Literature Review

Patriot Hospice in Trumbull County takes patient on one last ‘hunt’WFMJ-TV (Youngstown, OH)December 20, 2023Patriot Hospice in Trumbull County gave one of their patients a special present just before the holidays this year. Through a program called “A Moment in Time with Patriot,” the organization took patient Richard Ansback on a special day where he got to ‘hunt’ through the new Bass Pro Shop in Niles. ... During the tour, Ansback got the chance to shoot a crossbow at a target in a special room built specifically for shooting.

Hospice, Home Health Providers ‘Squeezing Turnips’ Competing for Clinical StaffHospice NewsDecember 20, 2023Hospice and home health care providers’ recruitment and retention strategies have narrowed their focus on workers’ key priorities, with organizational culture among the heaviest hitters on their lists. Amid workforce shortages, hospice and home health providers are often at a disadvantage when it comes to competing with other health care organizations that can have greater financial resources, according to Bill English, president and CEO of Accurate Home Care. 

UnitedHealth, OptumRx sued by independent pharmacy over ‘unconscionable’ feesHealthcare DiveDecember 20, 2023UnitedHealth and its pharmacy benefit manager OptumRx are being sued by an independent pharmacy for allegedly strong-arming pharmacies into agreeing to “unconscionable” performance-based fees, threatening their financial health. 

Nursing homes still face data concerns, new audit saysTimes Union (Albany, NY)December 20, 2023Albany, NY—The state Department of Health largely failed to implement recommendations meant to improve infection control in nursing homes, according to an audit released by the state comptroller’s office on Wednesday. The audit came as a follow-up to a March 2022 audit by state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli’s office that found data released by the Health Department “misled the public” and undercounted deaths in nursing homes. 

Think tank raises fraud, waste allegations within New York’s home care industryMcKnight’s Home Care DailyDecember 20, 2023On Tuesday, New York’s state assembly heard proposals regarding expansion of the healthcare workforce. But critics cautioned against overreach as the labor force is already “bigger and better paid than ever.” 

Dauphin County senior living facility announces closure; approx. 40 residents affectedWHTM-TV (Harrisburg, PA)December 18, 2023Harrisburg, PA—A local senior care facility that is located in Harrisburg recently announced that it will be closing its doors. 

Steward Health Care hit with False Claims Act lawsuitHealthcare DiveDecember 20, 2023The federal government is suing Dallas-based Steward Health Care and its facilities, Steward Medical Group and Boston-based St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center, for violating the False Claims Act and a physician self-referral law, according to a Monday announcement. The complaint, filed in Massachusetts District Court, alleges Steward Medical Group improperly linked a lead cardiologist’s compensation with his referrals, leading the group to award him nearly $5 million in incentive-based pay—and violating physician self-referral rules, known as the Stark Law. 

Report—Death rates in older adults dropped overall prior to pandemicMcKnight’s Long Term Care NewsDecember 20, 2023Death rates for adults 65 and older fell from 2000 through 2019, according to a new report that analyzed death rates among older adults prior to the pandemic. The National Vital Statistics Report was published on Dec. 15. Data in the report came from the National Center for Health Statistics between 2000 and 2019. 

Washington Post Investigation on Elopements Puts Memory Care in the SpotlightSenior Housing NewsDecember 20, 2023A series of investigations from the Washington Post on resident elopement and staffing has shone a new light on memory care operators and the challenges they face keeping residents safe. One of the Post stories, published over the weekend, centered on residents who wandered away from memory care communities since 2018, almost 100 of which died. Most of the incidents involved residents of memory care communities, and among the struggles highlighted were staffing shortages and improper training. The story represents a new source of scrutiny for an industry that has intermittently struggled with bad press since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

"We get so frustrated and weary chasing the perfect holiday season that we never take time to enjoy the one right in front of us." Joshua Becker

What to know about home healthcare and home careModern HealthcareDecember 19, 2023Efforts to move more care into the home got a boost last week when the Biden administration announced $37 billion in funding to support home- and community-based services through the American Rescue Plan Act. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is encouraging states to use the money to create registries for consumers of direct care workers who can provide home-based care to Medicaid beneficiaries, as well as those who do not receive Medicaid benefits. ... Here is what you need to know about the services and their growth. ...

Caregivers more financially burdened, less prepared for large emergency expensesMcKnight’s Senior LivingDecember 19, 2023Caregivers are more likely to be burdened by finances and less likely to be prepared than noncaregivers for large emergency expenses, according to data from the Employee Benefit Research Institute. ... The report noted that caregivers are predominantly women and minorities. They tend to be older, single workers as well, compared to the workforce at large. ... Still, according to the data, caregivers are more likely to find themselves in a pickle when emergency expenses arise, such as a costly prescription or a medical expense exceeding $5,000.