violence in hospitals and health systems, healthcare leaders say many incidents don’t come to light. ... Much attention has been focused on incidents involving healthcare workers that have resulted in physical injuries, but she says that fails to capture the hostility healthcare workers routinely encounter, she says.

Understanding is better than criticism The Pike County News Watchman; by Loren Hardin; 4/26/24 The first time I met Glenn was at his brother, Kenny’s, and sister-in-law, Tressie’s wedding anniversary party. ... Glenn walked into the party with a swagger, was wearing dark tinted sunglasses, grabbed his belt, pulled up his pants, stuck out his chest and sat down at the kitchen table. I thought, “Who is this guy wearing dark sunglasses on an overcast day?” To be honest, I thought, “This guy is kind of cocky acting”. Little did I know that in the not-too-distant future, I would become Glenn’s hospice social worker, nor did he? ... [Click on the title's link to read more of this insightful, inspirational story.]

Drug discount program is exploiting poor patients while corporate giants profit Minnesota Reformer; by David Balto; 4/26/24 ... The federal 340B drug discount program was created three decades ago to help economically vulnerable Americans access affordable prescription medications and providers in underserved areas expand and improve services. Under the program, drug companies participating in Medicaid — known in Minnesota as Medical Assistance — provide sizeable discounts as high as 50% to these ‘safety net’ health care facilities. ... Unfortunately, over time, the tens of billions of dollars flowing through this program have proven irresistible to for-profit corporate entities, including giant health systems and big box chain pharmacies — and there is no guarantee those discounts are reaching patients. 

Sharp decline in early outpatient palliative care despite HMP workforce growth Clinical Pain Advisor; by Lisa Kuhn, PhD; 4/26/24 While the number of US Medicare hospice and palliative medicine (HPM) physicians has increased sharply from 2008 to 2020, early outpatient access to specialized care declined significantly during this period, with care concentrated in metropolitan and inpatient settings, according to study results published in the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management. Between 2010 and 2020, the number of HPM fellows increased from 141 to 401. However, recent estimates suggest insufficient capacity to meet the demand for palliative care and hospice needs.

Congresswoman Kat Cammack introduces legislation to block 80-20 Rule Home Health Care News; by Joyce Famakinwa; 4/26/24 ... On Thursday, Congresswoman Kat Cammack (R-Fla.) introduced a bill to block the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) from finalizing the 80-20 provision. Additionally, the legislation would also block HHS from implementing any similar rules that place a minimum requirement for how much of Medicaid spending on HCBS goes towards direct workers’ wages. Cammack’s reason for introducing this legislation is her belief that the 80-20 provision will severely limit access to care at a time when providers are already struggling to serve patients.

Kansas won't have legal medical pot or expand Medicaid for at least another year Newsday; by The Associated Press; 4/26/24 Kansas will remain among the handful of states that haven't legalized the medical use of marijuana or expanded their Medicaid programs for at least another year. Republican state senators on Friday blocked efforts to force debates on both issues before the GOP-controlled Legislature's scheduled adjournment for the year Tuesday. Supporters of each measure fell short of the 24 of 40 votes required to pull a bill on each subject out of committee.