Literature Review

Palliative provider Thyme Care secures $95M in funding round Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 7/17/24 The oncology-focused value-based enabler Thyme Care has completed a $95 million funding round that includes $55 million in equity funding. The company offers palliative care in addition to other services. In May, Thyme Care launched a new palliative care telehealth offering, branded as Enhanced Supportive Care. Thyme Care will use the new infusion of investment dollars to expand to new geographies, build new partnerships with oncologists, primary care practices and health plans, according to a press release.

Cedar Rapids nursing home worker needlessly exposed to infectious disease, judge rules The Gazette; by Clark Kauffman, Iowa Capital Dispatch; 7/16/24 A social worker for an Iowa nursing home was justified in quitting after the facility failed to inform her and others of residents who had serious, contagious diseases, according to a judge’s ruling. State records indicate Mary Lovejoy Castaneda was employed by the nursing home chain Care Initiatives as a full-time social worker at Cedar Rapids’ Heritage Specialty Care from March through May of this year. She resigned after citing “stress and anxiety” related to the job, which entailed working with hospice patients. ... [Additionally,] when Care Initiatives hired Castaneda the company assured her it would refrain from assigning her hospice patients, only to later begin doing so. Editor's Note: Yes, lack of information about patients with "serious, contagious diseases" with the need to wear PPE is a significant offense. However, the social worker employee requesting [refusing?] to serve hospice patitents within a nursing home facility raises significant ethical concerns about care for patients and their families. The staff/patient ratio for social workers in a nursing facilities requires extensive, broad coverage. Click on the title's link to continue reading.

County Commissioners question providing nonprofits with funding Times Union Online, Kosciusko County, IN; by David L. Slone; 7/16/24 The future of Kosciusko County government providing funding to local nonprofit organizations is uncertain. Tuesday, after some discussion on the appropriateness of the county giving taxpayer dollars to nonprofits, the Kosciusko County Commissioners approved recommending to the County Council that seven nonprofits receive the same amount of funds in 2025 as they did in 2024. [Among the organizations listed is] Stillwater Hospice, $50,000. ... [Commissioner Cary] Groninger said the county council would have the final say on the nonprofit funding. ... [Commissioner Brad] Jackson said the decision was a tough one and they didn’t just want to stop providing funding without giving the nonprofits notice. 

Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability. ~ Sam Keen

A personal approach: Patient Care Coordination Inc. celebrates a decade of inclusive healthcare Classic 96.7 FM BWZ, Philadelphia, PA; 7/17/24Philadelphia-based Patient Care Coordination Inc. (PCC), led by Founder and Executive Director Paul S. Rimar, proudly commemorates its 10th anniversary. With a steadfast commitment to inclusivity, particularly within the LGBTQ community, PCC has grown to serve over 6,500 participants across 21 counties in Pennsylvania, delivering high-quality, value-based healthcare services. ... A cornerstone of PCC’s mission is its dedication to the LGBTQ community. Rimar’s personal experiences with LGBTQ-specific challenges have profoundly influenced PCC’s inclusive policies and practices. ... [Rimar's] comprehensive background, including roles in long-term care, hospice, managed care, and transplantation, has been instrumental in PCC’s evolution and success.

Emory receives $5 million grant to improve geriatric care and education Saporta Report; by Emory University, Atlanta, GA; 7/16/24 Emory University has been awarded a $5 million cooperative agreement by the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to enhance geriatric care and education for health care workers in Georgia’s urban and rural areas. This five-year funding will support Georgia Gear (Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program), operated through the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine at Emory University School of Medicine. ... The Georgia Gear program will partner with organizations including Georgia Memory Net, the Georgia Department of Public Health, Georgia Area Health Education Center, the Technical College System of Georgia, Emory Healthcare, the Atlanta VA Health Care System, and the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM).

NAHC-NHPCO Alliance comments on Hospice CARE Act HomeCare; 7/16/24 The NAHC-NHPCO Alliance submitted a comment letter to the office of Rep. Earl Blumenauer (OR-3) on the discussion draft of the Hospice Care Accountability, Reform, and Enforcement Act (Hospice CARE Act), along with an overview and section-by-section summary. The Hospice CARE Act focuses on hospice payment reform and program integrity. The two trade organizations said they have worked closely with Blumenauer for years on these issues and are committed to continuing the dialogue to secure optimal outcomes for hospice providers and the continued delivery of quality care for patients and their families.

2 Ketamine palliative care projects explore interdisciplinary collaborationHospice News; by Holly Vossel; 6/29/24Two ketamine-assisted therapy projects are examining ways to develop training and collaboration models for utilization among palliative care patient populations. A growing body of research is uncovering the potential benefits of ketamine therapies to help with symptom management. But greater understanding of the drug and its impacts is needed to help palliative care providers and other health professionals guide patient experiences, according to Dr. Michael Fratkin, board president of the Institute for Rural Psychedelic Care. Fratkin is also a palliative care specialist at Humboldt Center for New Growth.

Fifth of UK hospices cutting services amid funding crisis, finds report The Guardian, UK; by Andrew Gregory; 7/16/24 One in five hospices in the UK are cutting services amid the worst funding crisis in two decades, a report has warned, with soaring numbers of patients being pushed back into the NHS. Research by Hospice UK found “small and wildly varying” state funding had failed to keep pace with growing demand and rising running costs. That means inpatient beds are being cut, staff made redundant and community services restricted, with fewer visits to dying patients in their own homes, according to the charity, which represents more than 200 hospices across the country.

Rural hospitals built during Baby Boom now face Baby Bust KFF Health News; by Tony Leys; 7/15/24 ... Many of the U.S. hospitals that are now dropping obstetrics units were built or expanded in the mid-1900s, when America went on a rural-hospital building spree, thanks to federal funding from the Hill-Burton Act. “It was an amazing program,” said Brock Slabach, chief operations officer for the National Rural Health Association. “Basically, if you were a county that wanted a hospital, they gave you the money.”Editor's Note: Mark Cohen has discussed the Hilburton Act with Chris Comeaux in their monthly TCN podcasts. Closures of rural hospital services continue to increase, impacting end-of-life care awareness, referrals, and utilization throughout our nation's rural areas. 

Advanced practice providers have an important role in kidney supportive care Healio; by Christine Corbett, DNP, FNP-BC, CNN-NP, FNKF; 7/15/24For more than 2 decades, nephrologists and patients have recognized the key role nephrology advanced practice providers have played in the care of patients with chronic kidney disease. ... With its attention to the psychosocial and spiritual aspects of care in addition to the physical, it is expected that nephrology nurse practitioners would also play a major role in the palliative care for patients with kidney disease. ... As part of the kidney care team, APPs [advanced practice practitionsers] educate patients about kidney failure treatment options, including palliative dialysis and active medical management without dialysis. Also, nurse practitioners have been noted to play a significant role in the palliative care skills of goals-of-care conversations, advance care planning and Portable Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST, or similar term depending on the state) completion.

AccentCare unveils new hospice care center in Miami-Dade County accentCare, Miami, FL; 7/10/24 AccentCare, a nationwide leader in home health, hospice and personal care services, ... announced the opening of a new inpatient hospice center in Miami. Expanding its footprint in South Florida, AccentCare’s new facility aims to address the region’s diverse population and growing need for greater access to personal and high-quality hospice care. “We are thrilled to expand our presence in the Miami area, offering compassionate and personalized hospice care for more patients and their families in Florida’s diverse communities,” said Andy Johnston, President of Hospice & Personal Care Services, AccentCare. ... AccentCare’s new 30,000-square-foot hospice center offers a range of services, including nursing care, pastoral care, medical social work, respite services, 24-hour critical home care and bereavement support for families. 

Pain management in the wake of the opioid crisis Forbes; by Web Golinkin; 7/15/24 Pain is the single most frequent reason for patient visits in the United States. An estimated 20 percent of adults experience chronic pain, and nearly seven percent experience a level of chronic pain that limits their daily activities. However, most doctors and other healthcare professionals have very little education in pain management, according to Scott Fishman, MD, an internationally recognized expert in pain management, ... This lack of education was one of the main causes of the Opioid Crisis, Fishman says ... of the part of the crisis that was caused by the over-prescribing of opioids, many clinicians have become so wary of the medical-legal issues surrounding pain management that they have gone from an overly liberal approach to a restrictive one in which some prescribers are effectively abandoning patients who need to have their symptoms treated. Both extremes are frequently fueled by lack of knowledge and training, according to Fishman. ... The solution is to close the education gap ...