Literature Review

Hearing with Health and Human Services Secretary BecerraHouse Ways and Means CommitteePublisher's note: CA Representatives Steel (@ 4:01) and Van Duyne (@ 4:14) ask pointed questions of Secretary Becerra regarding hospice fraud, particularly focused on Southern California. Thanks to Sheila Clark, California Hospice & Palliative Care Association, for sharing this link. Also, yesterday (3/20/24) Judi Lund Person, Lund Person & Associates Hospice Consulting, presented on this specific topic at the Nebraska Hospice & Palliative Care Association Annual Conference.

Have a heart that never hardens, and a temper that never tires, and a touch that never hurts. ~Charles Dickens

Book Review: The Journey’s EndAmerican Journal of Medical Quality, by Casey, Donald E. Jr MD, MPH, MBA; 3/24.Michael Connelly's "The Journey's End" is a highly engaging and insightful guide for bouth ourselves and our loved ones on how we ought to face death with dignity.

Transitions between skilled home health and hospice for persons living with dementia: a systematic review of literatureAnnals of Palliative Medicine, by Sharon E. Bigger, Robin Ann Foreman, Christiana Keinath, Gail L. Towsley; 3/24We found that persons living with dementia are at higher risk for early, unsuccessful discharge from-and readmission to-skilled skilled home health; and persons living with dementia are at higher risk for being discharged alive from hospice.

Empowering young voices: Navigating the complexities of minors in healthcare decisionsEuropean Journal of Pediatrics, by J Peter de Winter, Jaan Toelen, Gregorio Paolo Milani; 3/24The inclusion of children in healthcare decisions is a crucial element that requires attention to ethical, legal, and psychological considerations. Balancing autonomy with welfare interests and parental involvement is a significant challenge in pediatric healthcare ethics.

Psychedelic therapy: A primer for primary care clinicians - psilocybinAmerican Journal of Therapeutics, by Burton J Tabaac, Kenneth Shinozuka, Alejandro Arenas, Bryce D Beutler, Kirsten Cherian, Viviana D Evans, Chelsey Fasano, Owen S Muir; 3/24.Aside from ketamine, psilocybin is the most clinically well-researched psychedelic drug, with trials that have enrolled hundreds of participants and multiple therapeutic applications. Phase III trials will determine whether psilocybin lives up to the promise that it showed in previous clinical trials.

Racial Disparities in low-value care in the last year of life for Medicare beneficiaries with neurodegenerative diseaseNeurology Clinical Practice, by Margarethe E. Goetz, PhD, PA-C; Cassie B. Ford, PhD; Melissa A. Greiner, MS; Amy Clark, PhD; Kim G. Johnson, MD; Brystana G. Kaufman, MD; Sneha Mantri, MD, MS; Ying Xian, MD, PhD; Richard J. O'Brien, MD, PhD; Emily C. O'Brien, PhD; and Jay B. Lusk, MD, MBA; 4/24.We found racial disparities in care utilization among patients with neurodegenerative disease in the last year of life, such that Black decedents were more likely to receive specific low-value care services and less likely to receive high-value supportive care than White decedents, even after adjusting for health status and socioeconomic factors.

What contributes to promote sexual health in cancer palliative care? A realist reviewSexual Medicine Reviews, by Donz Roxane, Russia Bruno, Barbaret Cécile, Debbie Braybrook, Perceau-Chambard Elise, Reverdy Thibaut, Economos Guillaume; 3/24.[France, UK] Of the 2056 articles identified, 38 articles were included in the review. The data reported in these articles contributed to 7 CMO hypotheses: (1) improving communication skills, (2) healthcare provider training, (3) reorganizing the patient environment in care settings or at home, (4) managing sexual symptoms and also general symptoms, (5 and 6) patient-centered counseling or couple counseling, and (7) lifting the taboo.

State of the service: Pediatric palliative and hospice community-based service coverage in the United StatesJournal of Palliative Medicine, by Meaghann S. Weaver, MD, PhD, MPH, HEC-C; Tej Chana; Deb Fisher, PPCNP; Hope Fost; Betsy Hawley, MA; Kristin James, LCPC; Lisa C. Lindley, PhD, RN, FPCN, FAAN; Kaeli Samson, MA, MPH; Steven M. Smith, MD; Alix Ware, JD, MPH; and Christy Torkildson, PhD, RN, PHN; 11/23.Objective: To quantify and describe the inclusion of children in services, staffing, and care scope offered by community-based hospice organizations in the United States. Design and Subjects: This study utilized an online survey distributed to organizational members of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) in the United States. Results: A total of 481 hospice organizations from 50 states, Washington DC, and Puerto Rico responded. Conclusions: Children remain underrepresented in the extension of care offered through community-based hospice organizations in the United States particularly in nonmetro settings.

Providence Chief Nursing Officer: All hospitals should be using these 3 tools MedCity News, by Katie Adams; 3/19/24 The workforce shortage is especially acute among nurses. There are 193,100 projected job openings per year for nurses in the U.S. between 2022 and 2032, but only 177,400 new nurses are predicted to enter the workforce during that entire 10-year period. That isn’t even enough to fill one year’s worth of the projected job openings. In order for this issue to improve, hospitals must embrace the technology on the market that has been proven to alleviate nurse burnout, said Syl Trepanier, chief nursing officer at Providence, in a recent interview at the ViVE conference in Los Angeles. ...

Meet the 'Flower Lady': Crafting bouquets of comfort and compassion for hospice patients NBC 5 On Your Side, by Mike Bush; 3/19/24 In the heart of Evelyn's House, a hospice facility dedicated to providing comfort in life's final moments, resides 79-year-old Anne Hensley, affectionately dubbed the "flower lady" by staff and patients alike. ... Her lifelong passion for floral artistry has since blossomed into a symbol of solace and compassion within the halls of Evelyn's House. ... For Anne, her role as the "flower lady" is more than just arranging bouquets; it's a labor of love rooted in empathy and understanding.

A Western Slope program is helping older Coloradans maintain independence The Colorado Trust, by Nancy Lofhholm; 3/20/24 [Case example of a 74-year-old widow, wheelchair, who can live alone in her home because of PACE.] ... The center houses the HopeWest PACE program, which delivers wide-ranging services for older adults. HopeWest PACE is a local fulfillment of a national Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services program known as PACE, which stands for Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly. HopeWest PACE is one of 150 programs nationwide that carry out the PACE mandate to keep qualifying older adults like Powell living in their homes by providing them with a holistic bundle of health care and social and emotional support. It includes primary and specialty medical care, prescription medications, physical and occupational therapy, recreation, dietary counseling, and mental health counseling.

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