Literature Review

Employing telehealth to ease the hospice transition for kids with cancer mHelathIntelligence, by Anuja Vaidya; 4/23/24 ... In a study published in the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management last month, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta researchers detailed a telehealth-based intervention the hospital has employed to ease the transition to hospice for young cancer patients and their families. ... The intervention includes a series of coordinated telehealth visits during the first month of hospice enrollment for children or young adults, 29 or younger, with cancer. ... Hospice nurses participating in the pilot received a tablet equipped with mobile WiFi cellular service that they would take to the family's home, which enabled the [hospital/pediatric specialty] nurses and families to join the call. ... The most important finding of the study was that coordinated telehealth visits between the hospital, hospice, and the families during the first month of hospice enrollment were feasible and acceptable to all participants.

A leading authority in senior care and services: Seniors Blue Book Iowanews Headlines; 4/23/24Seniors Blue Book, a trusted name in senior care and services, has been recognized as a leading authority in the industry. With a dedication to improving the lives of seniors and their families, Seniors Blue Book has consistently demonstrated its commitment to providing high-quality, reliable information and resources for the senior community. ... For over 40 years, Seniors Blue Book has been at the forefront of the senior care and services industry, offering a wide range of resources and solutions designed to improve the lives of older adults and their families. 

The moral compass of medicine: Exploring ethical dilemmas Medscape, by Lambeth Hochwald; 4/23/24 While the ethical conflicts discussed in medical school once focused primarily on patient privacy, end-of-life issues, and conflicts of interest with pharmaceutical companies, today, the list of ethical dilemmas facing physicians has risen to include everything from gender care and vaccine issues to weight loss drug access and abortion regulations in some states. ... So, what happens when a physician’s expertise clashes with local, state, or national politics?

UPMC lays off 1,000 employees, citing market challengesModern Healthcare, by Caroline Hudson; 4/24/24UPMC is laying off about 1,000 employees, or slightly more than 1% of its workforce. The layoffs are effective immediately, a spokesperson said Wednesday. The cuts mostly affect non-clinical, non-member-facing and administrative employees, Paul Wood, chief communications officer at UPMC, said in a statement. ... Pittsburgh-based UPMC operates 40 hospitals and 800 doctor's offices and outpatient sites in Pennsylvania, New York, Maryland and some international locations. Its insurance division covers more than 4 million members. The nonprofit health system reported a $31 million net loss in 2023, compared with a more than $1 billion loss the prior year. Operating losses for 2023 totaled $198 million.

Skepticism is healthy, but in medicine, it can be dangerous The New York Times, Guest Essay, by Dr. Daniela J. Lamas; 4/24/24 I arrived at the hospital one recent morning to find a team of doctors gathered just outside a patient room. The patient was struggling — his breaths too fast and too shallow. For days we had been trying to walk the line between treating the pain caused by his rapidly growing cancer and prolonging his life. [The author describes interactions with the family.] ... We are at a crossroads in medicine when it comes to public trust. After a pandemic that twisted science for political gain, it is not surprising that confidence in medicine is eroding. ... Our medical system relies on trust — in face-to-face meetings as well as public health bulletins. Distrust can lead doctors to burnout and can encourage avoidable negative outcomes for our patients.Editor's Note: For a patient/caregiver/family to agree to a hospice admission, they must first trust the physician who refers them to your organization. Before that, the referring physician must trust your organization. Too often, "trust" is diluted as a "soft skill." "Trust"--as described in this article--is a cornerstone, a foundation of strength, endurance, and integrity in the hardest, most conflicted times of decisions about living and dying that a person (and family) might face.

CMS increases hours to 3.48 in final staffing rule McKnights Long-Term Care News, by Kimberly Marselas; 4/22/24 Nursing homes will be required to deliver 3.48 hours of daily direct care per patient under a final staffing mandate issued this morning. A White House statement on the rule [4/22] said that 3.0 hours must be split between registered nurses at 0.55 hours and 2.45 hours for certified nurse aides. The remaining time was not immediately defined by the White House release, and the full rule text was not available.

[Change Management] Improving governance and compliance with knowledge managementOutsourced Pharma, Guest Column by Irwin Hirsh; 4/23/24Knowledge management and knowledge sharing provide powerful levers for removing obstacles to business success. Here, ... I want to raise awareness of how knowledge management supports the demands of compliance and governance. ... [Includes:]

30 systems sign on to new effort to advance age-friendly care Becker's Clinical Leadership, by Erica Carbajal; 4/17/24Thirty health systems are participating in a new collaborative through the Institute for Healthcare Improvement that aims to accelerate the adoption of age-friendly care for older adults. The Age-Friendly System-Wide Spread Collaborative is billed as a learning and action community through which systems will focus on embedding four evidence-based elements of high-quality care for older adults: what matters, medication, mentation and mobility, known as the 4Ms. Participants — which include Los Angeles-based Cedars Sinai, New York City-based Mount Sinai Health System and Atlanta-based Grady Health — will share data and collaborate to advance their own improvements in scaling age-friendly care across their sites of care. Participants also have the opportunity to be among the first to achieve a new IHI recognition for systemwide adoption of the 4Ms. 

Health systems creating new IT C-suite roles Becker's Hospital Review, by Naomi Diaz; 4/19/24 In response to evolving demands within the healthcare landscape, hospitals and health systems are reconfiguring their C-suites and leadership teams to align with organizational priorities. Among the recent developments, several institutions have introduced new roles to their executive teams. [Click on the title's link for examples.]

Analysts not ruling out Cigna, Humana mergerBecker's Payer Issues, by Rylee Wilson; 4/22/24A merger between Humana and Cigna could still be in the cards according to one analyst, Bloomberg reported April 22. "The math now works for a [Cigna and Humana] fusion," Jeffries analyst David Windley wrote April 22. Since the two companies abandoned a proposed merger in December, Cigna's stock prices have risen by 37% and Humana is down 31%, according to Bloomberg. Cigna could strike a deal to acquire Humana for around $420 per share, Mr. Windley wrote in a note to clients. An acquisition would add to Cigna's growth if it does not pay more than $470 per share for the company, according to Jeffries.

CHS to sell Tennessee hospital Becker's Hospital Review, by Molly Gamble; 4/18/24 Community Health Systems is preparing to sell off a 351-bed hospital in Tennessee. The Franklin, Tenn.-based health system announced April 18 that it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell 351-bed Tennova Healthcare – Cleveland (Tenn.) to Hamilton Health Care System in Dalton, Ga., for $160 million in cash. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2024. Earlier this year, CHS CEO Tim Hingtgen said the 71-hospital company was evaluating interest for sales that could yield more than $1 billion in proceeds. In 2023, CHS sold hospitals in West Virginia, Arkansas, and Florida.

Medicare Advantage fight shifts to 340B arena Modern Healthcare, by Alex Kacik; 4/22/24Hospitals' fight to boost Medicare Advantage reimbursement has extended to plans' pay for 340B drugs. The hospitals’ plea to adjust Medicare Advantage pay stems from regulation aimed at making providers that participate in the drug discount program whole after the Supreme Court reversed 340B rate cuts that were in place from 2018 to 2022.

FBI, DEA search Angel Bright Home Health offices Monday, along with state Medicare fraud unit 3NEWS, Corpus Christi, TX, by Ana Tamez and Lexis Greene; 4/22/24 The FBI searched the Angel Bright Home Health Inc. offices Monday morning. FBI Public Affairs Officer Connor Hagan confirmed FBI-Houston agents were partnering with the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and the Texas Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) on an operation on Holly Road. ... 3NEWS found about a dozen agents at the home-health and hospice agency's office throughout the day Monday. At about 1:15 p.m., they began carting out boxes filled with documents and loading them into an unmarked box truck.