Literature Review

BREAKING NEWS 10/1/2024, 12:30pm - Medicare Program; FY 2025 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate Update, Hospice Conditions of Participation Updates, and Hospice Quality Reporting Program Requirements; Correction Federal Register - The Daily Journal of the United States Government; Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services  (CMS), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS); 10/1/24 This document corrects technical and typographical errors in the final rule that appeared in the August 6, 2024 Federal Register titled “Medicare Program; FY 2025 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate Update, Hospice Conditions of Participation Updates, and Hospice Quality Reporting Program Requirements”.I. Background: In FR Doc. 2024-16910 of August 6, 2024 (89 FR 64202), there were a number of technical and typographical errors that are identified and corrected in this correcting document. The provisions in this correction document are effective as if they had been included in the final rule that appeared in the August 6, 2024 Federal Register . Accordingly, the corrections are effective October 1, 2024.II. Summary of Errors: ...Given these errors, we are republishing the FY 2025 Hospice Wage Index file accordingly on the CMS website at: https://www.cms.gov/​medicare/​payment/​fee-for-service-providers/​hospice/​hospice-wage-index effective October 1, 2024.

Here's how the federal funding freeze is impacting Kodiak organizations KMXT, Kodiak, AL; by Davis Hovey; 2/28/25 Billions of dollars in federal funding going to Alaska nonprofits and other entities are in jeopardy after a funding freeze implemented by the Trump administration. The fallout in Kodiak is impacting domestic violence shelters, agriculture programs and many other organizations. ... And then there are indirect impacts. For example, Hospice & Palliative Care of Kodiak relies partially on money from entities who have had their funding frozen. Hospice is a non-medical entity and the only one providing end-of-life services for those experiencing serious illness, death and bereavement in Kodiak. Executive director Diane Ibarra explained the organization’s funding structure during a local public affairs show, ... "So although we’re not directly reliant on federal funds, the people that often donate to us are. So if federal funding goes out the window, there goes our funding," Ibarra explained.

[UK] 'Rising costs mean difficult decisions' - hospices BBC News, Somerset, UK; by Bea Swallow; 3/1/25 Hospice charities have warned "difficult decisions" could be on the horizon unless changes are made to "restrictive" government funding. On Wednesday, the government announced the release of £25 million for hospices across England, but this is reserved for facility upgrades and refurbishments only. ... Facing a "significant rise" in demand and costs, hospices across the country have been rallying for a more sustainable, long-term funding solution for the sector. ... Penny Agent, chief operating officer for Dorothy House, said unless it received support with staffing costs, it would have no choice but to cut back on services. 

How much does end-of-life care generally cost? 50 Plus Finance; by David Leto; 3/3/25 [For the public] ... Knowing how much end-of-life care generally costs can help you manage and prepare your finances appropriately to ease the burden on you and loved ones when the time comes. ... The cost of end-of-life care can vary widely depending on the services required. On average, however, Americans spend between $10,000 and $70,000 on such care, with the majority of expenses often occurring in the last year or month of life. These costs can stem from hospital stays, at-home care, or nursing facility care. Hospice, which focuses on comfort and pain management, typically costs less than intensive medical treatments but still averages several thousand dollars each month, or around $150 a day with insurance. Understanding these figures helps you set realistic financial expectations and prepare for them. ...

Medicaid health plans failing to pay hospices for nursing home room and board Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 3/3/25 ... Medi-Cal, California’s Medicaid program, is among the states that shifted management of its safety net health coverage to health plans. Under this system, Medi-Cal pays the health plans who then pass payments on to the providers. However, due to confusion among managed care plans that oversee Medicaid in most states, those hospices are not getting those dollars back, according to Craig Dresang,  CEO of YoloCares. This has caused hospices to lose thousands to millions of dollars in some cases. “Managed health care plans are saying they’re denying the claims, and they’re tying them up so that they age out. So the due date has passed and we can no longer bill,” Dresang told Hospice News. [Click on the title's link to continue reading.]

'Shouldn't be something that's feared': She helps people face the end of life with dignity News Chief, part of the USA TODAY Network, Lakeland, FL; by Thomas R. Oldt; 3/2/25 Allow me to introduce a perfectly lovely person you may not wish to meet. She’s fostered rescue dogs, advocated for domestic violence victims, volunteered for foreign medical missions and worked emergency rooms throughout Central Florida. She is exceptionally empathetic, intensely focused and candid to a fault. She is also highly conversant in a subject most of us prefer to avoid. For the past seven years, Dr. Danielle Christiano has been staff physician at Good Shepherd Hospice in Auburndale where – in contrast to most other places – death is not a verboten subject. ... [Question:] What do you say or do to alleviate fears that accompany the end of life? [Answer:] It depends on your definition of hope. And it depends on what you want out of this. My general prescription is very different from most doctors because I embrace joy. I want people to seek out the things that bring them joy, ...

Mobile hospital-at-home pilot to deliver care to rural patients Modern Healthcare; by Diane Eastabrook; 2/26/25  Mobile medical units will deliver hospital-at-home care to patients in rural communities as part of a five-year pilot program aimed at expanding healthcare access in underserved areas. The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health recently awarded an undisclosed amount of funding to Boston’s Mass General Brigham, University of Utah’s Huntsman Cancer Institute and Kentwood, Michigan-based Homeward Health to develop programs that will extend hospital-level care to patients in remote communities using mobile platforms.

Sustainable AI integration: Balancing profit with responsibility Infosys; 2/28/25 Sustainable AI integration balances profit with responsibility, addressing ethical dilemmas, biases, and environmental impacts. It emphasizes the need for strategic, responsible AI practices to ensure long-term societal well-being and business success. Insights: 

Aging With Adventure: The challenge of caring Daily Hampshire Gazette, Northampton, MA; by Eric Weld; 2/28/25 I made a mistake. I took a hiatus from writing in this space about aging with adventure because I thought I was taking a hiatus from adventure. Boy, was I wrong. I errantly thought that spending more than a year caring for my elderly mother in her final time on earth was taking me away from adventure. I am honored to have enabled my mother’s final days spent at home — not her home, but my sister’s private home — instead of in a public or private nursing facility. ... I assumed, in taking on the role of her co-caretaker, I would temporarily preempt my semi-retirement modus operandi of striking out on great adventures. To the contrary, what I learned from spending nearly two years co-caring for my aging mother is that end-of-life care is, indeed, every bit an adventure on many levels. And of course, it’s certainly about aging. [Click on the title's link to continue reading this inspirational caregiver story.]

VITAS’ 'powerhouse’ growth in hospice hitting ‘all-time highs’ Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 2/27/25 Florida-based VITAS Healthcare is anticipating fruitful hospice growth on its horizon. The Chemed Corp. (NYSE: CHE) subsidiary has seen record-highs in patient census volumes and is ramping up strategic plans to expand its geographic footprint across its home state. Acquisitions and de novos will make up an important mix of VITAS’ expansion, Chairman and CEO Nick Westfall said in Thursday’s earnings call. The company is optimistic about future opportunities in the Southeast, executives indicated. [Click on the title's link to continue reading.]

Writing book, getting tatoos Cowboy State Daily, Casper, WY; by Dale Killingbeck; 3/1/25 One of many tattoos on her left forearm is a dandelion in seed stage ready to blow in the wind. Deanna Cotten calls it “the wish flower” because in Texas where she was born that is its name. And like a seed ready to fly, Cotten finds herself in her last days on Earth and understands existence here is temporal. She considers each dawn a blessing. ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, has already claimed a lot of ability from the 43-year-old Glenrock, Wyoming, wife and mother of four. ... With the help of a friend, she is completing a book she started writing for her business clients that has morphed into a book for people in similar circumstances who are facing some sort of crisis and end. ... In November, she entered hospice treatment at home where a team ... from Central Wyoming Hospice & Transitions cared for her and offered assistance to her family at their Glenrock home. 

Amedisys honors 47 employees with annual Spirit of Excellence awardGlobeNewswire; 2/3/25Amedisys, a leading provider of home health, hospice and high-acuity care services, has recognized 47 employees with the prestigious Spirit of Excellence Awards, one of the company’s highest honors. [Click on the press release link above for the list of 47 winners - congratulations!]

19-year-old says home hospice is a gift, not doom and gloom Keloland Media Group, Sioux Fall, SD; by Tom Hanson; 2/27/25 ... Cheyenne may be 19, but she is wise beyond her years, especially when it comes to something doctors discovered when she was 11. “I have stage 4 Metastatic Osteosarcoma, which is bone cancer in my lungs and It hasn’t responded very well to treatment, so that’s so I’m on hospice, but not because, I’m not on hospice because its the end right now, I’m on hospice because just so I have that extra support,” she said. Cheyenne knows people often misunderstand what hospice is all about. “It’s like doom and gloom and it’s like the end, there’s nothing they can do and that’s just not the case, she said. She was able to go on her road trip because Sanford’s Home Hospice team, including Becky Jibben, helped plan the trip and organize support teams along the way if Cheyenne needed help.