Literature Review

Man killed elderly parents, partner and himself in murder-suicide at SW Miami-Dade home NBC 6 South Florida; by Laura Rodriguez; 6/3/24A man shot and killed his elderly parents and partner before turning the gun on himself in a murder-suicide at a home in southwest Miami-Dade Sunday, police and family members said. According to police, [Jesus] Regueira [Jr.] shot and killed his parents, 83-year-old Jesus Regueira Sr. and 84-year-old Mercedes Morato, 61-year-old Kyrsten Stahre, who police identified as his girlfriend but family members said was his wife, before turning the gun on himself. ... The bodies were first discovered by family friend Joanna Cruz, whose mother was bringing food to Morato, who was under hospice care. ... “I think the problem was his mom had a severe stroke and she was in hospice and his mom was his life. Because someone had said that he wasn’t handling it well. The mom was there, but she had hospice coming in. His mom was his favorite person in the world. I don't know about the dad but I just know that’s probably what happened," Carol Miloch said. Editor's Note: Workplace violence in healthcare settings continues to rise, and to be a leading cause for nurse unionization and strikes.

Reap what you sowFraud of the Day; by Larry Benson; 6/4/24Newly released Federal Trade Commission data show that consumers reported losing more than $10 billion to fraud in 2023, marking the first time that fraud losses have reached that benchmark. This marks a 14% increase over reported losses in 2022. The short of this report is that there is more opportunity in fraud than ever before. And fraudsters don’t care who they are scheming from. Including the dying. Shiva Akula owned and oversaw the day-to-day operations of Canon Healthcare, LLC, a hospice facility with offices in Louisiana and Mississippi. ... Between January 2013 and December 2019, Akula billed Medicare approximately $84 million in fraudulent claims. He was paid approximately $42 million relating to these fraudulent claims. And leaving the dying to just do that. Die without the extra care he profited from. ... [Akula was sentenced to serve 20 years in prison and to repay $42 million in fraudulent Medicare billing claims.]

Hospice of Santa Barbara celebrates 50 years with its Legacy of Compassion Campaign and a strong commitment to the futureSanta Barbara Independent; by Hospice of Santa Barbara; 6/3/24 When Hospice of Santa Barbara (HSB) officially opened its doors in 1974, it was at the forefront of a visionary movement. Only one other hospice existed in the United States at the time and a local group of Santa Barbara leaders committed to meeting the needs of people and families struggling with life-threatening illness or grieving the death of a loved one. Over the past 50 years, HSB has served tens of thousands of people. ... During this time, HSB has repeatedly adapted and grown to meet the changing needs of our community including the many community crises and disasters our community has faced. ... [As] HSB looks to their next 50 years, they see a changing landscape that greatly impacts their mission.

Lessons learned establishing the Palliative Care Research Cooperative's Qualitative Data Repository Journal of Pain and Symptom Management; Salimah H Meghani, Kim Mooney-Doyle, Amber Barnato, Kathryn Colborn, Riley Gillette, Krista L Harrison, Pamela S Hinds, Dessi Kirilova, Kathleen Knafl, Dena Schulman-Green, Kathryn I Pollak, Christine S Ritchie, Jean S Kutner, Sebastian Karcher; 5/31/24 ... The [Palliative Care Research Cooperative Group] PCRC Data Informatics and Statistics Core leadership partnered with the Qualitative Data Repository (QDR) to establish the first serious illness and palliative care qualitative data repository in the U.S. ... Specifically, we discuss how we co-designed the PCRC-QDR and created tailored guidelines for depositing and sharing qualitative data depending on the original research context, establishing uniform expectations for key components of relevant documentation, and the use of suitable access controls for sensitive data. ... This work advances the establishment of best practices in qualitative data sharing.

Hawaiʻi is the first state to provide palliative care coverage EIN Presswire; by Governor JOsh Green, MD; 4/4/24 Governor Josh Green, M.D., and the Department of Human Services (DHS) Med-QUEST Division are pleased to announce that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) approved a new State Plan Amendment (SPA) to cover community palliative care services through Medicaid, making Hawaiʻi the first state in the nation to do so.  ... “After several years of hard work and collaboration with many community members and experts in the field, I am proud to announce that Med-QUEST is the first Medicaid program in the country to get this benefit approved,” said Governor Green. “This will greatly improve the quality of life and health outcomes for thousands of people who face serious medical conditions in our state. Hawaiʻi continues to lead the nation in innovations in health and health care.”  

StateServ Rebrands to Dragonfly HealthPR Newswire; 6/3/24StateServ, a leading provider of benefit management solutions for durable medical equipment ("DME") and pharmaceuticals for the post-acute care market, announced today it has rebranded to Dragonfly Health. The new identity marks an inflection point for the Company, as it combines DME and pharmacy offerings, enabling a scalable, holistic care-at-home service platform driven by advanced technology and robust analytics. Through its comprehensive offering of equipment and medication solutions, Dragonfly Health seeks to improve quality of life and transform the care-at-home experience for caregivers, patients, and their families.

Joel Mekler - Medicare Moments: Watch out for these latest scams New Castle News; by Joel Mekler; 6/3/24 ... Across the country, many unscrupulous hospice providers are recruiting and enrolling nonterminally ill patients for end-of-life care they do not need and then billing Medicare for services and items they may never receive. They trick beneficiaries into signing up for hospice by offering freebies, such as additional groceries, nurse visits, durable medical equipment, bus coupons, and more once they enroll. They also make false claims, such as saying “Medicare now covers cooking and cleaning services”. Or they tell beneficiaries they qualify due to age, saying “You’re now old enough to qualify for hospice!” Another tactic is giving money, with some recruiters telling beneficiaries, “You can earn $400/month if you agree to enroll in our program.” ... Tips [to consumers] to avoid hospice fraud:

Community Hospice & Palliative Care setting sights on Florida, Georgia expansionHospice News; by Holly Vossel; 6/3/24Florida-based Community Hospice & Palliative Care recently opened a new location in its home state that will serve as an office for interdisciplinary staff and a community center. The new center is a key part of the hospice and palliative care provider’s overall strategic growth plans to improve access among underserved populations, according to Community CEO Phillip Ward. ... One aim of launching the center is to improve care collaboration and access among African Americans in the community, according to Ward.

Empathetic AI: How Genai virtual agents will be leveraged Informa; by Josh Streets; 6/3/24 Imagine you're shopping online or in a store and have a question about a product. But you don’t want to find a store employee or call into their contact center to speak with a salesperson while you wait for answers. With a simple snapshot of a QR/UPC code on the product or a tap on your mobile device within an application, you're instantly connected to a virtual agent via video chat. This AI assistant not only understands your questions but can also pick up on your facial expressions and body language via your video discussion, to respond with empathy and some level of emotional intelligence. "I can see you're a bit frustrated," the virtual agent says with a warm, reassuring tone. "Let me walk you through the product details and address any concerns you might have."Editor's Note: This AI solution might be great for shopping, but is it ethical for hospice care, especially when the person calling might be elderly and assumes they are talking with a person? How would you feel, especially if you're calling when your loved is actively dying, or has just died moments before? 

4 CEOs share their uncommon - or unpopular - opinionsBecker's Hospital Review; by Kelly Gooch; 5/29/24CEOs shared an unpopular (or uncommon) leadership or healthcare opinion they have. Here are answers collected by Becker's this year.

Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together. - George Eliot

EPCSO, Hospice of El Paso make dream come true for teen facing terminal illnessABC KVIA; by Tyaun Marshburn; 5/29/24Evan Molina was sworn in Wednesday by El Paso County Sheriff Richard Wiles to be honorary Sheriff of El Paso for the day. Molina is a pediatric patient at Hospice of El Paso. He said he has always wanted to be a sheriff, and today the El Paso County Sheriff's Office and Hospice of El Paso made that wish come true.