Literature Review

When health care is woven in our family fabric, we find support in unexpected places Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) Voice, by Suzanne M. Mahon, DNS, RN, AOCN®, AGN-BC, FAAN; 3/7/24... We have a built-in support system in our family. We understand all of those feelings and stressors in each other. We just get it. ... Where is your dinner table of support? Who is your go-to person who just gets it and listens? My husband and daughters support me, and I also have friends from nursing school, the workplace, and ONS who support me. They make all the difference in the world. Today, take time to thank your own support team.

Pennsylvania health systems are partnering up Becker's Hospital Review, by Andrew Cass; 3/8/24Kittanning, Pa.-based Armstrong County Memorial Hospital signed a definitive agreement March 6 to join Pennsylvania Mountains Care Network, marking the latest in a series of partnerships, mergers and acquisitions between hospitals and health systems in the Keystone State.

Operating in the red: Half of rural hospitals are losing money, as many cut servicesSource NM, by Jazmin Orozoco Rodriguez (KFF Health News); 3/7/24As half of rural hospitals lose money, many are cutting services

CT bill would create a statewide pediatric hospice program: 'Make this a reality for our children' The Darien Times, by Cris Villalonga-Vivoni; 3/11/24There are only a handful of agencies specifically providing end-of-life care to children in the state, said Moss, who is also the founder of Connecticut Children’s Hospital palliative care team, the Sunflower Kids. “Every dying child in the state of Connecticut deserves this expertise and support of the hospice program,” Moss said. “It is time we make this a reality for our children.” The need for pediatric hospice care is felt throughout the state, even if the volume of people seeking out these services is often low, said Tracy Wodatch, president and chief executive officer of the Connecticut Association for Healthcare at Home.

US officials call on UnitedHealth to accelerate payments to providers The United Business Journal, by Rahul Kumar; 3/11/24In a recent open letter, officials from the U.S. government expressed urgency for UnitedHealth Group to expedite payments to healthcare providers. This plea came in the wake of a debilitating cyberattack on the insurer’s Change Healthcare tech unit, which severely disrupted medical claims processing and payments. The U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services emphasized the critical need for UnitedHealth to take swift action to ensure that healthcare providers do not face financial strain due to the cyberattack.

10 urgent patient safety challenges in 2024 Becker's Clinical Leadership, by Ashleigh Hollowell; 3/11/24While employment for new clinicians was positive in the last year with 96% of new nurses finding work, the issue is transitioning those clinicians from education into bedside and hospital practice, which is the most pressing safety challenge of 2024, according to the ECRI's annual report on patient safety. ... Here are the 10 most urgent patient safety challenges facing providers in 2024 ...

NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue opens new Palliative Care Serenity Unit for patients and families NYC Health+Hospitals Press Release; 3/7/24 NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue today announced the opening of a new Palliative Care Serenity Unit for patients and families. ... “We created the Serenity Unit because we noted an increasing number of patients either spending their dying days at the hospital or in need of extra support and symptom management expertise that palliative care provides,” said Susan E. Cohen, MD, director of the Palliative Care Program at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue. “We want to ensure that patients who are here in their final days are being treated with dignity and expertise.”Editor's Note: NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue is the oldest hospital in America, tracing their roots back to 1736 when a six-bed infirmary opened on the second floor of the New York City Almshouse.

‘100 Men’ group donates $10K to Oceanside Hospice Society Parksville Qualicum Beach News; 3/10/24 Men have given more than $170K to charity since group’s inception. At its quarterly meeting on March 6, the 100 Men of Oceanside group awarded $10,000 to the Oceanside Hospice Society. ...  According to a new release, the latest donation from the group will enable the hospice society to launch a new initiative designed to assist men who have suffered the death of a loved one to effectively grieve their loss. 

Carolina Caring House Calls breaks down traditional medical care barriers Salisbury Post, by Julie Brooks; 3/20/24 County residents now have more access to healthcare providers than ever thanks to Carolina Caring House Calls, a home-based medicine program that offers high-quality medical care in the comfort and safety of patients’ homes. House Calls is designed to serve patients who face barriers to accessing routine medical care, including disabilities, chronic illnesses, mobility problems and more. 

How changing reproductive health laws could impact perinatal hospice Hospice News, by Holly Vossel; 3/8/24 Evolutions in reproductive health laws may have reverberating impacts on the demand and delivery of perinatal hospice care. Perinatal hospice care is provided to families choosing to continue a pregnancy following a life-limiting prenatal diagnosis indicating a high risk of mortality before or shortly after birth. This care includes emotional, spiritual and medical support to families navigating the complexities of a terminal illness. Perinatal hospice providers work closely with health care professionals in neonatal intensive care units (NICU) and reproductive health settings. 

I have little time left. I hope my goodbye inspires you. The Washington Post, by Amy Ettinger; 3/9/24 This past summer, at age 49, I was diagnosed with a rare, incurable cancer called leiomyosarcoma. ... My symptoms were getting worse. I had swelling in my abdomen and legs that couldn’t be treated. After a while, I could no longer walk up the stairs of my house. I decided I wanted comfort, and this week I made the decision to transition to hospice. After choosing this path, I reflected on some of the things I was able to do since my diagnosis: ... People are often afraid when they hear the word “hospice,” but for me it’s been a positive experience. Editor's Note: Read and share this inspiring personal story about choosing hospice care. This is not about Medical Assistance In Dying (MAID), thus eliminating controversial perspectives.

Ohio’s Hospice cuts unnamed number of staff, CEO confirms Journal-News Butler County; by Samantha Wildow; 3/8/24Ohio’s Hospice has reduced its staff by an unnamed number of employees, the CEO confirmed to the Dayton Daily News. Ohio’s Hospice is a partnership of nonprofit hospices in Ohio committed to “a shared vision of strengthening and preserving community-based hospices,” the organization said.  “Since our beginning, our focus has been and will always be on the patients and families we have the privilege of serving,” said Kent Anderson, CEO of Ohio’s Hospice. The nonprofit has faced “inflationary pressures,” he said, which have impacted labor, energy and other costs.

Mayo's plan to expand AI tool access in 2024 Becker's Health IT, by Naomi Diaz; 3/7/24Rochester, MN-based Mayo Clinic has saved its nurses 30 seconds per In Basket message using generative AI. ... This AI-driven system assists clinicians by generating initial responses to patient messages that have nonurgent medical questions. ... The tool has been able to generate draft responses to 3.9 million patient messages in 11 months saving nurses approximately 30 seconds per message, leading to potential monthly time savings of 1,500 hours across the organization, according to the post. Editor's Note: Even without purchasing expensive AI software, many basic software systems / email systems have similar systems to generate sample response phrases, e.g. Microsoft Outlook and Google's Gmail. Your clinicians are sure to have honed out numerous time-savers. Ask! Compile results, assess best practices and reward their input.