Literature Review

Orlando Health boosts operating performance by $734M in FY 2023Becker’s Hospital CFO ReviewDecember 15, 2023Orlando (FL) Health transformed a $422.7 million operating loss (-8% margin) in fiscal year 2022 into a $310.8 million gain (5.1% margin) in FY 2023, according to financial documents published Dec. 13. The results equate to a $733.5 million swing from the black to the red. Revenue increased 15.9% year over year to $6.1 billion while expenses rose 16.1% to $5.6 billion.

Three found guilty of fraud in South Florida nursing-school ‘diploma mill’ trialMiami HeraldDecember 15, 2023Three people charged with playing crucial roles in a South Florida nursing-school “diploma mill” were found guilty by a federal jury Friday, after a three-week trial where prosecutors accused the defendants of corrupting the healthcare field. The defendants, a former registrar for the defunct Palm Beach School of Nursing and two recruiters from the northeast, were accused of selling fake transcripts and degrees to thousands of students for millions of dollars so they could qualify to attain licenses as nurses.

National Health Expenditures 2022 HighlightsCMS Fact Sheet, 12/13/23U.S. health care spending grew 4.1% to reach $4.5 trillion in 2022, faster than the increase of 3.2% in 2021, but much slower than the rate of 10.6% in 2020. The growth in 2022 reflected strong growth in Medicaid and private health insurance spending that was somewhat offset by continued declines in supplemental funding by the federal government associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Palliative care for infants with life-limiting conditions: integrative reviewBMJ Journals, 12/16/23By Rebecca Iten, Moira O'Connor, and Fenella J. GillBackground: Infants with life-limiting conditions are a heterogeneous population. Palliative care for infants is delivered in a diverse range of healthcare settings and by interdisciplinary primary healthcare teams, which may not involve specialist palliative care service consultation. Conclusion: There are complex issues surrounding the provision of palliative care for infants. Optimal palliative care should encompass a collaborative and coordinated approach between the primary healthcare teams and specialist palliative care services and prioritisation of palliative care education for nurses and physicians involved in providing palliative care to infants.

Nursing home COVID deaths climb, but vaccinations move slowly upward tooMcKnights Long-Term Care News, 12/15/23By Kimberly MarselasDeaths of nursing home patients from COVID-19 climbed as vaccination rates hit new lows last month, according to an updated analysis by the AARP Public Policy Institute and the Scripps Gerontology Center. ... But vaccinations, at first widely embraced by residents and later mandated for healthcare workers, drove infection and deaths rates down dramatically starting in 2021.

Big Medicare Changes Coming in 2024AARP, 12/14/23By Dena BunisThe new year rings in more Rx drug savings, higher Part B premiums and new Advantage rules.

For those who have lost loved ones, Fargo woman’s memory bears make grief easier to bearDickinson (ND) PressDecember 14, 2023Fargo, ND—... Anne Kidder couldn’t agree more. The Fargo seamstress/crafter has found memorial gifts like her memory bears are her most popular product line. In addition to the bears, she also makes memorial elephants, lions and even unicorns. For parents who have lost a child to miscarriage or stillbirth, she makes a line of smaller bears, which can be weighted to the weight of the child at the time they were born. In addition, she makes memorial pillows, framed and embroidered wall hangings, holiday ornaments, keychains and quilts.

Creative Role Development, Organizational Culture Keys to Battling 2024’s Staffing HeadwindsHospice NewsDecember 15, 2023The worst of the staffing challenges is far from over for embattled hospice providers seeking fruitful recruitment and retention strategies in 2024. Operators will continue to reckon with clinical capacity strains next year as hospices contend with rising demand from a swelling aging population, according to Nick Westfall, CEO of VITAS Healthcare, a subsidiary of Chemed Corp. ... These taxed clinicians can find a variety of opportunities in the different interdisciplinary roles of hospice care that they might not otherwise have in hospitals or health systems, according to St. Croix CEO Heath Bartness.

After six months of study, Kentucky certificate of need task force says more study neededKentucky LanternDecember 15, 2023Lawmakers wrapped up a six-month study of Kentucky’s certificate of need law Thursday by saying more study is needed before they can make solid recommendations for reform.

SEARHC defends Home Health closure at Sitka Assembly meetingKCAW-FM (Sitka, AK)December 15, 2023Sitka, AK—What will home health look like in Sitka without a home health department at the local hospital? The top doctor at the Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium or SEARHC gave an update on the future of home health services at the Sitka Assembly meeting on Tuesday.

LAJHealth Opens Second Brandman Center for Senior Care on WestsideJewish Journal (Los Angeles, CA)December 14, 2023The Brandman Centers for Senior Care, a PACE program of Los Angeles Jewish Health, has opened a new ... It is the second LAJH PACE program, with the first located on its Reseda campus.

Heed history’s warning on aid in dyingBy Sen. John HoffmanStar Tribune (Minneapolis, MN)December 14, 2023Legislative proposals to legalize physician-assisted suicide in Minnesota have been introduced in Minnesota every year since 2015. The bill contents change regularly as the authors try to stay ahead of the numerous legal, medical and ethical objections that are raised. Many of the changes just create new concerns. In whatever form, such legislation is dangerous and would likely have serious consequences for vulnerable populations—particularly those with disabilities.[Editor’s Note: The author is a member of the Minnesota Senate representing Champlin. He is a member of Democrat Farmer-Labor.]

Sutter Health, senior care firm, team up for elderly care San Jose siteMercury News (San Jose, CA)December 14, 2023San Jose, CA—Sutter Health and a firm that specializes in health care for seniors have teamed up to launch a San Jose site that will offer an array of services to elderly people who have low-income levels. ... Sutter Health, a medical services titan, is joining forces with WelbeHealth, a physician-led public benefit firm that provides care to seniors, intend to launch the new medical site starting on New Year’s Day of 2024. ... The San Jose building will accommodate a Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly center, the healthcare firms stated.