Literature Review

Health Care: To Advance Effective AI Strategy, Lay Policy Groundwork Wall Street Journal, 12/19/23Integrating an understanding of public policy into AI strategy and design can help health care organizations stay directionally aligned with policy trends while advancing their tech strategy. ... Many health care leaders may be keen to roll out AI within their organizations to promote efficiency and drive value, but moving too fast may have the opposite effect.

Jefferson, Lehigh Valley Health to merge in 2024Modern HealthcareDecember 19, 2023Jefferson and Lehigh Valley Health Network plan to merge next year, creating a system of 30 hospitals and more than 700 care sites in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The two health systems said Tuesday they have signed a non-binding letter of intent to merge and plan to sign a definitive agreement and close the transaction sometime in 2024, pending regulatory approval. 

A Lukewarm Home Health, Hospice Dealmaking Year Comes To A CloseHome Health Care NewsDecember 19, 2023Following consecutive record years for health care transactions, 2023 was a comparatively lukewarm time for home health and hospice dealmaking activity. That’s according to a recent report from PwC. Specifically, there were 95 home health and hospice deals in the 12 months examined by PwC, which ended on Nov. 15., compared to 114 during the same period last year. The deals were worth $4.7 billion. ... PwC experts believe that M&A will likely be a key growth and profit driver next year.

Rome Community Foundation awards nearly $184K in fourth-quarter grantsCentral New York Business JournalDecember 19, 2023Rome, NY—The Rome Community Foundation announced it has awarded $183,616 in grants—ranging from $500 to $25,000 each—to 21 Rome-area charitable organizations. The recipients include: Hospice and Palliative Care, $15,000; ...

The Hospice Action Network Presents 2023 Angel Awards HonoreesNews ReleaseDecember 19, 2023Alexandria, VA—The Hospice Action Network (HAN), the advocacy affiliate group of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO), is pleased to announce its 2023 Hospice Action Network Angel Award Honorees. ... New this year is the addition of the first-ever “Courageous Conversations Award” to be presented, when merited, to a standout individual who has inspired and educated the public on the value of hospice. At 99, former President Jimmy Carter is the longest living U.S. President and the first known President to utilize the Medicare Hospice Benefit. This year’s HAN award recipients are as follows:

Hudson Valley Hospice Opens its First ResidenceHudson Valley Press (Newburgh, NY)December 19, 2023Poughkeepsie, NY—Michael Kaminski, President and CEO of Hudson Valley Hospice, announced that the Hudson Valley Hospice House is now open to patients. ... Suites can also be converted for pediatric patient care to meet the extraordinary needs of our youngest patients and their loved ones.

There are more Florida nursing students but fewer qualified applicants, a report showsHealth News FloridaDecember 19, 2023The number of students enrolling in nursing programs in Florida is increasing. But colleges and universities are reporting a drop in qualified applicants. That’s one of the findings in a new report from the Florida Center for Nursing. It surveyed more than 500 programs over the past year—most of them in Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe counties. ... Rayna Letourneau, the center’s executive director, says Florida needs to start recruiting while students are young. ... The report also finds a decrease in nursing faculty.

Nurses First, Doctors Distant Second in Healthcare Provider RatingsGallup OrganizationDecember 18, 2023Washington, DC—At the end of a year when Gallup found Americans’ confidence in the U.S. medical system at its lowest in a decade, a new survey reveals that some prominent players in the system are still widely acclaimed while others are not. Nurses receive the best rating by far, with 82% saying they provide excellent or good medical care, and doctors rank second at 69%. 

New York’s Legislature should show love, compassion by passing Medical Aid in Dying ActBy Rena SchwartzbaumWestchester (NY) NewsDecember 19, 2023My mother, Lillian, 88, was a Holocaust survivor and a life-long fighter. She lived through Hitler, Stalin, diphtheria, a displaced person’s camp, the loss of her husband of 58 years and one cancer diagnosis. It was her second cancer—a very rare angiosarcoma that was the result of the radiation treatment for her first cancer—that proved too much for her. After many weeks of painful symptoms, deteriorating health, and unsuccessful treatment, she told us she was tired of fighting. She begged my brother and me to help her die. I started to research what was possible and found we could not honor her last wish in the state she had called home for more than sixty years. 

“It's not about presents but it is about your presence. Therein lies the spirit of the holiday season.”Julieanne O'Connor

Survey finds rampant discrimination in health carePublic News ServiceDecember 19, 2023In a new poll, 25% of voters say they have “personally experienced or witnessed discrimination in health care due to race, ethnicity, gender, disability, religion or sexual orientation.” The poll, sponsored by Compassion & Choices, an end-of-life care advocacy group, included more than 1,600 voters from California and across the United States. “It was striking that one-quarter of voters report that they personally experienced or witnessed discrimination in health care, with an even higher 35% among Black people, 29% among Hispanics and 41% among people who are LGBT,” said pollster Amy Simon, a partner at Goodman Simon Strategic Research. 

How 19 New Hanover Community Endowment grants totaling $53 million will be spentStar News (Wilmington, NC)December 18, 2023Wilmington, NC—The New Hanover Community Endowment has announced more than $53 million in grants to philanthropic efforts in New Hanover County. Over the next three years, the $53 million will go toward 19 grants in New Hanover County focused on the healthcare workforce pipeline, early childhood education and health access. The endowment is also granting $1.4 million to 14 organizations with one-year, non-renewable grants that supports programs like elder care, literacy and youth violence prevention.