Literature Review

Special team at Norton Children's Hospital focused on giving the gift of life CBS WLKY-32, Louisville, KY; by Jennifer Baileys; 4/21/25 Caring for sick and dying children is a tough and heartbreaking job. One special group at Norton Children's Hospital is focused on helping these children and their families. ... "She's missing the left side of her heart," Kindra Edwards, patient mother, said. ... Edwards said there was one consistent source of strength and encouragement the Norton Pediatric Support Team. "They're always there. You know, coming in, checking on us when in our multiple stays at the hospital," Edwards said. The team is made up of pediatric and palliative care specialists, nurses, social services, therapist and pastoral care. ... [Through two decades,] pediatric palliative care has evolved. At Norton Children's Hospital it has grown into a team of almost a dozen people, specializing in not just treating, but caring for the sickest patients and their families.

Children’s bereavement needs on rise, Hospice of Santa Barbara finds Noozhawk, Santa Barbara County, CA; by Wavecomm; 4/20/25 It’s not just adults who are impacted by grief and loss in the Santa Barbara community. Children are as well. One in five children will experience the death of someone close to them by age 18, and one in 20 children will experience the death of one or both parents before reaching adulthood, according to Hospice of Santa Barbara (HSB). Although death and grief are inevitable parts of life, these statistics highlight just how many children are impacted. ... HSB is active on local campuses, providing professional weekly support groups from elementary to college age students. On-campus counseling services provide a space for open communication, support and the development of coping skills, helping to mitigate the risk of drug and alcohol abuse among grieving youth. HSB also works with teachers and staff to offer guidance and support when students face a traumatic death. HSB is prepared to respond to calls from 65 schools from Carpinteria to Goleta, in case a traumatic death occurs within the campus.

Legacy even in defeat? Nursing home experts anxious about next moves on staffing efforts McKnights Long-Term Care News; by Kimberly Marselas; 4/21/25 Two weeks after a judge struck down federal staffing standards for all US nursing homes, questions about the rule’s future continue to swirl within the industry. Will the government appeal the District Court’s ruling in Texas and continue to fight for regulations that would force nursing homes to create more than 100,000 new jobs in coming years? How will a judge hearing a similar challenge in Iowa interpret similar arguments, and what happens if the rulings conflict with one another? ... Regardless of whether the rule goes away, industry insiders have one clear expectation: Its legacy will continue to chafe nursing home leaders, who will still face intense pressure to recruit quality staff and improve patient care.

When they don't recognize you anymore The New York Times - The New Old Age; by Paula Span; 4/20/25 People with dementia often forget even close family members as the disease advances. "It can throw people into an existential crisis," one expert said. [Additional access may require subscription.]

“It’s an homage”: Noah Wyle quietly sneaked in a tribute in one of the best episodes of ‘The Pitt’ FandomWire; by Arian Cruz; 4/18/25 In the fourth episode of The Pitt titled 10:00 A.M., Noah Wyle’s Dr. Michael ‘Robby’ Robinavitch monitored Mr. Spencer during his final hours while dealing with his own thoughts about the death of his beloved mentor, Dr. Adamson. He remembers the advice he received from him and shared it with the children of the dying patient as they waited for their father to pass. The phrases ‘I love you,’ ‘Thank you,’ ‘I forgive you,’ and ‘Please forgive me’ are words that need to be heard when someone is at the end of their life. Wyle revealed that he took these lessons from palliative care physician and author Ira Byock when he was writing the screenplay. Wyle said these short phrases are profound and hold deep meanings beyond their simplicity. He made sure to weave them in on the show while taking inspiration from his own mother for the emotional scenes. He shared via USA Today: "A very similar event had played out with my mother and her brother when saying goodbye to my grandfather. After she shared this with me, I just said ‘Thank you,’ went right back to my typewriter and wrote the scene. It’s an homage to my mother, my uncle and my grandfather.Editor's and Publisher's note: And we thank you, Dr. Ira Byock, for your profound, immeasurable influence for so many of us--professionally with those we serve, and personally with our own families and friends.

MedPAC identifies low rates of hospice use among kidney disease patients McKnights Home Care; by Adam Healy; 4/17/25 Patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) use hospice at far lower rates than patients with other conditions, according to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission. In 2023, 31% of Medicare decedents with ESRD used hospice services, compared with 52% of all Medicare decedents. Hospice lifetime length of stay is also lower among decedents with ESRD, at a median of six days compared with 18 for all Medicare decedents, MedPAC commissioners said during their April meeting. ...

Lakeside stroll: Therapeutic steps as walkers honor cherished loved ones St. Lucie Voice, Port St. Lucie, FL - Community; Press Release; 2/27/25On a sunny January morning, hundreds of community members and supporters of Treasure Coast Hospice gathered for a stroll around the beautiful lake at Tradition. Together, they walked the 1.2-mile trail, one step at a time, supporting healing and remembrance. Reflecting on the loss of a loved one, ... they took another step forward in their journey of hope and healing. ... Toni Szparaga of True Crew Dance Company and her dancers loosened up the crowd with a pre-walk warm-up. Szparaga, who has been participating in the Lakeside Stroll for eight years, dedicated the dancers' performance following the walk to Treasure Coast Hospice. Szparaga, who lost both of her parents within a year, said, "With the guidance of what to expect and counseling that Treasure Coast Hospice offered, I was able to work through the anger, hurt, and sadness and realize they were not gone, they were just going back home."

Value-based palliative care moving toward risk-based models Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 4/21/25 Risk-based contracts may be the future of palliative care reimbursement as Medicare Advantage continues to ascend. The simple term “value-based care” belies its complexity. The term can refer to any number of payment models that are designed to reduce total cost of care and improve outcomes. While most palliative care remains locked in the fee-for-service realm, most value-based organizations like MA plans are moving towards it, according to Dr. Gavin Baumgardner, vice president and national medical director for complex and palliative care at Contessa Health, a subsidiary of Amedisys (Nasdaq: AMED). 

Federal court strikes down minimum staffing rule: The details you might not know behind the decisionMcKnights Long-Term Care News; by Neville M. Bilimoria; 4/21/25On April 7, 2025, the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas struck down the federal minimum staffing Final Rule issued by the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. This was incredibly good news for nursing homes across the country for a variety of reasons ... The opinion from District Court Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk outlined the many laws and regulations America’s nursing homes are subject to in the healthcare arena, but it also recounted some deep history behind minimum staffing efforts that were previously unsuccessful, both by HHS and Congress.  ...

Jury convicts home health agency executive of fixing wages and fraudulently concealing criminal investigation U.S. Department of Justice - Office of Public Affairs; Press Release; 4/14/25 A federal jury convicted a Nevada man today for participating in a three-year conspiracy to fix the wages for home healthcare nurses in Las Vegas and for fraudulently failing to disclose the criminal antitrust investigation during the sale of his home healthcare staffing company.  According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Eduardo “Eddie” Lopez of Las Vegas, Nevada conspired to artificially cap the wages of home healthcare nurses in the Las Vegas area between March 2016 and May 2019. The three-year conspiracy affected the wages of hundreds of Las Vegas registered nurses and licensed practical nurses who provide care to patients in their homes. During the pendency of the government’s investigation, Lopez then sold his home healthcare staffing company for over $10 million while fraudulently concealing the government’s criminal investigation from the buyer.  

Federal court strikes down minimum staffing rule: The details you might not know behind the decisionMcKnights Long-Term Care News; by Neville M. Bilimoria; 4/21/25On April 7, 2025, the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas struck down the federal minimum staffing Final Rule issued by the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. This was incredibly good news for nursing homes across the country for a variety of reasons ... The opinion from District Court Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk outlined the many laws and regulations America’s nursing homes are subject to in the healthcare arena, but it also recounted some deep history behind minimum staffing efforts that were previously unsuccessful, both by HHS and Congress.  ...

Why ScionHealth isn’t creating a new role for AIBecker's Health IT; by Naomi Diaz; 4/21/25 At Louisville, Ky.-based ScionHealth, CIO and Senior Vice President Robecca Quammen told Becker’s that AI governance is being treated as an extension of the CIO role, rather than a justification for creating a new executive position. Robecca Quammen: