Literature Review

Hospital-at-home, telehealth, DME reimbursement top year-end home care priorities McKnights Home Care; by Adam Healy; 12/9/24 Home care advocates are advancing numerous home care advocacy priorities in the final days of 2024. They are focusing on telehealth, hospital-at-home and durable medical equipment (DME). Last week, the Long-Term Post-Acute Care Health Information Technology (LTPAC Health IT) Collaborative, which includes LeadingAge as a member, sent a letter to Congress asking for an extension of telehealth flexibilities enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic. These flexibilities, which allow providers to furnish virtual care services over state lines, among other capabilities, will expire Dec. 31 without congressional action.

Court rules against former Encompass Health officers in lawsuitHomeCare, Dallas, TX and Birmingham, AL; 12/9/24 The Delaware Court of Chancery ruled in the lawsuit against Encompass Health, a national home health and hospice provider, and Enhabit Home Health and Hospice, an owner and operator of rehabilitation hospitals. The lawsuit related to breaches of fiduciary duty by former company executives within Emcompass Health's former home health and hospice division, which is now Enhabit Home Health and Hospice. The court awarded judgment against VitalCaring Group, a home health and hospice business, as well as the private equity firms Vistria Group and Nautic Partners for aiding and abetting “the egregious breaches of the duty of loyalty” by former Encompass Health CEO April Anthony, former chief strategy officer Luke James and former chief financial officer Chris Walker. The court found that while employed by Encompass Health, Anthony, James and Walker usurped acquisition opportunities falling within Encompass Health’s line of business, used Encompass Health’s confidential information and swayed key Encompass Health employees to join them, with the promise of equity in the home health and hospice competitor that Anthony now heads, VitalCaring Group. 

Gentiva Hospice sues Bristol Hospice over noncompete violations in Maine PressHerald.com; 12/7/24 Gentiva Hospice has filed a federal lawsuit against Bristol Hospice, claiming that a former employee shared confidential information to help Bristol establish a competing operation in Bangor, Maine. The lawsuit alleges violations of noncompetition and confidentiality agreements.

'Egregious' and 'insulting': 23 leaders slam Anthem BCBS' recently reversed anesthesia pay policy Becker's ASC Review; by Patsy Newitt; 12/9/24Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield has reversed its decision on a controversial anesthesia reimbursement policy update, which would have introduced a new reimbursement structure based on CMS physician work time values. Twenty-three anesthesiologists and certified registered nurse anesthetists connected with Becker's to discuss their thoughts. [Click on the title's link to read these powerful responses.]

Design work to prevent burnout: A new model for improving work design supports change that increases employee engagement and reduces stress MIT Sloan Management Review; by Sharon K. Parker and Carline Knight; 12/10/24... In the U.S., 67% of workers report feeling disengaged from their work, and 49% intend to leave their current job. ... In this article, we’ll introduce readers to our SMART Work Design model. This model captures and synthesizes the most important characteristics for worker well-being and performance from both the Jobs Characteristics and Job Demands-Resources models into five dimensions: stimulating work, mastery, autonomy, relational work, and tolerable demands (thus the SMART acronym). HR leaders, managers, and employees can use the model to identify aspects of work that lead to disengagement and burnout and then create a healthier work environment and improve performance. (See “A Model for Making Work Smarter.”)

20 Ways our healthcare system wastes money and prioritizes profits over patients World of DTC Marketing - Healthcare Insights; by Richard Meyer; 12/8/24 Every year, over a half million Americans go bankrupt—often losing pretty much everything they’ve worked their entire lives for—because someone in their family got sick. In 2018 alone, the United States wasted $ 256 billion on “administrative expenses” associated with for-profit health insurance, including multimillion-dollar salaries and armies of bean counters who scour claims looking for reasons to reject payment of hospital, doctor, and pharmaceutical bills. Our healthcare system wastes money and puts patients’ lives at risk. [The list includes:]

What adult children should know when discussing their parents’ end-of-life care StudyFinds; by StudyFindsStaff, reviewed by Christ Melore; 12/8/24 Talking about death can be difficult for anyone at any time. For adult children who need to know their parents’ final wishes, it can be excruciating. A new survey is revealing the stark disconnect between our beliefs and actions when it comes to end-of-life planning. While an overwhelming 90% of adults recognize the importance of these critical conversations, half have yet to take the first step with their closest loved ones. ... The numbers tell a revealing story. Twenty-six percent of respondents simply keep putting off the conversation, while 23% admit they don’t know how to approach the topic. Sixteen percent are outright scared to broach the subject, creating a wall of silence around a universal human experience. ... When people do open up, the conversations prove surprisingly rich and multifaceted.

Nearly 5,000 Providence workers authorize strikes Becker's Hospital Review; by Kelly Gooch; 12/5/24 Nearly 5,000 nurses, physicians, and other healthcare professionals at nine Providence bargaining units represented by two unions have authorized strikes. Members of the Oregon Nurses Association and Pacific Northwest Hospital Medicine Association from 13 hospitals and clinics across Oregon voted over the past two months, according to a Dec. 4 news release shared with Becker's. Union representatives and Providence have been in contract negotiations for more than a year, and many bargaining units remain without agreements, the release said. ...  Strike authorizations do not mean strikes will occur. If leaders of individual bargaining units set a strike date, a 10-day notice will be issued to Providence's management.

Forcura and Axxess announce palliative care software integration Bluefield Daily Telegraph, Jacksonville, FL; Business Wire; 12/9/24 Forcura, a healthcare workflow management company, announced a strategic partnership enhancement with Axxess, the leading global technology platform for healthcare at home, by expanding connectivity to Axxess’ palliative care platform. Consequently, Axxess’ palliative care client organizations now can manage the workflow associated with onboarding and coordinating care for patients through a bi-directional API integration with Forcura. Together, Forcura and Axxess can provide shared home health, hospice, home care and palliative care clients a seamless interoperable experience.

Gift packages made for hospice patients in west Alabama WBRC 6 News, Birmingham, AL; by Kelvin Reynolds; 12/9/24 While it’s usually between people who know each other, that’s not always the case. A group in west Alabama arranged gift packages for folks using hospice and or home healthcare services who may not have many more holidays to celebrate. Anita Jones and others assembled dozens of care packages, working with Aveeno Home Health and Aveeno Hospice offices in Demopolis and Livingston to identify people in need. The company will distribute the care packages to its patients. ... McElroy Trucking from Cuba, Alabama helped pay for the items. They included books, blankets, shaving equipment, and other personal items.

The International Association for Hospice & Palliative Care has a new website IAHPC, The International Association for Hospice & Palliative Care; Email communication; 12/3/24 The IAHPC team is delighted to announce the launch of our brand-new website. It’s quite a change from the old one! We think this is a great way to close out a very fruitful year that included the implementation of several research projects, new online courses, public webinars, and multiple news bulletins about the accomplishments of our members worldwide.... [Content]  is organized around our four core areas of work: Advocacy, Education, Research and Communications. And as before, you can learn About Us, explore Resources, and the get to know Members through the topline tabs. This design allows you to navigate more easily to the topics that interest you and lets us keep you better informed about our progress in those areas.

Community raises $6,190 for CVHHH on Giving Tuesday VB Vermont Biz; 12/7/24 Central Vermont Home Health & Hospice (CVHHH) in Barre raised $6,190 on Giving Tuesday, December 3, 2024, thanks to a generous match challenge from J.A. Gould Plumbing & Heating. In 24 hours, thirty-five donors contributed $4,690. An additional $1,500 match from J.A. Gould Plumbing & Heating brought the Giving Tuesday total to $6,190 to support home health, hospice, long-term care, and family-child health care at Central Vermont Home Health & Hospice (CVHHH). “We are humbled by the outpouring of support from donors near and far on Giving Tuesday,” said Emily McKenna, CVHHH’s Chief Advancement Officer.